According to an article published on the DefendeNews website on December 23, 2021, the US Air Force will publicly showcase the B-21 Raider bomber, the next generation stealth bomber, in the coming year, but the specific date has not yet been determined. It is reported that after several months of public display, the B-21 will conduct its first test flight. General Brown, Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, stated at the "Defense One" online defense status conference in September 2021 that the Air Force will do something special when showcasing the B-21, such as holding an unveiling ceremony or subsequent maiden flight.

This will be the first time in over thirty years that the US Air Force has publicly showcased a new type of bomber. Because the B-2 Phantom bomber from Northrop Grumman was unveiled to the public in November 1988 at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. The first public flight of B-2 occurred in the second year, July 1989.

However, US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall stated on December 9th that the US Air Force may continue to keep the "Raiders" confidential, including throughout 2022. Kendall said in an online forum that the public won't see much content, and the US Air Force doesn't want its opponents to be one step ahead in anything. The US Air Force only wants to make the public and Congress aware that it is carrying out this work, but it will not disclose too much information.

Kendall revealed at the Air Force Association's Air, Space, and Cyber Conference in September this year that five B-21s are in different stages of production at Factory 42.

Todd Harrison, an aerospace and defense budget expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, expects that the US Air Force will submit its 2023 budget application in early 2022, which will provide more details about the B-21. He said that this may include more information, such as the US Air Force's procurement plan and how quickly the aircraft can be deployed. 2022 will be an important year for B-21.

But the 2023 budget request may also include some difficult trade-offs, as the US Air Force is seeking to retire more old aircraft to free up more funds. The upcoming budget is expected to be very tight, leaving little room for the US Air Force to modernize as quickly as needed. Kendall and other Air Force leaders have recently increased their calls for Congress to allow the retirement of old aircraft, believing that these old planes will not be of much use in great power competition. US Air Force Chief of Staff Brown stated in an interview with Defense News in November 2020 that the 2023 fiscal year is what he truly cares about.

In order to bridge the gap between the KC-46A Pegasus and the next generation of aerial refueling aircraft, the US Air Force is working to purchase a KC-Y tanker (transitional tanker) and issued a request for approval in June. Three months later, Lockheed Martin announced an improved version of its LMXT aerial tanker - the Airbus A330 multi-purpose tanker/transport aircraft, which will compete with the KC-46A for up to 160 transitional tanker orders.

The Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, Brown, stated that the bidding time for the transitional refueling aircraft has not yet been determined, but related work has already begun.

Source: Global Aviation Information