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United States Northrop Grumman
B-21 Raider
Next-generation stealth strategic bomber designed to succeed the B-1 and B-2, first flown in 2023 and entering low-rate production. Built for dual nuclear-conventional roles and optionally-manned operation.
In service since 2023 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
💲 ≈ $692,000,000 — FY2022 average procurement unit cost estimate
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
US ITAR-controlled
Export needs U.S. State Dept (DDTC) approval; end-use & re-transfer restrictions apply.
Channel: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale
Fielded & proven
Limited · 1 operator
In service since 2023. Status: active · ~6 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$1.7B – $2.4B
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost — operating & support dominate over ~35 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed (Mach)
Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.
- 0.9 Mach
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
- Signature reduction
Radar cross-section shaping, RAM coatings, IR suppression. Actual RCS values are classified.
- Flying-wing low-observable design, next-generation radar-absorbent materials
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 2
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $692,000,000
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 6 Bottom 6% of bombers
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 1 Stronger than 44% of bombers
Specifications compiled from public Northrop Grumman and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
Tupolev Tu-160 Frequently asked questions
How many crew does the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider require? +
The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider requires a crew of 2.
What is the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider used for? +
The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider is a bomber typically used for deep strike.
How many countries operate the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider? +
The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider cost? +
The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider has an approximate unit cost of 692,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.
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