Air Force and Northrop agree to raise B-21 production capacity by 25% using $4.5B of 2025 funding

Northrop Grumman/B-21 Raider

The Air Force and Northrop Grumman agreed to expand yearly B-21 production capacity by 25%, paid for with $4.5B approved in the 2025 reconciliation law. The aim is to deliver bombers sooner; the first operational aircraft remain due at Ellsworth Air Force Base in 2027.

• $4.5B from fiscal 2025 reconciliation funding.
• Annual production capacity up 25%.
• Low-rate production began in January 2024.
• First operational jets due at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, in 2027.