B-52 Spirit

1250 Words3 Pages

B-2 Spirit

The development of the B-2 Spirit has become one of the giant leaps in aviation history. Developed by Northrop Grumman, the aircraft became known as one of the best-kept secrets in history. The B-2 Spirit has stealth capabilities that help it become invisible to enemy radar. The Bomber was also the first aircraft to use JDAM capabilities. It became successful in the war in Kosovo. Using its potential and proving itself as an advanced strategic bomber. The Spirit is a very expensive aircraft, one that has stirred controversy amongst politicians and the general public. This aircraft is the grandfather of technologically advanced aircraft that will soon fill the sky above us.

At the height of the Cold War, Northrop Grumman wanted to develop what was to be the most advanced bomber ever to be conceived by any country. The B-2 Spirit was first to be developed in order to replace the force of aging B-52 Stratofortresses that have been in service since the early 1950s. Along with the B-1 Lancer, a low level, supersonic, nuclear strike bomber; The B-2 was first thought out to be a challenge to the Russian Tu-60 Blackjack.

The B-2 Spirit was derived from Northrop's flying wing prototype of the mid forties. The flying wing design was ahead of its time, during the years of World War II, the axis and allies were racing to develop the best aircraft and Jack Northrop wanted to create something out of the ordinary, something that would revolutionize aviation as we knew it. In the late 1940s, Northrop developed a bomber version of the propeller flying wing, but control technology wasn't advanced enough so that program had to be halted.

The first B-2 was publicly displayed on November 22, 1988, when it was rolled out of its hangar at Air Force Plant 42, in Palmdale, California. Its first flight was July 17, 1989. It was a secret that had been kept for so long that it had the Soviet Union on the edge of their seats. The B-2s are held out of Whiteman AFB, Missouri. where it is the bomber's only operational base. Their first aircraft, Spirit of Missouri, was delivered December 17, 1993.

The B-2 Spirit bomber is a multi-role bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. A dramatic leap forward in technology, the B-2 bomber represents a major milestone in the U.S. bomber modernization program. The B-2 Spirit brings massive firepower to bear, in a short time, anywhere on the globe through previously impenetrable defenses.

Open Document