19 is Not Enough: Inside the Air Force's Rush Order for New B-21 Stealth Bombers

America isn’t running out of munitions for Operation Epic Fury. But the Air Force is short on stealth bombers.

Operation Epic Fury has yet again shown that stealth bombers are a first-night necessity for American airpower. It started on night one. “American B-2 bombers, which, again, similar to Midnight Hammer, flew a 37-hour roundtrip sortie from the continental United States, dropping precision penetrating munitions on Iranian underground facilities across the southern flank and slightly deeper,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said at the Pentagon on Mar. 2.

The success of the B-2 bombers with their stealth and precision is indispensable. The problem, of course, is that the entire B-2 fleet consists of just nineteen aircraft. 20% of the fleet was in action on the first night of Operation Epic Fury.

The future B-21s will be tasked with everything from nailing Chinese ships to upholding nuclear deterrence. The 25% rate increase also means the Air Force can field B-21 squadrons onto the flightline faster – and move up the timetable for the B-21 to carry nuclear weapons.

Here’s how it works. Two B-21s have entered flight testing, and several more B-21s are in low-rate initial production at Northrop Grumman’s gigantic final assembly plant in Palmdale, California.

The true number of B-21s produced each year is classified, but the 25% increase will likely boost annual production to approximately eight bombers per year. The increase in funding will “enable the ramp rate to be a little bit steeper than the current flow,” as General Thomas Bussiere, who was Commander, Global Strike Command, explained in testimony last summer. 

The first beneficiary will be in the flight test program itself. Right now, the first two B-21s, nicknamed “Cerberus” and “Spartan,” are handling about two flights per week. For comparison, the early B-2 flight test program in the 1990s conducted about 3,600 hours of testing; the F-35 program, with three variants, eventually racked up 17,000 hours of flight testing.  Producing B-21s faster will deliver more aircraft during the busy mid-phase when weapons integration tests begin. Expect the B-21 to carry the 540 nm AGM-158 extended-range Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM-ER) and other specialized ordnance, such as the QUICKSINK kit for 2,000 lb. and 500 lb. weapons. 

The first B-21 will be delivered to Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, in 2027. The B-2 squadrons have eight aircraft assigned; if the Raider keeps that format, accelerated production works out to one fresh new B-21 squadron per year. B-21s at Whiteman AFB in Missouri and Dyess AFB in Texas will arrive and be ready for action sooner.

Another benefit is that the B-21 can take up duty in the Nuclear Triad more rapidly as a result of this production acceleration. Preparing the B-21 for its nuclear mission is of prime importance. Nuclear weapons certification can commence earlier with more B-21s available for integration testing. The nuclear deterrence mission alone has increased in complexity since China began adding hundreds of nuclear weapons to its arsenal. The B-21 in the Triad will have to deter Russia, China, and any new proliferators.

The B-21 acceleration is also a bold move from Deputy Secretary of War Stephen Feinberg. Feinberg, who made billions in private equity, knows a good investment when he sees one. “This is what disciplined acquisition delivers,” said General Dale R. White, director, Critical Major Weapon Systems, and direct reporting portfolio manager to the Deputy Secretary.

The B-21 program is unique. No stealth combat plane has ever done this well at the early production phase. Pentagon insiders remember the travails of the F-35, the F-22, and even the B-2. Time was when the first F-22s overran cost estimates, and the F-35C had to be redesigned to accommodate the tail hook for carrier landings. Even the B-2 suffered a production gap in the early 1990s. All have exemplary combat records, but the early phases were hair-raising.

Those days are gone. The B-21 is a cost-conscious bomber based on mature technologies. In 2025, B-21 costs fell from $6.3 billion to $5.3 billion for the enacted Fiscal Year 2025 budget. An Aviation Week report noted nearly 28% savings across the five-year defense plan.  The cost-trimming, along with successful flight testing, paved the way for the B-21 acceleration.

To move the deal forward, Northrop Grumman put more skin in the game. CEO Kathy Warden said her company will invest $2-$3 billion of its own corporate funds in manufacturing infrastructure.  The acceleration order for B-21s is also a much-needed direct stimulus to the aerospace industrial base. B-21 acceleration injects funding and purchase order stability into the supplier base for components and parts. Northrop Grumman’s partners on the B-21 program include Pratt & Whitney, Janicki Industries, Collins Aerospace, GKN Aerospace, BAE Systems, and Spirit Aerosystems. Each of these Tier One suppliers is an industry leader in their own right, working on numerous defense programs. The additional B-21 business will benefit the skilled teams and echo across the defense sector.

The Air Force also needs to increase the overall buy number. The B-21 program of record still stands at 100 B-21s. U.S. Strategic Command leaders have spoken of 145 or more B-21s. 

“Operation Epic Fury stands as a reminder of what the United States military uniquely delivers, the ability to project power on a global scale, with speed, surprise, precision, and overwhelming force,” Caine said at the conclusion of his briefing. The tiny B-2 fleet has maintained global reach due to heroic operational performance and maintenance by the 509^th Bomb Wing. However, America’s stealth bomber force must never be allowed to run short.

Dr. Rebecca Grant is a national security analyst based in Washington, DC specializing in defense and aerospace research and national security consulting.