The US Army Corps of Engineers Kansas City District has awarded Conti Federal Services a $74,787,155 firm-fixed-price contract to build a specialized radio frequency and measurements hangar at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. According to the Pentagon daily contracts list published on September 8, 2026, the new facility will be dedicated to inspecting B-21 Raider bombers to verify that they maintain their low-observable stealth characteristics. Work on the hangar is scheduled for completion by September 25, 2029.
Air Force fiscal year 2026 military construction documents reveal that the planned 5,345-square-meter (57,533-square-foot) facility will encompass both secure and non-secure areas. It will feature a primary measurement bay, maintenance area, aircraft power supply room, server and data analysis rooms, administrative offices, and composite tool-kit storage. To prevent internal radio frequency interference, the hangar design incorporates shielding on the walls and ceiling, electrostatic-dissipative flooring across the measurement bay, and RF-shielding copper mesh integrated into hangar door seals.
According to USAF budget documentation, the hangar measurement bay is specifically dimensioned to fully enclose a B-2 Spirit bomber—serving as the B-21 surrogate—while preserving necessary clearance from structural elements, equipment, and walls. Air Force officials noted that without this facility, Whiteman Air Force Base would be unable to conduct critical low-observable maintenance inspections locally, forcing aircraft to be moved elsewhere for essential maintenance procedures.
Whiteman Air Force Base was designated as the second B-21 main operating base in September 2024, following Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota and ahead of Dyess Air Force Base in Texas. Whiteman currently operates the B-2 Spirit fleet assigned to the 509th and 131st Bomb Wings. Conti Federal previously received a $70,493,604 contract from the Corps of Engineers Omaha District in April 2023 for a similar radio frequency hangar at Ellsworth. The ongoing infrastructure expansion coincides with a $4.5 billion agreement signed in February 2026 to boost annual B-21 production capacity by approximately 25 percent.
