ST. LOUIS–The U.S. Air Force is set to unveil the latest addition to its fleet Friday night when it introduces the B-21 for the first time in public at Northrop Grumman’s Palmdale, California facility.

The ceremony, which starts at 6:30pm CT, will be streamed online by the manufacturer.

The manufacturer bills it as delivering “a new era of capability and flexibility through advanced integration of data, sensors and weapons. Capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear payloads, the B-21 will be one of the most effective aircraft in the sky, with the ability to use a broad mix of stand-off and direct attack munitions.”

While the first bombers will be stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, future plans call for them to be housed at Missouri’s Whiteman Air Force Base, known as the home of the B-2 “Spirit” stealth bomber under the 509th Bomb Wing. The B-21 will ultimately replace the B-1 and the B-2.

"The unveiling of the B-21 Raider will be a historic moment for our Air Force and the nation," Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. said in October. "We last introduced a new bomber over 30 years ago. As we look to the threats posed by our pacing challenge; we must continue to rapidly modernize. The B-21 Raider will provide formidable combat capability across a range of operations in highly contested environments of the future."

The new aircraft’s future home isn’t the only tie to part of Missouri. The “Raider” name is in honor of the famed World War II Doolittle Raid. Four months after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, a surprise air raid on Tokyo led by James “Jimmy” Doolittle played a key role in changing the course of the war in the Pacific theater. 

Centertown, Missouri was renamed Doolittle in his honor when the Phelps County town near Fort Leonard Wood was incorporated in 1944.