The B-2 Spirit stealth bomber completely redefined the concept of air superiority.
It was so far ahead of the game that it’s never even been detected or targeted by an
enemy weapon system during any of its missions.
Why was this aircraft so ahead of its time and what made it so dominant?
How did this aircraft, which is nearly invisible on radar and is able to carry a payload that
could level most countries, seemingly appear out of nowhere?
From top secret research to classified materials we unravel what made the B-2 Bomber light
years ahead of its time.
The B-2 can actually trace its roots back to Nazi Germany.
The Horton brothers had already conceived the concept which gives the B-2 it’s almost
otherworldly design - the flying wing.
The Horton-229 was able to achieve a speed of 500 mph, far faster than anything else
in the skies during WW2.
Luftwaffe head general Hermann Goring called for a lightweight bomber to help offset the
growing fuel consumption demands of a multi-front war.
Testing was nearing completion in early 1945 but as the war had turned overwhelmingly against
them, the Germans were never able to field the plane.
While the Horton brothers made significant advances in the flying wing design, an America
named Jack Northrup was making strides of his own.
When the war ended, Northrup was convinced that where the Germans had failed he could
succeed in creating the ultimate bomber.
With the initiation of Operation Paperclip, an effort by America to acquire all of the
advanced technological assets from the dissolved Nazi regime, many of the secrets of the flying
wing aircraft made their way over the Atlantic.
Northrup continued to pursue his dream of building the flying wing aircraft until his
first major successful prototype came in the way of the YB-49.
The YB-49 could fly up to 500 MPH with a ceiling of 40,000 ft.
But Northrup's dreams would face a major setback when, due to the difficulty in controlling
the aircraft and its instability during flight, the U.S. government ordered all of the aircrafts
to be destroyed.
This decision would come to haunt them however as the Soviet Union was stockpiling ever more
advanced weapons, particularly air defense missiles.
The U.S. government needed a bomber that could penetrate Soviet airspace without being a
sitting duck for Soviet air defenses.
Air defense systems rely on an array of radars that detect incoming enemy aircraft so that
fighters and anti-aircraft missile batteries can be activated.
For much of the Cold War the U.S. relied on its fleet of B-52 Stratofortresses.
While a very competent bomber on its own, the B-52 was becoming more and more vulnerable
to Soviet ground to air missiles that could reach higher and higher altitudes.
These air defense systems identify an aircraft by its radar signature.
A radar signature is the feedback a specific object returns to a radar display due to its
radar cross section.
Typical aircraft have a large radar cross section when compared to other atmospheric
objects like birds.
With the B-52 having a huge radar cross section due to its size.
The top U.S. military brass wanted a solution and they wanted it fast.
The 1970’s saw a returned interest to developing bombers which could penetrate enemy airspace
without detection and DARPA requested that the top aeronautics firms in the U.S. provide
it with its best concepts.
Lockheed Martin had a leg up here having recently developed the incredibly complex and advanced
SR-71 which had a number of stealthy features.
Lockheed was given a small contract to pursue this area further and developed an initial
concept in the “Hopeless Diamond” model.
This early model would eventually be developed into the Stealth fighter we all recognize
today, the F-117.
The F-117 is considered a stealth aircraft but has features that would later be improved
upon such as the rigid, angular outer paneling.
There was not advanced enough computer modeling at the time to create the complex sloped surfaces
seen on the B-2.
The technology developed during these secretive programs would lay the groundwork for the
B-2 Spirit.
With the election of president Ronald Reagan came an influx of vigor for developing advanced
military hardware, and stealth tech was at the top of this list.
The ATP or Advanced Technology Bomber program, which had begun under the Carter administration
in 1979, was ramped up and given a much larger budget.
The flying wing design from Northrup and advances in stealth technologies accomplished by Lockheed
and DARPA were on course to create one of the greatest aircrafts ever to grace the skies.
The U.S. government submitted a bidding competition for all the major domestic aircraft manufacturers
to create a next generation bomber capable of bypassing enemy radar detection.
This was a technology which did not exist in full form and many of these corporations
were unable to produce a sufficient prototype.
Somewhat ironically, Northrup was selected nearly thirty years after their aircraft had
been destroyed by the government's order.
Work began on the design of the aircraft with the utmost secrecy under the “black program”.
The workers were almost always out of uniform and subject to regular polygraph tests.
Most of congress was denied knowledge of what and how much money was being spent on the
program.
This was done to avoid the Soviets gaining any clues as to what was going on by examining
U.S. budgetary documents and technical journals.
The clock was ticking as they needed to develop this quickly before too many people started
asking questions about the mounting expense of the mystery program.
For the manufacturing, a former Ford automobile assembly plant in Pico Rivera, California,
was acquired and heavily rebuilt; the plant's employees were sworn to complete secrecy regarding
their work.
To avoid the possibility of suspicion, components were typically purchased through front companies
and military officials would visit out of uniform.
The secrecy extended so far that access to nearly all information on the program by both
Government Accountability Office (GAO) and virtually all members of Congress itself was
severely limited until the mid-1980s.
Northrop was the B-2's prime contractor; major subcontractors included Boeing, Hughes Aircraft,
GE, and Vought Aircraft.
An employee at this plant, Thomas Cavanaugh, was arrested and sentenced to life in prison
for attempting to sell classified secrets about the program to the Soviets.
The demand from the government was simple, build a bomber that can never be spotted by
radar.
The endeavor to do so was anything but and many thought it was simply impossible.
