Northrop Grumman B-2A Spirit
During and immediately after World War II, three of the major combatants—Germany, Great Britain, and the United States—had experimented with aircraft and technologies that were nearly invisible to radar. The Gotha Go 229 and the Northrop YB-49, both flying wing designs, had surprised their designers by their much lower radar cross section compared to other contemporary aircraft.
Interest waned in the 1950s, however, after the cancellation of the YB-49 (the Go 229 had never progressed beyond prototype stage before Germany was overrun at the end of World War II), though Britain’s Avro Vulcan, which used a blended delta wing design, was also found to have a small radar cross section, despite being nearly the size of the B-52 Stratofortress.
The Vietnam experience reawakened interest in the idea of “stealthy” aircraft. The lethality of Soviet surface-to-air missiles had already led to the cancellation of the high-speed, high altitude XB-70 Valkyrie; the USAF’s decision to switch to low-level penetration bombing was seen by 1972 to be likewise a poor idea, as the overwhelming majority of the USAF’s catastrophic loss rate over North Vietnam was due to antiaircraft gunfire. The knowledge that the Soviet Union was fielding the MiG-25 Foxbat, at the time thought to be the best interceptor in the world, also complicated USAF planning. Eliminating manned bombers was a possibility, but the advantage of a manned bomber—which could be called back from the brink of nuclear war, whereas missiles could not—outweighed the disadvantages. The USAF at that point decided that, if it could not go above or below Soviet defenses, it would go through them, in an aircraft virtually invisible to radars.
Two companies were offered research contracts: Lockheed, with its experience in stealthy reconnaissance aircraft (such as the SR-71 Blackbird), and Northrop, which had built the original YB-49. The two companies took different approaches to stealth design, with Lockheed working on multifaceted surfaces in the Have Blue project, in what eventually would become the F-117 Nighthawk, while Northrop pursued smoother designs based on the old flying wing research. Northrop had made enough progress that, by 1977, when the Carter Administration was secretly briefed on the Advanced Technology Bomber (ATB) project, President Carter made the decision to cancel the B-1 bomber, though the ATB was still at least seven years off.
Northrop’s design for a flying wing won the ATB competition in October 1981—soon enough that Jack Northrop was shown the ATB’s design shortly before his death. The ATB was designated B-2, though its existence was still top secret—Carter had revealed the ATB project’s existence in 1980, but no one knew exactly what the shape of the bomber would be, and various disinformation programs were begun by the USAF, keeping all stealth development under the ominous moniker of Project Aurora. The B-2 was due for completion by 1986, but controversy over exactly what the bomber’s mission would be delayed it until November 1988, when it was rolled out for public display. It also gained the name Spirit.
The B-2 Spirit’s basic design surprised no one; once it was known that Northrop was involved in the design, many aviation researchers had correctly guessed it would be a flying wing, with the engines mounted above the fuselage to screen it from infrared detection from below. What was not known was the diagonal edges of the rear wing planform, or the ducted engine exhausts, which minimized its infrared signature from behind. All sections of the aircraft that would be open at any time, such as the landing gear and bomb bay doors, were sawtooth-edged to deflect radar reflections. The entire aircraft was coated in radar-reflective paint, and used composites in its design to both provide superb structural integrity and further increase its stealthiness. Nothing was carried that would emit electronic signatures; even the bombing radar would be switched on only on the final bomb run. So stealthy was the B-2 that, when it began to appear in airshows and be deployed overseas, it was usually accompanied by USAF fighters—not to provide escort, but to provide a radar return for civilian radar controllers who otherwise would not detect the aircraft at all.
The Spirit’s one drawback is its cost—easily one of the most expensive aircraft ever produced. Originally, 175 B-2s were to be built, but this was slashed by the first Bush administration to 75 aircraft, then, after the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union, to only 21. Besides being hideously expensive to produce, the B-2 was also expensive to maintain, requiring special training for its ground crews and climate-controlled hangars to preserve its radar-resistant coating. Despite this, however, the B-2 has proven itself to be very valuable. With a range exceeding that of the B-52, the B-2’s stealthiness allows it to operate at all altitudes with a minimal chance of detection, while it can carry a bombload equal to that of the B-1 Lancer.
