(Box Elder, SD) — Work is ramping up at Ellsworth Air Force Base as it prepares to become the new home of the B-21 Raider, America’s next-generation stealth bomber. This multi-billion-dollar renovation includes over 30 major projects — everything from rebuilding the runway to constructing high-security hangars. Senator Mike Rounds says the base hopes to bring its temporarily relocated B-1 bombers back from North Dakota by November. The B-21, which Rounds calls “the most sophisticated weapons system ever developed,” is still under tight wraps, but test flights are already underway. While an official arrival date at Ellsworth is still classified, Rounds hints we could see the first B-21s here by 2026 or 2027, with the first two squadrons and their pilots set to train right in South Dakota.
