The U.S. this week revealed its second purchase of a $776 million stealth nuclear bomber.
The new B-21 Raider was seen arriving at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Thursday, Sept. 11, as America moves forward with plans to produce 100 of the deadly aircraft.
The warplane has an estimated range of 12,000 km (7,456 miles), enabling it to execute nuclear weapon strikes anywhere in the world.
The U.S. Air Force (USAF) said, “The addition of the second test aircraft expands mission systems and weapons integration testing, advancing the programme towards operational readiness.”
Both pre-production B-21s, built by Northrop Grumman, are assigned to the 420th Flight Test Squadron.
They will undergo mission system and weapon integration tests, with the aim of reaching operational readiness later this decade.
“With the arrival of the second B-21 Raider, our flight test campaign gains substantial momentum,” said Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink. “We can now expedite critical evaluations of mission systems and weapons capabilities, directly supporting the strategic deterrence and combat effectiveness envisioned for this aircraft.”
In an earlier statement, the USAF said, “The aircraft is expected to enter service in the mid-2020s with a production goal of at least 100 aircraft.”
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This comes about a week after Russian drones crossed into Poland airspace on their way to targets in Ukraine. NATO fighter jets were deployed to scramble to weapons.
The incident sparked new fears of Russia‘s full-scale invasion of its neighboring country spilling into other territories, like Poland. Russia claimed it did not intend for the drones to hit anything in Poland.
Experts claim the incident was an example of the Russian president testing the waters as he considers upping his aggression in the more than three-year war.