Three B-21 Raiders now in flight testing.

According to information published on the X Account of AirPower 2.0 (MIL_STD), on December 31, 2024, the United States Air Force's next-generation stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider, is making significant progress in its development with three aircraft actively supporting the bomber's flight test campaign. Northrop Grumman, the defense contractor behind this cutting-edge platform, has announced key updates as part of the effort to validate the Raider’s capabilities.

The B-21 Raider’s are conducting a combination of flight and ground testing to ensure the program remains on track for future operational deployment. This milestone underscores the steady advancement of the B-21 program, which is regarded as a cornerstone of the U.S. Air Force's future long-range strike capabilities.

The B-21 Raider is a next-generation long-range strategic bomber designed to meet the evolving demands of modern warfare. It will replace aging platforms like the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit, which have served as the backbone of the U.S. Air Force's bomber fleet for decades. The Raider embodies a host of cutting-edge technologies, making it the world’s first sixth-generation bomber. Its advanced stealth capabilities will allow it to penetrate heavily defended airspaces, while its open architecture design ensures it can seamlessly integrate emerging technologies over time. Equipped to carry both conventional and nuclear payloads, the B-21 is a critical component of the Pentagon's nuclear triad modernization efforts, ensuring the United States retains credible and adaptable deterrence capabilities in an increasingly complex global security environment.

Among its key features, the B-21 offers enhanced survivability, with stealth characteristics designed to evade advanced radar systems. It is being engineered with a modular open systems approach (MOSA), enabling rapid upgrades to avionics, sensors, and weapons systems, thus keeping it operationally relevant for decades. Its extended range and payload capacity will provide the Air Force with unmatched versatility, allowing it to conduct a variety of missions ranging from global strikes to intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). Additionally, the B-21 will be capable of operating in high-threat environments and is expected to offer an unprecedented degree of reliability and maintainability compared to its predecessors.

Currently, the first B-21 Raider, known as T-1, is undergoing flight testing at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB). These tests are essential for evaluating the bomber’s aerodynamic performance, stealth capabilities, and advanced avionics systems in real-world conditions. Meanwhile, two additional B-21 aircraft are engaged in ground-based testing, including structural integrity tests and systems integration tests to ensure the compatibility and functionality of the onboard technologies and weapons delivery capabilities.

Looking ahead, the program is set to accelerate as three more B-21 Raiders are scheduled to join the flight test campaign in the near future. These additional aircraft will enable simultaneous testing across multiple domains, helping to validate the bomber's performance under diverse operational scenarios. This expansion reflects a methodical approach to addressing technical challenges while maintaining a schedule that aligns with the Air Force’s modernization objectives.

As the testing campaign continues, the program remains a focal point for the defense community, given its potential to redefine aerial warfare. The successful integration of new technologies into the B-21 will not only shape U.S. Air Force capabilities but also serve as a benchmark for future military aviation programs.

Trump announces America seeks to be at forefront of A.I. technology with "Operation Stargate"

On the second day of his presidency, Donald Trump announced billions of dollars worth of investment to build artificial intelligence infrastructure in the United States of America. Trump said that three big players in the private sector—OpenAI, Softbank, and Oracle—are planning a joint venture called Stargate.

President Trump was joined by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison. Trump said that Stargate will invest at least $500 billion into AI infrastructure in the US, creating over 100,000 American jobs almost immediately.


“This monumental undertaking is a strong vote of confidence in America’s future and leadership under this administration. This project ensures that the United States will remain the global leader in AI and technology, rather than letting competitors like China gain the edge,” Trump said.

The Stargate Project is essentially a new company that aims to invest $500 billion towards building advanced AI infrastructure in the US over the next four years. The initiative will invest $100 billion almost immediately. This ambitious project seeks to push American AI leadership, create hundreds of thousands of jobs, and provide significant global economic benefits.

The project backs US re-industrialization and enhances national security capabilities. Softbank, Oracle, OpenAI, and MGX are the key stakeholders, with Softbank handling the financial aspect and OpenAI overseeing the operations. Masayoshi Son will be the chairman, and the technology partners include Arm, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Oracle, and OpenAI.

When it comes to physical infrastructure, the construction has begun in Texas, with plans to expand to other locations in the US. Project Stargate aims to drive the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI). This project is a significant leap in AI’s progress.

Many details about the Stargate Project are still under wraps. OpenAI has posted a general outline on its official website; however, more information about this ambitious project is expected to be announced in the coming days.

NNSA completes B61-12 Life Extension Program

WASHINGTON – On December 18, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) completed the Last Production Unit (LPU) of the B61-12 Life Extension Program (LEP). The B61-12 is the latest modification to the B61 family of gravity bombs, which are deployed from U.S. Air Force and North Atlantic Treaty Organization bases. The B61 family of bombs has over 50 years of service, making it the oldest and most versatile weapon in the enduring U.S. nuclear weapon stockpile. The B61-12 LEP, which is critical to sustaining the Nation’s air delivered nuclear deterrent capability, extends the service life by at least 20 years through refurbishing, reusing, or replacing all the bomb’s nuclear and non-nuclear components.



“Completing the B61-12 on schedule is the latest example of what we’ve been saying for several years now: NNSA is delivering capabilities at the pace and scale needed by our Department of Defense partners and our deterrence requirements,” said Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Security and NNSA Administrator Jill Hruby.

