The US Air Force (USAF) is now expecting the first flight of its Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider long-range strike bomber (LRSB) to take place no earlier than 2022: slightly later than the late 2021 timeframe the service previously expected. Major General Mark Weathering-ton, Eighth Air Force commander, said on 31 August that the USAF could also make the aircraft's initial operational capability (IOC) date earlier if it accelerates deliveries. Matthew Donovan, former USAF undersecretary, said in January 2018 that the B-21's IOC was scheduled for themid-2020s.
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