The Air Force announced Wednesday that it will host the new B-21 Raider aircraft at three existing bomber bases beginning in the mid-2020s.
The B-21 Raider will replace B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit aircraft at Dyess Air Force Base (AFB), Texas; Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota; and Whiteman AFB, Missouri.
“The exceptional airmen at Dyess have proven their ability time and again to produce combat-ready crews, and this will help them to further enhance Air Force readiness,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said. “The fleet of B-21 Raiders will benefit not just the Abilene community, but also our national security for decades to come.”
Air Force officials noted that using existing bomber bases would minimize operational impact, maximize re-use of facilities and minimize costs.
Barksdale AFB, Louisiana and Minot AFB, North Dakota will continue to host the B-52, which the Air Force expects to continue conducting operations through 2050. The Air Force does not plan to retire the existing bombers until there are enough B-21s to replace them.
“We are designing the B-21 Raider to replace our aging bombers as a long-range, highly-survivable aircraft capable of carrying mixed conventional and nuclear payloads, to strike any target worldwide,” Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David L. Goldfein said.
The Air Force will make a final B-21 basing decision following compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and other regulatory and planning processes. The final decision is expected in 2019. The Air Force hasn’t determined which location will receive the aircraft first.