The B-21 Raider Bomber Has a New Problem That Should Have Been Clear
Until recently, all seemed to be going well with the development of the B-21 Raider stealth bomber. The program appeared to be on time and under budget. Workers have toiled diligently on production models at the manufacturing facility in Palmdale, California, and one B-21 is already in flight mode. Northrop Grumman was excited about the future. The behemoth defense contractor made a huge bet on the airplane, and it seemed to have won.
But it turns out that the B-21 program’s extremely high up-front costs hurt Northrop Grumman’s bottom line this year.
Northrop’s Operating Loss Is an Eye Opener on B-21 Raider
Northrop Grumman is recalculating costs for the B-21. The stealth bomber is expensive to make, and as a result, the company had a 49 percent reduction in net earnings last quarter. Northrop lost $1.2 billion on the program in 2024. It is too late to turn back now. The Air Force wants 100 B-21s, and some analysts—and at least one Air Force general—have called for as many as 145 Raiders to be built.
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