Operational pilot flies B-21 amid top general’s call for urgency

An operational test pilot has flown a B-21 Raider with a developmental test pilot sharing the cockpit, a first for the program that brings operational testing into the flight deck at an unusually early stage.

“We put an operational test member in the pilot seat with an Air Force Test Pilot School graduate in the other,” said Col. Matt Guasco, AFOTEC Det. 5 commander. “In the history of modern test, we’ve never done that so early in a program.”

The approach blends developmental and operational evaluations to close the gap between proving the aircraft’s technical performance and determining its readiness for combat. The pilot was assigned to the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center’s Detachment 5 at Edwards Air Force Base.

“Integrating operational and developmental test in the B-21 program exemplifies the acquisition culture we’re instilling throughout the force,” said Gen. Dale White, the Department of War’s direct reporting portfolio manager for critical major weapon systems. “In the case of the Raider,” White said, “it means we’re now that much closer to placing asymmetric lethality into the hands of the warfighter.”

White oversees the weapon systems designated most critical to national security, including Sentinel, F-47, B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. The 412th Test Wing is currently testing the B-21 and CCA.

With a second B-21 arriving at Edwards last summer, the Raider Combined Test Force has moved beyond initial flight performance checks into mission systems and weapons integration. “Bringing operational testers onto the team at this early point in the program now means we can evaluate the bomber’s true combat utility, not just its flying characteristics,” said Lt. Col. Matthew Gray, 420th Flight Test Squadron commander and Raider CTF director.

The Raider CTF is made up of Airmen and Air Force civilians from the 412th Test Wing’s 420th Flight Test Squadron, AFOTEC Det. 5 and the 53rd Wing’s 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron, alongside Northrop Grumman partners.

During a June 8 all-call with the team, White emphasized accelerated, purpose-driven testing. “There are three programs the future of our nation depends upon: Sentinel, B-21 and F-47,” he told the crowd. “These are the capabilities our nation will turn to in its darkest hour.”

He outlined two priorities for the B-21 effort—ensuring proper resourcing and preventing “bureaucratic processes” from overloading the test team. “I’m not going to be reckless and say go faster,” he said. Instead, he asked the team directly, “How can I clear the way?” White urged a cultural shift to demonstrate “urgency with purpose, urgency with meaning,” adding, “I will do the same,” and, “And we at the Pentagon will operate with the same urgency we’re asking of you.”

When asked what keeps him up at night, White replied, “I worry that we don’t embrace urgency. I worry that talk is cheap. I worry about the courage to challenge leaders.” He closed by affirming confidence in the CTF: “I would not want to place this mission in the hands of anyone else,” he said. “You’re the very best this nation has to offer, and when we unleash you with urgency, founded upon meaning and purpose, then no adversary stands a chance.”

The B-21 Raider, designed for long-range deep-strike, will join the B-52 Stratofortress and its massive-payload standoff capability to form the backbone of America’s future bomber force.