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B-2 Spirit
A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit flying over the Pacific Ocean in 2016
General information
Type	Stealth strategic heavy bomber
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Northrop Corporation Northrop Grumman
Status	In service
Primary user	United States Air Force
Number built	21
History
Manufactured	1987–2000
Introduction date	1 January 1997
First flight	17 July 1989; 35 years ago (1989-07-17)

Donald Trump

Operators

United States Air Force (19 aircraft in active inventory)

Air Force Global Strike Command

• 509th Bomb Wing – Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri (18 B-2s)

13th Bomb Squadron 2005–present

325th Bomb Squadron 1998–2005

393rd Bomb Squadron 1993–present

394th Combat Training Squadron 1996–2018

Air Combat Command

• 53rd Wing – Eglin Air Force Base, Florida

72nd Test and Evaluation Squadron (Whiteman AFB, Missouri) 1998–present

• 57th Wing – Nellis AFB, Nevada

325th Weapons Squadron – Whiteman AFB, Missouri 2005–present

715th Weapons Squadron 2003–2005

Air National Guard

• 131st Bomb Wing (Associate) – Whiteman AFB, Missouri 2009–present

110th Bomb Squadron

Air Force Materiel Command

• 412th Test Wing – Edwards Air Force Base, California (has one B-2)

419th Flight Test Squadron 1997–present

420th Flight Test Squadron 1992–1997

Air Force Systems Command

• 6510th Test Wing – Edwards AFB, California 1989–1992

6520th Flight Test Squadron

Accidents and incidents

On 23 February 2008, B-2 "AV-12" Spirit of Kansas crashed on the runway shortly after takeoff from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. Spirit of Kansas had been operated by the 393rd Bomb Squadron, 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, and had logged 5,176 flight hours. The two-person crew ejected safely from the aircraft. The aircraft was destroyed, a hull loss valued at US$1.4 billion. After the accident, the USAF took the B-2 fleet off operational status for 53 days, returning on 15 April 2008. The cause of the crash was later determined to be moisture in the aircraft's Port Transducer Units during air data calibration, which distorted the information being sent to the bomber's air data system. As a result, the flight control computers calculated an inaccurate airspeed, and a negative angle of attack, causing the aircraft to pitch upward 30 degrees during takeoff. This was the first crash and loss of a B-2.

In February 2010, a serious incident involving a B-2 occurred at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. The aircraft involved was AV-11 Spirit of Washington. The aircraft was severely damaged by fire while on the ground and underwent 18 months of repairs to enable it to fly back to the mainland U.S. for more comprehensive repairs. Spirit of Washington was repaired and returned to service in December 2013. At the time of the accident, the USAF had no training to deal with tailpipe fires on the B-2s.

On the night of 13–14 September 2021, B-2 Spirit of Georgia made an emergency landing at Whiteman AFB. The aircraft landed and went off the runway into the grass and came to rest on its left side. The cause was later determined to be faulty landing gear springs and "microcracking" in hydraulic connections on the aircraft. The lock link springs in the left landing gear had likely not been replaced in at least a decade, and produced about 11% less tension than specified. The "microcracking" reduced hydraulic support to the landing gear. These problems allowed the landing gear to fold upon landing. The accident resulted in a minimum of $10.1 million in repair damages, but the final repair cost was still being determined in March 2022.

On 10 December 2022, an in-flight malfunction aboard a B-2 forced an emergency landing at Whiteman AFB. No personnel, including the flight crew, sustained injuries during the incident; there was a post-crash fire that was quickly put out. Subsequently, all B-2s were grounded. On 18 May 2023, Air Force officials lifted the grounding without disclosing any details about what caused the incident, or what steps had been taken return the aircraft to operation. In May 2024, the Air Force announced the B-2 would be divested, as it had been deemed to be "uneconomical to repair." Although no cost estimate was provided, the decision was likely influenced by the coming introduction of the B-21 bomber; after the B-2 crash in 2010, it took almost four years and over $100 million to return the aircraft to service because not losing one of the few penetrating bombers in the inventory was considered necessary to justify the effort. However, the impending arrival of the B-21 and coming retirement of the B-2 sometime after 2029 likely made USAF leaders decide it wouldn't be worth the expense to repair it, only for it to soon be retired.

Aircraft on display

No operational B-2s have been retired by the Air Force to be put on display. B-2s have made occasional appearances on ground display at various air shows.

B-2 test article (s/n AT-1000), the second of two built without engines or instruments and used for static testing, was placed on display in 2004 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio. The test article passed all structural testing requirements before the airframe failed. The museum's restoration team spent over a year reassembling the fractured airframe. The display airframe is marked to resemble Spirit of Ohio (S/N 82-1070), the B-2 used to test the design's ability to withstand extreme heat and cold. The exhibit features Spirit of Ohio's nose wheel door, with its Fire and Ice artwork, which was painted and signed by the technicians who performed the temperature testing. The restored test aircraft is on display in the museum's "Cold War Gallery".

