Images taken during tests in the Mojave Desert have recorded for the first time the aerial refueling of the stealth bomber Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider of the United States Air Force (USAF). The event took place during a test mission conducted in California and allowed observers to see the aircraft receiving fuel from a tanker while testing programs for the new strategic bomber continue to advance.
The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider, developed by Northrop Grumman, was observed on March 10, 2026 carrying out an air-to-air refueling (AAR) operation from a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker over eastern California. The test mission lasted 5 hours and 33 minutes and was captured by several photographers documenting the aerial activity while the bomber prototype operated behind the tanker aircraft, which had been deployed from Edwards Air Force Base.
Among those who captured the images were photographers Jarod Hamilton and Ian Recchio, who documented the refueling operation over the Mojave Desert. The photographs also show the presence of a chase aircraft, an General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, commonly used during test missions to monitor the performance of experimental aircraft during flight trials.
The images also reveal the presence of a modified business jet that reportedly participated in the test activities. The aircraft, which did not appear on flight-tracking websites during the mission, was identified as N879AD, a Douglas NC-9D based in Mojave that operates as a test platform used by Raytheon for various technology evaluation programs.
Although the use of telephoto lenses may have introduced some distortion in the perspective of the images, the photographs allow a comparison between the size of the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider and the tanker aircraft. This visual reference suggests that the new bomber could be larger than initially estimated, although no detailed official data regarding its dimensions has yet been released.
The tanker aircraft used during the mission corresponds to the KC-135 with serial number 61-0320, designated as NKC-135 because it incorporates specialized equipment intended to support testing of other aircraft. Data from the flight-tracking service Flightradar24 indicated that the refueling operation was conducted at an approximate altitude of 23,000 feet (FL230) and that the tanker aircraft could be tracked throughout the entire mission.
In parallel with the flight tests, the United States Department of the Air Force and Northrop Grumman are working to accelerate the production and delivery of the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider. The company previously reported that the first bomber of this model will be delivered to Ellsworth Air Force Base, located in the state of South Dakota, where it will become the first operational base for the new weapons system.
According to the company, the aircraft is currently in the final stage of production at Northrop Grumman facilities in Palmdale, the same complex where the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit bomber was previously manufactured. As ground and flight tests continue at different locations across the United States, military authorities expect the first Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider to be delivered to the United States Air Force in 2027, the year in which its operational introduction is expected to begin.
Image credits: Jarod Hamilton and Ian Recchio.
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