This LEP, which began in 2008, will continue to assure its safety, security, and effectiveness and consolidated and replaced the -3, -4, -7, and -10 B61 variants. The B61-12 balances greater accuracy provided by the modern tail kit assembly with a substantial reduction in yield, with no overall change in military characteristics.

The Nuclear Security Enterprise, in close coordination with the U.S. Air Force, worked together to deliver the B61-12 LPU three years after achieving First Production Unit in November 2021 and 17 years after design and development activities first started. NNSA’s program managers and experts from Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, the Pantex Plant, the Savanah River Site, the Y-12 National Security Complex, and the Kansas City National Security Campus worked in close collaboration with NNSA on the design, development, qualification, and component production.

“Completion of the last B61-12 testifies to the successful collaboration we’ve had with our U.S. Air Force and Department of Defense partners. The momentum built through B61-12 production and delivery will continue into delivery on the other six active weapons modernization programs and on additional programs that will become active in the coming years,” said Dr. Marvin Adams, Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs. “Achieving LPU in FY 2025 demonstrates our ability to execute, not only to our partners and stakeholders in DoD and Congress but also to our adversaries and allies. This demonstration is itself a contribution to deterrence and assurance.”

With production of the B61-12 LEP now complete, NNSA will transition to producing the B61-13 bomb, which will leverage the current, established production capabilities supporting the B61-12. FPU of the B61-13 is scheduled for FY 2026.

NNSA continues to pursue six additional warhead modernization programs while also modernizing the full suite of production manufacturing capabilities necessary to develop a more resilient Enterprise to meet evolving nuclear deterrence objectives.  

Northern California Man Arrested for Allegedly Flying Drone Over and Photographing Vandenberg Space Force Base

LOS ANGELES – A Northern California man has been arrested on a federal criminal complaint for allegedly flying a drone over and taking photographs of Vandenberg Space Force Base, the Justice Department announced today.


Yinpiao Zhou, 39, of Brentwood, is charged with failure to register an aircraft not providing transportation and violation of national defense airspace.

Zhou was arrested Monday at San Francisco International Airport prior to boarding a China-bound flight and made his initial appearance Tuesday in United States District Court in San Francisco.

Zhou remains in federal custody pending prosecutors’ appeal of a federal magistrate judge’s decision to release him. No plea was taken and his arraignment is expected to be scheduled in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles in the coming weeks.

“This defendant allegedly flew a drone over a military base and took photos of the base's layout, which is against the law,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “The security of our nation is of paramount importance and my office will continue to promote the safety of our nation’s military personnel and facilities.”

According to an affidavit filed on December 8 with the complaint, on November 30, 2024, drone detection systems at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County detected a drone flying over the base. The drone systems detected that the drone flew for nearly one hour, traveled to an altitude of almost one mile above ground level, and originated from Ocean Park, a public area next to the base. Base security personnel went to the park, spoke to Zhou and another person accompanying him, and learned that Zhou had a drone concealed in his jacket – the same one that flew over the base.

Agents later searched Zhou’s drone pursuant to a federal search warrant and saw several photographs of Vandenberg Space Force Base taken from an aerial viewpoint. A search of Zhou’s cellphone showed Zhou conducted a Google search approximately one month earlier for the phrase “Vandenberg Space Force Base Drone Rules” and messaged with another person about hacking his drone to allow it to fly higher than it could otherwise.

Zhou is a Chinese citizen and lawful permanent resident of the United States, most recently returning to the United States from China in February 2024. The person accompanying Zhou at Ocean Park most recently entered the United States from China on November 26.

A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

If convicted, the defendant would face a statutory maximum sentence of four years in federal prison.

The FBI is investigating this matter.

Assistant United States Attorney Kedar S. Bhatia of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section and Trial Attorney Benjamin Koenigsfeld of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
Contact


Ciaran McEvoy
Public Information Officer
ciaran.mcevoy@usdoj.gov
(213) 894-4465

Did Russia warn US it was launching ballistic missile on Ukraine?

THE SCOOP: Russia warned the US of an incoming ballistic missile strike on Ukraine shortly before Thursday’s attack, a US administration official told Semafor.

“The United States was pre-notified briefly before the launch,” the official said.

The US also briefed Ukraine and other allies in the days leading up to the attack about Russia’s possible use of an experimental medium-range ballistic missile “to help them prepare,” the official said.

Russia and the US typically inform each other if they plan to launch ballistic missiles, however it was unclear whether or not Moscow had done so this time.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov later said there were ”no notifications, because Russia has no such obligation with intermediate-range missiles,” the Russian news agency TASS reported.

On Thursday, Russia struck the Ukrainian city of Dnipro; while Ukrainian officials initially accused Russia of using an intercontinental ballistic missile, Western officials have disputed that, saying it was an intermediate-range missile.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said it was a new medium-range ballistic missile called “Oreshnik,” adding that the attack was in response to Kyiv’s use of US and UK weapons to strike Russian territory.

“We are carefully analyzing the missile and the implications for Russia’s arms control obligations and for NATO’s deterrence and deference posture,” the US official said, adding that Russia likely only possesses “a handful” of this kind of missile.