Air Force and Northrop Grumman break ground on B-21 production facility in Palmdale

Northrop Grumman

The Air Force and Northrop Grumman have broken ground on a new final assembly line for the B-21 bomber at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. The expansion adds more than one million square feet of facilities and raises annual B-21 production capacity by 25%. The first operational aircraft is on track for delivery to Ellsworth Air Force Base in 2027.

• The expansion is funded with $4.5 billion in previously authorised government money, under fiscal 2025 reconciliation legislation.
• The new facility becomes the last assembly station for the aircraft at Plant 42, which Northrop Grumman already uses for B-21 assembly.
• The article does not split the funding between the government and Northrop Grumman.
• The Air Force says the first operational B-21 is on track for delivery to Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, in 2027.