Air Force Accelerates Sending B-21s to Ellsworth
June 29, 2026 | By Stephen Losey and Courtney Albon
The first B-21 Raider bomber will bed down sightly ahead of the original schedule at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., but still in 2027, and the first plane to arrive there is already flying test missions, said Air Force Secretary Troy Meink in an interview with Air & Space Forces Magazine.
One of the two B-21s now in flight testing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., will be the first Raider at Ellsworth. “The test aircraft will be going there,” Meink said during a wide-ranging interview at the Pentagon.
“We’re going to actually turn the test aircraft into operational aircraft at some point in time. They’ll be going there and starting to really do the things you need to do to prepare the base to get the long-term operational aircraft there.”
An Air Force spokesperson declined to say whether both test B-21s at Edwards will move to Ellsworth, or exactly when in 2027 the first plane will arrive. Flight testing typically continues even after planes arrive at operating bases.
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/meink-air-force-plans-test-b-21-ellsworth/
