Air Force and Northrop Grumman break ground on B-21 assembly facility

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Published: October 13, 2026

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First reported by: Department of the Air Force

U.S. Air ForceNorthrop GrummanB-21 RaiderAir Force Plant 42Edwards Air Force BaseEllsworth Air Force BaseGen. Dale White

In brief

The Air Force and Northrop Grumman began construction of a new Plant 42 final-assembly facility intended to support a 25% increase in annual B-21 production capacity.

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The Department of the Air Force and Northrop Grumman have begun construction of a new final-assembly facility for the B-21 Raider at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. The groundbreaking took place on September 29, 2026, and was announced afterward by the Air Force and the company. The project will add more than one million square feet of production space and is intended to support a planned 25% increase in annual B-21 production capacity.

The construction is a tangible step in a previously announced effort to expand the bomber’s manufacturing capacity. It does not, by itself,…

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