The Air Force has settled the B-21 Raider WSO pilot transition around a two-pilot crew, ending speculation that the bomber would fly with one pilot and one WSO. It will also open a transition program for WSOs and CSOs to move into the bomber’s pilot pipeline.
That choice lines up the new bomber with the Air Force’s other bomber types, all of which use two pilots per crew. It also gives the service a broader source of aviators just as the B-21 is expected to enter service in 2027.
Thomas A. Bussiere and the crew plan
Defense Daily and Aviation Week reported last fall that Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere recommended a one-pilot and one-weapon system officer configuration. The Air Force has now gone the other way, and the B-21 will fly with two pilots instead.
The service said the bomber’s pilots will carry the same 11B AFSC as other bomber pilots. That means the transition program is not creating a separate career track for the Raider; it is feeding the aircraft from the same pilot specialty used across the bomber force.
WSOs and CSOs
The Air Force said WSOs will come from the B-1, B-52, and F-15E communities. Those officers will be asked to move from the back seat to the front seat, then take follow-on assignments flying the new bomber.
The service said it is imperative to retain the deep tactical and combat experience already in the WSO and CSO communities. It said that talent management strategy secures the future of global strike capabilities.
Ellsworth Air Force Base in 2027
The timing is tied to the bomber’s rollout. The first two production-representative B-21 bombers are already flying test missions at Edwards Air Force Base, and at least one production-representative B-21 will report to Ellsworth Air Force Base in early 2027 when the first operational B-21 unit stands up.
Fleet size points to why the Air Force wants more than a narrow pilot source. Official plans call for at least 100 B-21s, and Pentagon leaders have suggested 145 or more. At the end of 2025, there were 497 personnel with the bomber pilot Air Force Specialty Code and 141 bombers, a ratio of around 3.5 pilots per plane. That leaves room for the Air Force to build a larger B-21 cadre without waiting on one career field alone.
The practical result is simple: the B-21 will not be a single-pilot bomber, and WSOs and CSOs who want to move into the program now have a defined path into future Raider assignments.