To give a sense of the work required, Northrup had to acquire and construct some of the fastest
and most efficient computer hardware on the planet to build a super computer capable of
producing the 3D models needed to work on the design.
They also needed to create a brand new software program to run these models, a first of this
scale.
The press was abuzz with the mystery surrounding the program and many speculations began to
circulate as to what was going on behind Northrup's doors.
They finally got their answer on November 22nd, 1988.
Everyone was awestruck by this new aircraft with its otherworldly, almost alien looking
design.
The aircraft stunned military officials around the world and at home.
The sloped structure of the aircraft paneling makes it seem to change shape when viewed
from different angles.
This has the effect of causing radar beams to be reflected off into the atmosphere or
return in extremely small numbers, giving the bomber a similar radar cross section to
a bird.
Former Airforce Chief of Staff General Larry Welch even claimed that the aircraft had a
radar cross section in the insect category.
The aircraft is also coated in RAM or radar absorbent materials which are highly classified
but are generally known to contain a carbon-graphite composite material.
The bomber is also equipped with advanced electronic warfare countermeasures capable
of knocking out enemy radar position.
With its engines embedded inside the aircraft paneling and an advanced exhaust system which
mixes the hot gas with the cold air in the atmosphere, the B-2 was almost invisible to
heat seeking missiles that might be lucky enough to be launched at it after it is detected.
The loadout of the B-2 was astounding as well.
The original loadout was up to 40,000 pounds of bombs which could include up to 16 nuclear
warheads.
With its ability to penetrate any air defense systems without detection and a payload able
to knockout over a dozen major cities or military installations, the B-2 inspired fear all around
the globe.
Given that the B-2 came out only a couple of years before the Soviet Union fell, its
need was eventually called into question.
With an inflation adjusted price of 1.2 billion dollars in today’s money, the fleet would
have been wildly expensive.
With an original order of 131 aircraft, it was now being asked if such a massive fleet
of stealth, essentially nuclear bombers, was necessary.
The original order was cut to only 21 aircraft.
Even with this reduced number the aircraft projects significant global power and has
yet to see a rival come to challenge its supremacy as a stealth bomber.
Even with all of the fear that came with the power of the B-2, it had still not seen any
real life action until, by the authorization of NATO, the B-2 conducted its first sorties.
During the Yugoslavian conflict the aircraft was used to strike targets to halt the fighting
and during one of these missions an enemy MIG fighter was present beneath the aircraft
yet never realized it was present.
This first real life test showed that the B-2 had a place in the post-Cold War world.
The aircraft also has the ability to conduct some of the longest missions ever attempted.
With the aircraft being able to travel 6,000 miles without the need to refuel, this technological
wonder can operate with its modest crew of two people completely on its own.
One mission flew from their home base at Whiteman AFB, Missouri to the Indian Ocean without
any stops.
The pilots regularly conducted bombing missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and many other targets
in the Middle East from Missouri without landing anywhere.
The same pilots would often rotate to complete flight missions well over 24 hours.
With the help of air refueling operations the aircraft could take off from Whiteman,
drop bombs in the Middle East and return to Whiteman without ever touching the ground.
The current loadout of the B-2 is astounding.
Its original purpose was to penetrate deep into enemy territory to carry out nuclear
strikes against an advanced adversary.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union it was decided it would carry a hybrid of conventional
and nuclear weaponry.
The bomber has seen significant upgrades over the years and can carry up to 80 JDAMS or
Joint Direct Attack Munitions which was upgraded from an original 16.
Other conventional weapons in its arsenal include Mark 82/84 bombs, CBU-87 Combined
Effects Munitions, GATOR mines and the GBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon.
The B2 is capable of carrying a massive 30,000 lb MOP or Massive Ordnance Penetrator which
can penetrate even the most heavily reinforced bunkers for deadly effect.
Cruise missiles have also been added to its arsenal and with nuclear capable cruise missiles
this allows for a standoff strike capability.
A standoff strike capability means that the B-2 does not have to penetrate as far into
enemy territory to deliver its conventional or nuclear ordinance carried via cruise missile.
Accompanying this impressive loadout of weaponry is some of the most advanced avionics on the
planet.
The B-2 was once equipped with hundreds of stand-alone computers to accomplish various
in-flight tasks such as terrain mapping, flight data and many more.
These have been replaced by a single integrated avionics management computer which gives pilots
a higher degree of usability in flight.
Much of these are integrated with advanced 1553B-data bus communication lines and fiber
optic lines.
The aircraft is also EMP hardened so in the event of specific EMP attack or an upper atmospheric
nuclear weapon detonation, the B-2 can operate business as usual even while much of the country
would be without power.
The B-2 is also equipped with advanced in-flight communication equipment including Link-16
and HF(high frequency) satellite links so even well on their way to enemy territory
they can receive mission updates without enemy interception.
Highly advanced on board EW (electronic warfare) systems provide additional protection against
enemy detection and targeting.
With an ever advancing payload and sensory array, the B-2 Stealth bomber continues to
stay one step ahead of the competition.
This bomber still has global militaries scrambling to come up with an answer to its capabilities
and with the increase in standoff strike capabilities The B-2 can continue to operate even if advanced
detection methods are developed.
The aircraft remains ahead of its time but advancing global threats are challenging the
aging titan for supremacy.
The department of defense has commissioned the design and creation of the next step in
stealth bomber evolution, the B-21 raider.
With the B-2 still reigning supreme, we can only imagine what its successor will bring
to bear against her enemies.