01
U.S. Air Force Starts New B-21 Raider Bomber Assembly Line to Boost Production Capacity by 25%
The US Air Force and Northrop Grumman broke ground on a new B-21 Raider final assembly line at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, on September 29, 2026. The expansion includes more than one million square feet of new facilities and is intended to increase annual bomber production capacity by 25 percent. The construction programme supports accelerated delivery of the stealthy long-range strike aircraft, with the added final assembly infrastructure expanding the existing Palmdale manufacturing footprint. Air Force acquisition officials, Air Force Global Strike Command representatives and Northrop Grumman programme personnel participated in the groundbreaking.