The estimated cost of infrastructure required to accommodate the B-21 Raider at Ellsworth Air Force Base has doubled to about US$2 billion, five years after the U.S. Air Force projected an investment of US$1 billion at the South Dakota installation.
Ellsworth will become the first operational base for the Northrop Grumman B-21 and will also house the Formal Training Unit for the new stealth bomber. The Air Force says the first Raider remains on track for delivery to the base in 2027, although it has not announced when the type will achieve initial operational capability.
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The Air Force described the work at Ellsworth as an estimated US$2 billion construction effort in July, when it formally accepted the first two facilities completed specifically for B-21 operations.
One is a Low Observable Restoration Facility valued at US$161 million. The other is a US$81 million Wash Rack and General Maintenance Hangar. Both allow maintenance work on the B-21’s radar-absorbent materials to take place indoors.
From US$1 billion to US$2 billion
The current estimate is substantially higher than the figure disclosed when preparations at Ellsworth were at an earlier stage.
In November 2021, the Air Force Civil Engineer Center said it projected an investment of US$1 billion at the base to provide infrastructure for the B-21. At the time, construction was expected to extend over five to ten years.
The US$1 billion figure was still being cited by the Air Force in 2023. The program included more than 20 major construction or renovation projects, ranging from maintenance and operations buildings to training facilities and supporting infrastructure.
Plans have included a mission operations planning facility, flight simulator facilities, maintenance hangars, warehouses, equipment storage, roads, parking areas and airfield infrastructure.
Individual projects have also become more expensive. The Low Observable Restoration Facility, for example, was awarded in September 2021 at approximately US$130 million. The Air Force now values the completed building at US$161 million.
Preparing Ellsworth for Raider
Ellsworth was formally selected in 2021 as the first Main Operating Base for the B-21. The installation currently operates the B-1B Lancer and must maintain that mission while preparing personnel, infrastructure and support systems for the Raider.
The Eighth Air Force activated B-21 Integration Detachment 1 at Ellsworth on September 9. The unit is responsible for coordinating preparations for the arrival of the bomber, including construction, logistics, training and mission systems.
Receiving the first aircraft in 2027 will not by itself give Ellsworth an operational B-21 capability. Aircraft deliveries will be accompanied by the training of aircrews and maintainers and the establishment of the support structure required for the new bomber. The Air Force has not publicly established a date for initial operational capability.
Ellsworth is the first of three planned main operating locations for the Raider. Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and Dyess Air Force Base in Texas are also planned to receive the aircraft, while Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma is expected to support depot maintenance.
Production investment
The infrastructure work is separate from another major investment in the B-21 program. In February, the Department of the Air Force and Northrop Grumman agreed to use US$4.5 billion in previously authorized funding to increase annual B-21 production capacity by 25%.
The Air Force said the agreement changes the pace of the approved acquisition profile rather than the stated size of the program. It continues to publicly plan for at least 100 B-21s, which are intended to replace the B-1B and B-2.
