The United States Air Force (USAF) has confirmed that an operational pilot has flown a Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider during a historic test flight.
On June 11, 2026, Edwards Air Force Base announced that an operational test pilot recently flew the bomber with a developmental test pilot sharing the cockpit.
“We put an operational test member in the pilot seat with an Air Force Test Pilot School graduate in the other,” Col. Matt Guasco, AFOTEC Detachment 5 Commander, said. “In the history of modern test, we’ve never done that so early in a program.”
The USAF explained that “traditionally, developmental test ensures an aircraft meets its technical specifications and flies safely, while operational test is conducted separately and much later to determine if the platform is combat-effective, suitable and survivable in the hands of the warfighter”.
It added that “transitioning directly into a combined DT/OT environment eliminates the gap between ensuring a jet simply works and ensuring it is ready for combat”.
With last summer’s arrival of a second B-21 to Edwards AFB, the Raider Combined Test Force transitioned beyond initial flight performance checks into critical mission systems and weapon 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,” Lt. Col. Matthew Gray, 420th Flight Test Squadron commander and Raider CTF Director, said.
The integration of operational test “marks a major shift” in how the USAF evaluates its most critical next-generation aircraft, “breaking down historical barriers in the flight test pipeline”.
The pilot was assigned to the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center’s Detachment 5 at Edwards AFB.
General Dale White, the Department of War’s direct reporting portfolio manager for critical major weapon systems, is responsible for the Sentinel, F-47, B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft.
“Integrating operational and developmental test in the B-21 program exemplifies the acquisition culture we’re instilling throughout the force,” General White said. “It’s a smarter and faster mindset that leverages modern production and test tools with the proper sense of urgency, urgency that challenges old processes and moves us to a more agile acquisition system.”