The first USAF B-21 bomber is due to be delivered to Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota during 2027, with testing being accelerated to meet that deadline. Most recently, the USAF released photos of air-to-air refuelling tests.
On 14 April 2026 the US Air Force (USAF) released two new photos of the first Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider bomber (marked as AF-0001) during air-to-air refuelling (AAR) tests with Boeing NKC-135R Stratotanker 61-0320: Edwards AFB’s so-called ‘Ghost tanker’. The date the photographs were taken is unknown, but enthusiast photographers on the ground took a number of images and videos of the same pair of aircraft on 10 March, during a flight that reportedly lasted five hours and 33 minutes. A Douglas DC-9 operated by Raytheon (N879AD) was also seen. This is a testbed aircraft used for airborne signature management in support of low-observable aircraft flight test programmes. A Lockheed Martin F-16 chase aircraft was also seen operating in the vicinity. It is entirely possible that the B-21 has flown previous AAR test sorties without being caught on camera.
It is not known whether these were ‘proximity’ trials, ‘dry’ refuelling contacts or full contacts during which fuel was actually transferred. Neither of the photos showed the boom engaged with the B-21’s Universal Aerial Refueling Receptacle Slipway Installation (UARRSI). Either way, AAR test sorties will form a key part of a rigorous test campaign intended to test, demonstrate and mature the systems required for survivable, long-range penetrating strike missions.
Test pilots reported exceptional handling during aerial refuelling exercises, noting a high degree of stability and control. These qualities will reduce training requirements and enable shorter refuelling contacts.
Northrop Grumman claims that the B-21 is “the most fuel-efficient bomber ever built”, consuming a “fraction of the fuel used by legacy fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft”. It has been said that the B-21 has a longer range that the slightly larger B-2 Spirit, although exact range figures have not been officially released and, indeed, even the type and number of engines remain uncertain.
The B-2 has an unrefuelled range 6,000 nautical miles (6,900 miles, or 11,100 km), while one estimate is that the B-21’s unrefuelled range is 8,000 nautical miles (9,206 miles or 14,816 km). In the Indo-Pacific theatre for which the B-21 was optimised, this will reduce, but by no means remove, the need for AAR sorties, reducing demand for theatre tanker logistics and providing operational commanders with greater flexibility in force packaging.
USAF Chief of Staff General Ken Wilsbach noted that the B-21’s fuel efficiency “is one of the core components of its lethality”, adding, “This long-range strike bomber will reduce the demand on our tanker fleet and free up assets to support the joint force. This will provide a wider range of employment options and the deterrence our nation requires.”
Despite impressive unrefuelled range figures, the ability to refuel in flight will be absolutely fundamental to the Raider’s role of projecting power globally and striking any target anywhere in the world. With the ability to deliver both conventional and nuclear weapons, the B-21 is intended to provide flexible, survivable response options across the full spectrum of conflict, delivering true strategic deterrence.
General S L Davis, the commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, stated, “For our bomber crews and the combatant commanders they support, this is about endurance and mission readiness. This capability ensures we can deliver penetrating long-range strike anywhere in the world, at any time. We are strengthening the capabilities of our bomber force and putting a highly effective and lethal weapon system into the hands of our warfighters.”
The B-21 Combined Test Force forms part of the 412th Test Wing’s 420th Flight Test Squadron and is composed of Northrop Grumman and USAF personnel. Northrop Grumman’s robust digital environment enables effective flight test planning and real-time analysis of test data. This has driven an accelerated test cadence while reducing risk and maturing the B-21 weapon system, and also moving the platform closer to operational service. Test results have consistently surpassed predictions from digital modelling, which has reinforced the team’s confidence in the B-21’s design.
