Veil Lifted On B-21

The head of the Air Force released the most detailed photos yet of the B-21 Raider, the pricey pilot-optional strategic bomber that will replace the B-2. Gen. Charles Q. Brown, who is likely the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, showed off two new images of the super-secret aircraft while attending the Air and Space Forces Association conference near Washington, D.C., as reported by the Drive.

Even though the Air Force formally rolled out the prototype last December, the photos released were all the head-on view of the plane with nothing to give scale or perspective. One of the new pix shows the Raider from an angle with a good look at the flight deck windows, engine inlets and landing gear. Another is the head-on view but with people and equipment to give it scale. The images were taken July 31, a few days after the prototype was powered up for the first time at Northrop Grumman's Site 4 facility at USAF Plant 42 in in Palmdale, California.