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B-2A
Spirit.
The
B-2A flying-wing (Stealth Bomber) is designed to penetrate enemy air defenses
and to attack strategic targets, with nuclear bombs and stand-off weapons.
photo:
Northrop.
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Northrop
B-2A Spirit
The
B-2A flying-wing (Stealth Bomber)
is designed to penetrate enemy air defenses and to attack strategic targets,
with nuclear bombs and stand-off weapons.
The
first flight of the number one B-2A
(82-1066), known as AV-1 or Air Vehicle One, took place at Palmdale, CA on
July 17th,1989.
The
B-2A is powered by four General
Electric F-118-GE-110 non-afterburning turbofan engines mounted in pairs
inside the wing adjacent to the crew/pay-
Load area with both inlets and exhausts atop the aircraft to help to shield
them from infra-red detection from below.
The
crew compartment provides side-by-side seating for two crew members, both of
them will be pilots (not navigator or radar navigator/bombardier).
The
B-2As may not be as stealthy as
the USAF assert. The B-2A is
difficult to detect at least, in time for an effective defense by the high-frequency
radars used in fire-control systems today.
The
new version of the B-2A, known as
the B-2C (C for conventional) will
be based closely on the current B-2A
Block 30, thought it would have a new and much less costly radar and
old-technology computers would be replaced by commercial, off-the-shelf
processors. One plan that has been mooted would involve the production of 40
more B-2Cs over a 10 years period
for a total cost of $28 billion. |
| Developing
Nation: |
United
States |
| First
Flight(s): |
B-2A
(82-1066), known as AV-1 or Air Vehicle One, took place at
Palmdale
,
CA
on
July
17,1989
. |
| First
operational: |
|
| Crew: |
side-by-side
seating for two crew members. |
| Wing
Span: |
52,43
m |
| Height: |
5,18
m |
| Length: |
21,03
m |
| Weight
empty: |
between
45360 and 49896 kg |
| Weight
Max. Load: |
maximum
take-off 181440 kg |
| Engines: |
four
General Electric F118-GE-110 |
| Max.
Speed: |
764
km/h |
| Max.
Height: |
Service
ceiling 15240 m |
| Max.
Range: |
11675
km |
| Weapons: |
AGM-69A
SRAM-A (short-range attack missile)
AGM-86B
ALCM (air-launched cruise
missile)
AGM-154
JSOW (Joint Standoff
Weapon)
AGM-158
JASSM (Joint Air-to-Surface
Standoff missile)
B61
or B83 nuclear bombs
Stand-off
weapons designed for this aircraft |
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B-2A
Spirit in action
Allied
Force: March 24 - June 10, 1999
From
their home base in the
United
States
,
Whiteman AFB, MO, two B-2As flew a
31 hours mission to Kosovo in the first night of the air-strikes against the
Serbs.
October
7, 2001 - ……… Afghanistan.
Enduring Freedom.
Air-to-ground
strikes against Osama bin Laden and the Taliban, from home base Whiteman AFB,
MO. On their flight they get refueled in midair by tankers. After their drops
they set course to Diego Garcia (on that point the mission took 40 hours.) On
Diego Garcia the a crew-change takes place for the flight back to Whiteman
AFB (another 30 hours.) 6
B-2's were used the first 3 days of the air strikes. |
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The
B-2A is only in use by the United States Air Force.
21
B-2As by the 509th BW , 393rd BS,
715th BS at Whiteman AFB, MO. |
Research:
Rob Vogelaar.
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