B-21 overhead image

Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Air Force have released the first official overhead image of the B-21 Raider, giving the clearest public view yet of the stealth bomber’s shape. (northropgrumman.com) The image was published April 14, 2026, alongside photos of the B-21 taking fuel from a KC-135 tanker during flight testing. Northrop Grumman said the refueling milestone expands the bomber’s reach and flexibility as the test campaign continues. (northropgrumman.com) From above, the aircraft shows a smooth flying-wing outline, very small cockpit windows, and engine inlets blended into the upper body instead of standing out as separate openings. Outside analysts said the new angle also shows chevron-shaped exhausts set forward of the trailing edge. (aviationanalysis.net) Stealth aircraft try to do two things at once: scatter radar energy and hide heat. Recessed inlets can help shield engine faces from radar, while flattened or buried exhausts can spread and cool hot gases before they leave the airplane. (aviationweek.com) (twz.com) The B-21 is not just another bomber in testing. The Air Force says it is the future backbone of its long-range strike force and will gradually replace the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit while also serving as the airborne leg of the nuclear triad. (af.mil) That makes each new official image a program signal as well as a photo release. The Air Force has kept the Raider unusually tightly controlled since its rollout in December 2022, so a full top-down view suggests growing confidence as flight testing broadens. (af.mil) (twz.com) The program has moved beyond a single test jet. The Air Force announced in 2025 that a second B-21 test aircraft had joined flight testing at Edwards Air Force Base, allowing work to expand from basic flying qualities into mission-systems and weapons-integration testing. (war.gov) Northrop Grumman says the first operational B-21s are due to arrive at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota in the mid-2020s, and the company continues to describe the aircraft as being in production as well as test. The Air Force has said it plans to buy at least 100. (northropgrumman.com) (af.mil) The new overhead image does not answer the biggest classified questions about sensors, engines, or mission systems. It does show, in one frame, that the Raider’s most visible surfaces were shaped around the same old problem stealth bombers still live with: being hard to find before they can strike. (northropgrumman.com) (aviationanalysis.net)