AdvertisementNow in development is the next generation, the F-47 fighter and the B-21 bomber, and according to at least one source in the United States Air Force, they are ahead of schedule. Work on the B-21 Raider bomber and the F-47 sixth-generation fighter are ahead of schedule, the Air Force general in charge of development of both projects said last week. White said that the B-21 stealth bomber, currently undergoing advanced flight testing at Edwards Air Force Base in California, would join an operational squadron next year. The first of what the U.S. Air Force hopes will one day be a force of 100 B-21 bombers will be “on the ramp” at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota in 2027, White said. The Air Force plans to acquire 185 of the Boeing-built jets with a first flight scheduled for 2028.