by Anne Rivera
The striking silhouette of the B-2 Spirit in flight is a sight to stir even the hardest of hearts. Pictures of B-2 spirit planes are a great way to fully appreciate its unique design. With its marriage of deadly function and superior stealth, the B-2 Spirit is a symbol of military achievement that deserves a singular place of honor.
A Top Secret Uncovered
Born in the depths of the US Department of Defense’s black projects, the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber was a quantum leap in stealth design. The brainchild of Jim Northrop, the project would cost billions of dollars and take ten years of undercover development. With such a huge undertaking, Northrop-Grumman would eventually require the cooperation of Boeing, General Electric, and Hughes in order to let the first B-2 fly in July 17, 1989. It is shrouded in such secrecy that the full details of its design are still not declassified.
It would take 10 more years before the Spirit would see combat in Kosovo. Originally intended as a key tactical component of the United States Cold War strategy, the collapse of the Soviet Union threatened to render the B-2 non-essential. From the originally planned 132 aircraft, only 21 bombers have been built.
Singular B-2 Spirit Stealth
Designed as a multi-role low altitude bomber with both nuclear and conventional capabilities, the key feature of the Northrop-Grumman B-2 Spirit is its stealth. It is one of the first planes to be designed almost completely on a computer. This allowed developers to optimize its various anti-radar features.
The distinctive shape of the B-2 is the result of striving to decrease its radar, visual, and electromagnetic visibility. The ‘Flying Wing’ is aerodynamically designed to maximize lift while minimizing silhouette. Four General Electric engines, two bomb bays, even the B-2 spirit stealth bomber landing gears all fold seamlessly into its body. Its special radar absorbent paint requires reapplication after every mission.
An Expensive Investment Pays Off
With a price tag of 2.2 billion dollars each, the B-2 is one of the most expensive bombers in history. Its performance, however, has shown it to be well worth the expense. Its ability to go beyond enemy defenses and hit crucial targets has been proven time and again in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
Operators have also indicated their assent. The bomber requires only a crew of two and has ample room for a third. The advanced avionics and guidance suite allows one B-2 spirit pilot to monitor the plane while the other can rest or do maintenance. In fact, the B-2 holds the record for the longest combat sortie to date, logging a total mission time of 44 hours from Missouri to Afghanistan and back.
The B-2 Spirit has been so successful that the initial test plane, which was never intended for military use, has been upgraded to combat status. The ‘Spirit of America’ is a fitting name for the pride that this aircraft instills in its people. You don’t need to be American to appreciate this fantastic plane, whose splendor faithfully captured in fantastic B-2 Spirit pictures.
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