The Smart Marty Sky Dispatch
5 Air Force Bases Spending Billions To Prepare For The B-21 Raider's Arrival
The B-21 may be the aircraft of the future, but getting it to the flight line requires rebuilding bases designed for bombers of the past.
Five U.S. Air Force installations are engaging in a multi-billion-dollar effort to prepare for the arrival of the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider. The projects span four states and cover facilities essential to operation, maintenance, and testing of the stealth bomber.
The scope of spending includes upgrades to runways, hangars, fuel systems, and security infrastructure at the bases. The renovations are part of a broader peacetime military construction push driven by the new bomber program.
Each installation is pursuing its own construction timeline in advance of the Raider’s deployment, with deadlines focused on readiness for the aircraft upon arrival. The initiatives encompass changes to support housing and classified weapons storage as part of the overall program.
The report frames the effort as one of the largest rounds of military construction undertaken by the Air Force in recent decades, underscoring the scale of investment tied to fielding the B-21 Raider.