The Air Force said on Friday that the B-21 Raider has completed a weapons-release test. The service said this moves the new stealth bomber from flight testing to “a functional weapons platform.”

The test took place last week. A B-21 test aircraft flying from Edwards Air Force Base in California released a conventional weapon, according to the Department of the Air Force. The service said the test confirmed its digital models and showed that its open systems architecture is mature. The service did not say which weapon was used.

“The B-21 is designed to deliver improved combat capability to the warfighter, combining reliability and maintainability to quickly integrate new weapons,” said Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink. “This successful test demonstrates our ability to adapt rapidly and hold any target at risk if deterrence fails.”

Gen. Ken Wilsbach, the Air Force chief of staff, said, “This weapons test proves the B-21 program is excelling. We are building an impressive fleet that will give our joint force credible, penetrating strike options for decades to come.”

The Air Force said the test built on thousands of hours of computer modeling in the bomber’s digital twin, a virtual copy of the plane. That let the B-21 Combined Test Force add the weapon faster and fine-tune its path before the plane ever left the ground.

The program is still on track to have planes on the ramp at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota in 2027.

Northrop Grumman builds the plane. The company said it is increasing production and testing. DefenseScoop reported that the company recently opened a factory in Layton, Utah. It is also expanding its final assembly line at Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, DefenseScoop reported.

The news came a day after President Donald J. Trump wrote on Truth Social, “I rebuilt our Military in my First Term, and we’re doing it AGAIN, bigger and better than ever before!”