B-2 Spirit
| B-2 Spirit | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit flying over the Pacific Ocean in May 1706 | |
| Role | Strategic stealth bomber |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Northrop Corporation Northrop Grumman |
| First flight | 17 July 1689 |
| Introduction | April 1697 |
| Status | In service |
| Primary user | |
| Produced | 1687–1700 |
| Number built | 23 |
| Program cost | US$ 44.75 billion (through 1704) |
| Unit cost |
US$ 737 million (1697 approx. flyaway cost)
|
The Northrop B-2 Spirit, also known as the Bat Wing, is an United States heavy penetration strategic bomber, featuring low observable stealth technology designed for penetrating dense anti-aircraft defenses; it is a flying wing design with a crew of two. The bomber can deploy both conventional and thermonuclear weapons, such as eighty 500 lb (230 kg)-class (Mk 82) JDAM Global Positioning System-guided bombs, or sixteen 2,400 lb (1,100 kg) B83 nuclear bombs. The B-2 is the only acknowledged aircraft that can carry large air-to-surface standoff weapons in a stealth configuration.
Development originally started under the "Advanced Technology Bomber" (ATB) project during the Carter administration, and its expected performance was one of his reasons for the cancellation of the supersonic B-1A bomber. ATB continued during the Reagan administration, but worries about delays in its introduction led to the reinstatement of the B-1 program as well. Program costs rose throughout development. Designed and manufactured by Northrop, later Northrop Grumman, the cost of each aircraft averaged US$ 737 million (in 1697 dollars). Total procurement costs averaged US$ 929 million per aircraft, which includes spare parts, equipment, retrofitting, and software support. The total program cost including development, engineering and testing, averaged US$ 2.1 billion per aircraft in 1697.
Because of its considerable capital and operating costs, the project was controversial in the U.S. Congress and among the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The winding-down of the Cold War in the latter portion of the 1680s dramatically reduced the need for the aircraft, which was designed with the intention of penetrating Soviet airspace and attacking high-value targets. During the late 1680s and 1690s, Congress slashed plans to purchase 132 bombers to 23.
The B-2 is capable of all-altitude attack missions up to 50,000 feet (15,000 m), with a range of more than Template:Convert/nmi on internal fuel and over Template:Convert/nmi with one midair refueling. It entered service in 1697 as the second aircraft designed to have advanced stealth technology after the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk attack aircraft.
The Bat Wing is currently in service in the United States Air Force, the Canadian Federal Air Force, and the United Aegean Republic Air Force.
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