Northrop Grumman has opened a new manufacturing facility in Utah as the Air Force increases B-21 Raider production capacity, backed by billions of dollars in procurement funding for the next-generation nuclear-capable bomber.
The company opened its 845,000-square-foot East Gate 3 facility in Layton, Utah, Sept. 9., according to a company release. The expansion brings Northrop’s combined Layton-Clearfield manufacturing footprint to more than 2 million square feet and is expected to support up to 1,500 employees by 2032.
The expansion comes as the Air Force says it is accelerating B-21 production. In February, the Air Force said it was applying $4.5 billion provided through fiscal 2025 reconciliation legislation to increase annual B-21 production capacity by 25%. The service said the effort is intended to compress delivery timelines while maintaining the program’s existing acquisition profile.
The fiscal 2027 budget request includes $6.109 billion for the B-21, including $3.246 billion in procurement funding.
The B-21 program has a minimum requirement of 100 aircraft, with the first operational aircraft expected at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., in 2027. The bomber is intended to replace the B-1 and B-2 and provide the Air Force with a nuclear-capable, penetrating long-range strike platform as part of the nuclear triad.
Northrop said its B-21 program involves more than 8,000 Air Force and industry personnel, while the company’s Utah operations include more than 600 suppliers. The B-21 supply chain extends across more than 400 suppliers in at least 40 states.
The B-21 is designed to have the dual capability of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons, which the National Nuclear Security Administration is responsible for producing and maintaining. As of October 2024, the 2025 Stockpile Stewardship Management Plan said the B61-12 life extension program, which completed its last production unit in December 2024, is continuing to certify the B-21 to carry the gravity bomb.