USAF unveils B-21 stealth bomber; Tinker AFB to maintain aircraft

The U.S Air Force earlier this month unveiled its newest stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider, pictured above. The aircraft will eventually be serviced at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City. (Photo courtesy U.S. Air Force)

At its classified aircraft manufacturing facility in Palmdale, Calif., earlier this month, the U.S. Air Force unveiled the new B-21 Raider bomber to the public following years of secret development.

The debut of the stealth bomber comes seven years after the contract with defense contractor Northrop Grumman to build the aircraft was announced. Once placed into full-time service, the long-range bomber will be maintained at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City. The B-21 is not expected to make its maiden voyage until sometime in 2023, however.  

The Raider is replacing the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, which has been part of the USAF arsenal for more than 30 years. While the B-21 resembles the B-2 Spirit on the outside with its sleek, futuristic design, the inside is more modernized with newer technologies and computing capabilities. 

Although most facts about the B-21 Raider are still classified, the aircraft should provide the Air Force with an even more “stealthy” upgrade compared to its older cousin.

The Oklahoma Industries Authority (OIA) and the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber already made some strategic moves more than a year ago to help prepare for the B-21’s eventual arrival to Tinker. In June of 2021, OIA acquired 220 acres east of Douglas Boulevard to provide for additional Department of Defense missions and to attract additional private jobs. Hangars large enough to house the long-range bombers while they are being serviced at Tinker are expected to be built on those 220 acres.

“Tinker’s role in protecting our national interests here and abroad cannot be overstated enough. The fact that the Department of Defense chose Tinker as the future maintenance depot for the B-21 stealth bomber clearly signals just how critical Tinker is for maintaining not only the new bomber but also the safety and security of the United States and its allies,” said Chamber president and CEO Roy Williams. “The base plays such a huge role for our city’s economy, and so it is of utmost importance that the Chamber, the state, the city and county all continue to work together to help ensure Tinker’s future viability and vitality.”  

The purchase of those 220 acres is not the first time the Chamber has helped facilitate land and facility acquisitions to assist Tinker in its expansion efforts. In 2008, for example, the Chamber helped facilitate a deal between Oklahoma County and the Air Force to lease the old General Motors plant to Tinker that the base later transformed into an aerospace complex, now known as Building 9001, where various aircraft engines are repaired and overhauled. In addition, the Chamber helped Tinker acquire 158 acres of the BNSF rail yard, paving the way for a planned maintenance operation for the Air Force’s new refueling Tanker, the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus. 

Tinker Air Force Base is the largest single-site employer in the state of Oklahoma, employing more than 26,000 military and civilian people on the base. Tinker’s annual economic impact on the Oklahoma City region is approximately $4.83 billion.