The B-2 bomber is a strategic bomber of the US Air Force and the only one in the world capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional. It has super penetration capabilities and global strike capabilities, and is known as the sharpest blade of the US Air Force. So, how many B-2 bombers are there?What are the characteristics of its performance and technology?This article will demystify the B-2 bomber for you.
The development of the B-2 bomber began in the late 1970s in order to replace the B-1A bomber and create a first-class bomber capable of breaking through the Soviet air defense network. The first flight of the B-2 bomber took place on July 17, 1989, and its official entry into service was in April 1997. Initially, the US Air Force planned to purchase 132 B-2 bombers, but due to the end of the Cold War and high costs, only 21 were eventually produced. One crashed in an accident on February 23, 2008, and the other suffered a fire in the engine compartment in February 2010, causing serious damage to the fuselage and is currently being repaired. As a result, the US Air Force currently has only 19 B-2 bombers, 18 of which are deployed at Whitman Air Force Base in Missouri and one at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Each B-2 bomber cost about $2.4 billion, making it one of the most expensive aircraft in the world.
The biggest feature of the B-2 bomber is its stealth performance, it adopts a flying wing type structure, without a fuselage and tail, and looks like a large-sized flying saucer from above. Its fuselage surface is coated with absorbing material, the air intakes and tail nozzles are designed to be serrate, and the front and rear edges of the wings are composed of parallel straight lines, all to reduce the radar reflection area and reduce the radar cross-sectional area (RCS). Allegedly, the RCS of the B-2 bomber was only 01 square meter, equivalent to a bird or a golf ball, is difficult to detect by enemy radar. In addition to being stealthy to radar, the B-2 bomber has a low infrared, visible, and noise signal, allowing it to operate covertly in a variety of environments.
Another advantage of the B-2 bomber is its long-range strike capability, which has a maximum range of up to 11,100 kilometers and a single refueling in the air of up to 18,000 kilometers, which is equivalent to flying one and a half times around the Earth. With a maximum take-off weight of 170,600 kg and a maximum bomb load of 22,680 kg, it can carry various types of nuclear and conventional, such as B83 nuclear bombs, B61-11 nuclear bombs, JDAM precision-guided bombs, JASSM long-range air-to-surface missiles, etc. It can also be armed with AGM-129 ACM cruise missiles and AGM-137 TSSAM** cruise missiles, but both missiles have been decommissioned. The maximum speed of the B-2 bomber is 1,010 kilometers, and the maximum ceiling is 15,200 meters, and it can fly at high altitude and high speed to avoid enemy interception.
The third advantage of the B-2 bomber is its advanced avionics system, which is equipped with a variety of radars and sensors, such as APQ-181 multi-mode radar, AN APR-50 radar signal processing system, AN ASQ-184 defense management system, etc., which can realize reconnaissance and attack on the air, ground and sea. It is also equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS), an Inertial Navigation System (INS), and an Antenna Array System (TAS) for precise navigation and positioning. The B-2 bomber has two seats in the cockpit, one for the pilot and the other for the system operator, who can maneuver the aircraft and the aircraft through a multi-function display (MFD) and control panel. The B-2 bomber also had an autopilot system that took over flight control in case of pilot fatigue or an emergency.
The B-2 bomber is a strategic bomber of the US Air Force and the only one in the world capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional. It has super penetration capabilities and global strike capabilities, and is known as the sharpest blade of the US Air Force. The number of B-2 bombers is only 21, one of which has crashed, one is being repaired, and only 19 are currently in service. The performance and technology of the B-2 bomber are very advanced, it adopts a flying wing type structure, coated with absorbing materials, has an extremely low radar cross-section, and is difficult to be detected by enemy radar. It also has long-range strike capabilities and can carry various types of nuclear and conventional strikes against important enemy targets. It is also equipped with an advanced avionics system that can realize reconnaissance and attacks against the air, the ground and the sea, while also providing precise navigation and positioning, as well as autopilot functions.