During the June 2025 Operation Midnight Hammer airstrikes carried out against Iran’s nuclear facilities, and other bombing missions conducted as part of this year’s Operation Epic Fury, United States Air Force Northrop B-2 Spirit bombers flew CONUS-to-CONUS missions from Whiteman Air Force Base (AFB), Missouri – meaning that the two-person crew split the workload during the 37-hour-long round-trip missions. The bombers were refueled multiple times without ever landing.
Last fall, Aviation Week first reported that the United States Air Force was considering changing the crew confirmation with the future Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider, the flying wing aircraft that is on track to be the successor to the B-2. By the end of the 2030s, the Raider could also replace the B-1B Lancer and B-2.
The next-generation bomber was designed with a familiar twin side-by-side flight deck, but instead of two pilots, the B-21 would employ a weapons systems officer (WSO) or combat systems officer (CSO).
That would leave just one officer with a pilot rating onboard the aircraft at a time. The United States Air Force’s F-15E Strike Eagle and F-15EX Eagle II and the United States Navy’s F/A-18F Super Hornet are typically flown by the pilot in the front seat and a WSO or CSO in the back seat.
Pilot Training for the WSO/CSO
Last week, the U.S. Air Force essentially confirmed that the twin-seat B-21 Raider will feature a WSO/CSO, but it announced that the long-range strike bomber would also “officially operate with a two-pilot crew complement.”
Traditionally, most modern bomber aircraft have not had a dedicated WSO or bombardier; instead, it has been the pilot’s job to drop ordnance or deploy standoff weapons.
However, as aircraft systems became more advanced and required a different skill set from flying the plane itself, the Air Force and the Navy began to introduce WSOs to complement the pilot. The first aircraft to feature a WSO was the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, which entered service with the United States Navy in 1960. The U.S. Navy designated the back seat role as the Radar Intercept Officer (RIO); when the Air Force adopted the concept several years later, it used the term WSO.
With the B-21 Raider, the U.S. Air Force is essentially splitting the difference. As the aircraft doesn’t have room to add a workstation for a third crewmember, the second seat will be occupied by a WSO/CSO, but that person will be qualified to fly.
Aviation Week noted that WSOs are trained to fly the F-15E in “emergencies,” but as the bombers may need to carry out CONUS-to-CONUS operations, flying round-trip from bases such as Ellsworth AFB, S.D., the WSO will need more training.
“The Air Force is establishing a pilot transition program for select weapons system officers and combat systems officers who will be chosen to attend pilot training with a follow-on assignment to the B-21. Eligible officers will be provided with additional information via command channels when available,” the Air Force explained.
It added that after “careful analysis of the B-21’s advanced capabilities,” Air Force leadership determined that having two pilots would be required to support the mission profile.
“To maximize the lethality and survivability of the Raider, it is imperative to retain the deep tactical and combat experience currently residing within the WSO and CSO communities,” the Air Force added. “This deliberate talent management strategy secures the future of global strike capabilities, ensuring the Air Force remains postured to execute extended-duration, long-range strike missions in highly contested environments.”
Strategy Could Address Pilot Shortage
The new strategy could also address the Air Force’s continued pilot shortage and could support retention efforts. As Air & Space Forces magazine also noted at the end of last year, there were 497 personnel with the bomber pilot Air Force Specialty Code, with 141 bombers in the active fleet, “a ratio of around 3.5 pilots per plane.”
Current plans call for the Air Force to have at least 100 B-21 Raiders, which would require 350 B-21 pilots, and that doesn’t include the pilots needed for the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers that will remain in service until the late 2040s or early 2050s.
The Air Force has also announced that the B-1 and B-2 won’t be retired until the end of the 2030s, so fewer pilots will be able to make the transition to the Raider. “Tapping experienced WSOs and CSOs could be an effective way to build up a pilot force quickly—and to retain talent who might otherwise leave the service as F-15Es and other jets are retired,” Air & Space Forces magazine explained.
Understandably, the B-21 could require a WSO/CSO to handle the deployment of ordnance, manage other weapons, and control or coordinate unmanned aerial systems (UAS) that support the mission. Having that individual also be able to allow the primary pilot to get some downtime during a long-haul flight might be the best way to balance the workload.