The B-2A Spirit entered service in 1993 and first saw combat in the Kosovo War of 1999, delivering ordnance against Serbian targets with impunity. This was the first time that the USAF used GPS-guided bombs; the combination of the B-2’s guidance radar and GPS technology allowed the B-2 to attack up to 80 targets simultaneously, with each individual bomb being guided to its target. This made the B-2 a huge force multiplier. Spirits would launch first strikes in Afghanistan in 2001, Iraq in 2003, and Libya in 2011, flying missions from forward operating locations and its home base at Whiteman AFB, Missouri itself, with some missions exceeding 40 hours—an achievement even more impressive given that the B-2 has only a two-man crew. The B-2 is expected to serve for several more decades; its replacement will likely be unmanned. Only one aircraft has been lost, in a 2010 takeoff accident.
This isn't a "true" B-2A, but rather one of two testbeds built by Northrop for various testing--in this case, stress testing. It is identical to an operational B-2, except that it has no engines nor instrumentation. Stress testing required that hydraulic jacks be attached to the airframe, which simulates hundreds of flight hours; it was then stressed beyond the safe limits of operation to see how much the B-2 airframe can handle. In this case, the testbed exceeded Northrop's estimation before the wings snapped.
It was due to be scrapped, but since it would be a long time (if ever) that the National Museum of the USAF got an actual B-2A for display, Northrop complied with the museum's request for the testbed. It was put back together and restored by the NMUSAF as 82-1070 "Spirit of Ohio," an operational B-2A. The real 82-1070 was used to test temperature extremes on the Spirit: it was flown from the humid climes of Florida to the deep freeze of Alaska. When the testing was completed, the USAF donated the "Spirit of Ohio"'s nose gear door to be placed on the NMUSAF's example. Like all B-2s, the real "Spirit of Ohio" is assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing stationed at Whiteman AFB, Missouri.
This view shows the B-2's rather sinister forward profile, with the "Fire and Ice" artwork applied to 82-1070's nose gear door--since the B-2 uses special paint, the nose art actually would have interfered with the real 82-1070's paint scheme! I've seen a B-2 in flight, but this was the first time I had seen one up close, even if it isn't a "real" Spirit. A GBU-31 2000-pound satellite-guided bomb is on display to the B-2's right.
Northrop Grumman B-2A Spirit
During and immediately after World War II, three of the major combatants—Germany, Great Britain, and the United States—had experimented with aircraft and technologies that were nearly invisible to radar. The Gotha Go 229 and the Northrop YB-49, both flying wing designs, had surprised their designers by their much lower radar cross section compared to other contemporary aircraft.
Interest waned in the 1950s, however, after the cancellation of the YB-49 (the Go 229 had never progressed beyond prototype stage before Germany was overrun at the end of World War II), though Britain’s Avro Vulcan, which used a blended delta wing design, was also found to have a small radar cross section, despite being nearly the size of the B-52 Stratofortress.
The Vietnam experience reawakened interest in the idea of “stealthy” aircraft. The lethality of Soviet surface-to-air missiles had already led to the cancellation of the high-speed, high altitude XB-70 Valkyrie; the USAF’s decision to switch to low-level penetration bombing was seen by 1972 to be likewise a poor idea, as the overwhelming majority of the USAF’s catastrophic loss rate over North Vietnam was due to antiaircraft gunfire. The knowledge that the Soviet Union was fielding the MiG-25 Foxbat, at the time thought to be the best interceptor in the world, also complicated USAF planning. Eliminating manned bombers was a possibility, but the advantage of a manned bomber—which could be called back from the brink of nuclear war, whereas missiles could not—outweighed the disadvantages. The USAF at that point decided that, if it could not go above or below Soviet defenses, it would go through them, in an aircraft virtually invisible to radars.
Two companies were offered research contracts: Lockheed, with its experience in stealthy reconnaissance aircraft (such as the SR-71 Blackbird), and Northrop, which had built the original YB-49. The two companies took different approaches to stealth design, with Lockheed working on multifaceted surfaces in the Have Blue project, in what eventually would become the F-117 Nighthawk, while Northrop pursued smoother designs based on the old flying wing research. Northrop had made enough progress that, by 1977, when the Carter Administration was secretly briefed on the Advanced Technology Bomber (ATB) project, President Carter made the decision to cancel the B-1 bomber, though the ATB was still at least seven years off.
