When Northrop Grumman's B-21 Raider enters service with the US Air Force in 2027, it will be one of the most expensive aircraft ever built. The people at the controls, though, won't be on any special salary. Raider pilots will earn exactly what any officer of the same rank and years of service earns — the same basic pay as a B-52 pilot, an F-22 pilot, or even an Army captain sitting at a desk.

That's how US military pay works: all Air Force pilots are commissioned officers, and basic pay is set purely by rank and time in service. A Captain (O-2 to O-4 are the typical ranks for combat aviators) starts at roughly $88,592 in basic pay, or about $124,118 in total compensation once allowances are stacked on top. Those extras matter a lot: housing allowance adds $2,094–$2,796 a month, food allowance $328, and flight pay $150–$1,000 depending on rank.

The one place aircraft type does matter is the Aviation Retention Bonus, which is handed out by community rather than by jet. Fiscal 2027 budget documents show fighter pilots coming out on top with an average bonus of $50,907, while bomber pilots — the ones who'll fly the Raider — get an average of $41,376, roughly $10,000 less than their fighter counterparts. Mobility crews get $32,895, and drone pilots $28,603. The only group beating the fighter jocks is a broad Rated Officer Retention Demonstration Program averaging $54,570.

There is, however, an indirect route to a bigger pay cheque: seniority. Bombers carry larger crews and tend to be staffed by more experienced officers than fighters, which are mostly flown by junior captains. A B-52H needs five crew, the B-1B four, and the B-2 just two — typically a captain co-pilot alongside a major or lieutenant colonel in command. The Raider is a two-crew aircraft (the Air Force has confirmed two pilots at launch despite talk of single-pilot automation), and its first cadre will likely mirror the B-2's experienced profile. On paper that means a captain co-pilot with nine years' service could take home around $143,968 in total compensation, while a major commanding the aircraft could earn roughly $197,000–$202,900, and a fresh lieutenant colonel north of $225,000.

For context on where military flying sits commercially: even the senior colonels who fly Air Force One and other VIP jets for the 89th Airlift Wing earn around $225,000–$240,000 — about half of what a senior captain flying widebodies for a legacy airline like Delta can make.

Why should a traveller care? Mostly because it's a rare, concrete window into the world's most secretive bomber program ahead of its 2027 debut — the crews, the ranks, and the money behind it. Aviation enthusiasts tracking the Raider's rollout at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, will find the human side of the story just as interesting as the hardware.