The B-2 Spirit can fly to any location across the globe within a matter of hours.
While the US Air Force’s upcoming B-21 “Raider” platform continues to gain media attention prior to its rollout, the service’s existing bombers are also achieving important milestones. The Northrop Grumman-designed B-2 “Spirit” was recently tested in a large-scale training event carried out by the US and other allied nations. As tensions between Washington and Beijing continue to ramp up, the bomber’s ability to operate in contested environments is being prioritized by the service. As part of the Bamboo Eagle 25-1 tests which occurred in February, the Spirit’s capacity to penetrate heavily defended airspace and carry out high-value strikes was put to the test.
“Bamboo Eagle tested our ability to integrate the tactical effects we trained to in Red Flag from dispersed forces and under distributed command and control,” said Royal Air Force Gp. Capt. Guy Lefroy, UK detachment commander. “Throughout the exercise we developed our people’s ability to dynamically deliver air power through empowerment, effective risk management and innovation, ultimately sharpening our individual, service and collective international capabilities to deliver battle-winning effects.”
Introducing the Spirit
The B-2 Spirit bomber arguably features the most recognizable layout of any other aircraft platform in service today. The B-2’s shape, designed to deflect radio waves with large, flat, dark areas on the top and bottom of the aircraft, gives the platform a futuristic edge. Born from the Cold War-era requirement for a stealth bomber able to deflect or absorb radar signals, the B-2 was part of the Advanced Technology Bomber (ATB) program in the 1970s. Codenamed “Aurora,” the ATB competition ultimately resulted in Northrop Grumman’s design securing the contract. By the late 1980s, the first public viewing of the B-2 took place in Palmdale, California.
Perhaps the Spirit’s greatest flex is that it can virtually fly to any location across the globe within a matter of hours. The platform’s ability to fly all-altitude attack missions makes it a vital component of the Air Force’s aerial strategy. In addition to its impressive stealth features, the B-2 can carry up to 40,000 pounds of weaponry within two separate weapons bays positioned in the center of the aircraft. As a stealth bomber, the B-2 can carry both conventional and nuclear weaponry, as well as a litany of other munitions.
While the Spirit has been in service for several decades, the platform still serves as a formidable deterrent to US adversaries. Earlier this year, B-2s were dispatched to Diego Garcia Island in a show of force to the Islamic Republic of Iran. According to reports, these bombers have allegedly been using 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators against underground Houthi targets. As detailed by The Aviationist, “The GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) is a 30,000-lb (14,000 kg), 20-foot long GPS-guided bomb said to be able to penetrate 200 feet of concrete before exploding. The weapon is exclusively available to the B-2 Spirit, which can carry two MOPs in its internal bomb bay.” Since the B-2 is the only U.S. aircraft in service equipped with the ability to operate and deploy the MOP, these reports are significant.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: DVIDS.