Northrop’s design for a flying wing won the ATB competition in October 1981—soon enough that Jack Northrop was shown the ATB’s design shortly before his death. The ATB was designated B-2, though its existence was still top secret—Carter had revealed the ATB project’s existence in 1980, but no one knew exactly what the shape of the bomber would be, and various disinformation programs were begun by the USAF, keeping all stealth development under the ominous moniker of Project Aurora. The B-2 was due for completion by 1986, but controversy over exactly what the bomber’s mission would be delayed it until November 1988, when it was rolled out for public display. It also gained the name Spirit.
The B-2 Spirit’s basic design surprised no one; once it was known that Northrop was involved in the design, many aviation researchers had correctly guessed it would be a flying wing, with the engines mounted above the fuselage to screen it from infrared detection from below. What was not known was the diagonal edges of the rear wing planform, or the ducted engine exhausts, which minimized its infrared signature from behind. All sections of the aircraft that would be open at any time, such as the landing gear and bomb bay doors, were sawtooth-edged to deflect radar reflections. The entire aircraft was coated in radar-reflective paint, and used composites in its design to both provide superb structural integrity and further increase its stealthiness. Nothing was carried that would emit electronic signatures; even the bombing radar would be switched on only on the final bomb run. So stealthy was the B-2 that, when it began to appear in airshows and be deployed overseas, it was usually accompanied by USAF fighters—not to provide escort, but to provide a radar return for civilian radar controllers who otherwise would not detect the aircraft at all.
The Spirit’s one drawback is its cost—easily one of the most expensive aircraft ever produced. Originally, 175 B-2s were to be built, but this was slashed by the first Bush administration to 75 aircraft, then, after the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union, to only 21. Besides being hideously expensive to produce, the B-2 was also expensive to maintain, requiring special training for its ground crews and climate-controlled hangars to preserve its radar-resistant coating. Despite this, however, the B-2 has proven itself to be very valuable. With a range exceeding that of the B-52, the B-2’s stealthiness allows it to operate at all altitudes with a minimal chance of detection, while it can carry a bombload equal to that of the B-1 Lancer.
The B-2A Spirit entered service in 1993 and first saw combat in the Kosovo War of 1999, delivering ordnance against Serbian targets with impunity. This was the first time that the USAF used GPS-guided bombs; the combination of the B-2’s guidance radar and GPS technology allowed the B-2 to attack up to 80 targets simultaneously, with each individual bomb being guided to its target. This made the B-2 a huge force multiplier. Spirits would launch first strikes in Afghanistan in 2001, Iraq in 2003, and Libya in 2011, flying missions from forward operating locations and its home base at Whiteman AFB, Missouri itself, with some missions exceeding 40 hours—an achievement even more impressive given that the B-2 has only a two-man crew. The B-2 is expected to serve for several more decades; its replacement will likely be unmanned. Only one aircraft has been lost, in a 2010 takeoff accident.
This isn't a "true" B-2A, but rather one of two testbeds built by Northrop for various testing--in this case, stress testing. It is identical to an operational B-2, except that it has no engines nor instrumentation. Stress testing required that hydraulic jacks be attached to the airframe, which simulates hundreds of flight hours; it was then stressed beyond the safe limits of operation to see how much the B-2 airframe can handle. In this case, the testbed exceeded Northrop's estimation before the wings snapped.
It was due to be scrapped, but since it would be a long time (if ever) that the National Museum of the USAF got an actual B-2A for display, Northrop complied with the museum's request for the testbed. It was put back together and restored by the NMUSAF as 82-1070 "Spirit of Ohio," an operational B-2A. The real 82-1070 was used to test temperature extremes on the Spirit: it was flown from the humid climes of Florida to the deep freeze of Alaska. When the testing was completed, the USAF donated the "Spirit of Ohio"'s nose gear door to be placed on the NMUSAF's example. Like all B-2s, the real "Spirit of Ohio" is assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing stationed at Whiteman AFB, Missouri.
This view shows the B-2's rather sinister forward profile, with the "Fire and Ice" artwork applied to 82-1070's nose gear door--since the B-2 uses special paint, the nose art actually would have interfered with the real 82-1070's paint scheme! I've seen a B-2 in flight, but this was the first time I had seen one up close, even if it isn't a "real" Spirit. A GBU-31 2000-pound satellite-guided bomb is on display to the B-2's right.