12 Things We Learned From the New B-21’s Taxi Tests and First Flight
Nov. 22, 2023 | By John A. Tirpak
After nearly a year of speculation since the Air Force arranged a carefully-controlled, forward-only view of the B-21 Raider at its December 2022 rollout—leaving many questions about the shape and equipment of the bomber—images of the aircraft taken of its November taxi tests and first flight provided some definitive answers about it.
All images circulating of the taxi tests and first flight were taken by private photographers staking out Air Force Plant 42 at Palmdale, Calif., where Northrop Grumman builds the B-21. The Air Force has yet to release any official images of the events.
Taking off at dawn on Nov. 10, the B-21’s underside was illuminated at a nearly straight-on angle, revealing all its features in crisp relief. The aircraft made a circuitous, roughly 140-minute flight to the northwest before landing at Edwards Air Force Base.
Overall Shape
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/12-things-we-learned-b-21-taxi-tests-first-flight/
