Military Aircraft Videos

Northrop Grumman B-2 "Spirit"

The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is a multi-role stealth heavy bomber, capable of deploying both conventional and nuclear weapons. It is operated exclusively by the United States Air Force. Its development was a milestone in the modernization program of the U.S. Department of Defense. The B-2's second-generation stealth technology is intended to aid the aircraft's penetration role in order to survive extremely dense anti-aircraft defenses otherwise considered impenetrable by combat aircraft.The B-2 started life as a black project known as the High Altitude Penetrating Bomber (HAPB), then became the Advanced Technology Bomber (ATB), and later became the B-2 Spirit. An estimated US$23 billion were secretly spent for research and development on the B-2 in the 1980s. An additional expense was caused by changing its role in 1985 from a high-altitude bomber to a low-altitude bomber, which required a major redesign.The first B-2 was publicly displayed on 22 November 1988, when it was rolled out of its hangar at Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, California, where it was built. Its first public flight was on 17 July 1989. The B-2 Combined Test Force, Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California, is responsible for flight testing the engineering, manufacturing and development aircraft.The original procurement of 135 aircraft was later reduced to 75 in the late 1980s. In his 1992 State of the Union Address, President George H.W. Bush announced total B-2 production would be limited to 20 aircraft (later increased to 21 by refurbishing a test aircraft).This reduction was largely a result of the disintegration of the Soviet Union, which effectively rendered void the Spirit's primary mission. The cost of the B-2 program in 1994 dollars was reported at $727 million per plane, however the total cost of the program with development, spares, and facilities averaged over $2.1 billion per plane as of 1997 according to the B-2 program office.The first operational aircraft, christened Spirit of Missouri, was delivered on December 17, 1993. The B-2 fleet is based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Depot maintenance for the B-2 is accomplished by United States Air Force contractor support and managed at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma.Originally designed to employ nuclear weapons, modern usage has shifted towards a flexible role with conventional and nuclear capability. The prime contractor, responsible for overall system design and integration, is Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems Sector. Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, Hughes Aircraft (now Raytheon), General Electric Aircraft Engines and Vought Aircraft Industries, are members of the aircraft contractor team. Another contractor, responsible for aircrew training devices (weapon system trainer and mission trainer) is Link Simulation & Training, a division of L-3 Communications formerly Hughes Training Inc. (HTI).Link Division, formerly known as CAE - Link Flight Simulation Corp. Link Simulation & Training is responsible for developing and integrating all aircrew and maintenance training programs. * Crew: 2 * Length: 69 ft (20.9 m) * Wingspan: 172 ft (52.12 m) * Height: 17 ft (5.1 m) * Wing area: 5,000 ft² (460 m²) * Empty weight: 158,000 lb (71.7 t) * Loaded weight: 336,500 lb (152.6 t) * Max takeoff weight: 376,000 lb (171.0 t) * Powerplant: 4× General Electric F118-GE-100 turbofans, 17,300 lbf (77 kN) each * Maximum speed: 410 knots (764 km/h, 475 mph) * Range: 5,600 nm (10,400 km, 6,500 mi) * Service ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,000 m) * Wing loading: 67.3 lb/ft² (329 kg/m²) * Thrust/weight: 0.205