Specifications (B-2A Block 30)

Data from USAF Fact Sheet, Pace, Spick, Northrop Grumman

General characteristics

• Crew: 2: pilot (left seat) and mission commander (right seat)
• Length: 69 ft 0 in (21.0 m)
• Wingspan: 172 ft 0 in (52.4 m)
• Height: 17 ft 0 in (5.18 m)
• Wing area: 5,140 sq ft (478 m)
• Empty weight: 158,000 lb (71,700 kg)
• Gross weight: 336,500 lb (152,200 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 376,000 lb (170,600 kg)
• Fuel capacity: 167,000 pounds (75,750 kg)
• Powerplant: 4 × General Electric F118-GE-100 non-afterburning turbofans, 17,300 lbf (77 kN) thrust each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 630 mph (1,010 km/h, 550 kn) at 40,000 ft (12,000 m) altitude / Mach 0.95 at sea level
• Cruise speed: 560 mph (900 km/h, 487 kn) at 40,000 ft (12,000 m) altitude
• Range: 6,900 mi (11,000 km, 6,000 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,200 m)
• Wing loading: 67.3 lb/sq ft (329 kg/m)
• Thrust/weight: 0.205

Armament

• 2 internal bays for ordnance and payload with an official limit of 40,000 lb (18,000 kg); maximum estimated limit is 50,000 lb (23,000 kg)
  • 80× 500 lb (230 kg) class bombs (Mk-82, GBU-38) mounted on Bomb Rack Assembly (BRA)
  • 36× 750 lb (340 kg) CBU class bombs on BRA
  • 16× 2,000 lb (910 kg) class bombs (Mk-84, GBU-31) mounted on Rotary Launcher Assembly (RLA)
  • 16× B61 or B83 nuclear bombs on RLA (strategic mission)
  • Standoff weapon: AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) and AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM)
  • 2× GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator

Individual aircraft

Notable appearances in media

See also

• Northrop YB-49
• Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider

Related lists

• List of active United States military aircraft
• List of bomber aircraft
• List of flying wing aircraft
• List of aerospace megaprojects
• List of military electronics of the United States

Notes

1. Maximum takeoff weight is classified; listed figure is based on statement from manufacturer that aircraft's payload capacity is at least 40,000 lb.

References

1. "Northrop B-2A Spirit fact sheet." Archived 28 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine National Museum of the United States Air Force. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
2. Mehuron, Tamar A., Assoc. Editor. "2009 USAF Almanac, Fact and Figures." Archived 13 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine Air Force Magazine, May 2009. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
3. ^ "B-2 Crashes on Takeoff From Guam." Aviation Week, 23 February 2008. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
4. "Air Force: Sensor moisture caused 1st B-2 crash." Archived 4 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine USA Today, 5 June 2008. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
5. "B-2 crash video." Archived 4 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine YouTube. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
6. Linch, Airman 1st Class Stephen. "B-2s return to flight after safety pause." US Air Force, 21 April 2008. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
7. "B-2 accident report released." Archived 5 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine US Air Force, 6 June 2008. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
8. ^ jeremigio. "B-2 Fire at AAFB Back in February of 2010 Was 'Horrific,' Not 'Minor'." Archived 22 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine pncguam.com, 31 August 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
9. Mayer, Daryl. "Program office brings home 'wounded warrior'." Archived 20 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine wpafb.af.mil. Retrieved: 5 January 2012.
10. ^ Candy Knight. ""Spirit of Washington" rises from the ashes". Whiteman.af.mil. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
11. Hennigan, W. J., "The $105M resurrection of a B-2 stealth bomber", Los Angeles Times, 22 March 2014
12. Hemmerdinger, Jon (27 March 2014). "USAF updates firefighter training and equipment following B-2 tailpipe fire". FlightGlobal. Archived from the original on 14 December 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
13. "B-2 Spirit sitting wing down after landing mishap". The War Zone. September 2021. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022.
14. RIEDEL, ALEXANDER (18 March 2022). "Faulty landing gear springs led to B-2 bomber crash last year, report finds". Stars and Stripes. Archived from the original on 12 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
15. Cocke, Robert P.M. (12 January 2022). "United States Air Force / Abbreviated Aircraft Accident Investigation / B-2A, T/N 89-0129 / Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri / 14 September 2021" (PDF). United States Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
16. Helfrich, Emma (12 December 2022). "Runway At Whiteman AFB Remains Closed After B-2 Bomber Accident". The Drive. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
17. Epstein, Jake. "A B-2 stealth bomber's emergency landing sparked a fire and damaged the plane, but the crew walked away unharmed". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 17 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
18. "B-2 nuke bomber fleet is temporarily grounded due to safety issue | CNN Politics". CNN. 21 December 2022. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
19. Gordon, Chris (18 May 2023). "B-2 Safety Pause Lifted, Flights Set to Resume Within Days". Air And Space Forces Magazine. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
20. ^ "USAF Will Retire, Not Repair, Damaged B-2; Fleet Shrinking to 19 Aircraft". Air & Space Forces Magazine. 13 May 2024.
21. B-2 that caught fire in 2022 won’t be fixed, Air Force confirms. Defense One. 13 May 2024.
22. ^ "Factsheet: Northrop B-2 Spirit." Archived 29 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine National Museum of the United States Air Force. Retrieved: 24 August 2011.
23. "Cold War Gallery." Archived 15 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine National Museum of the United States Air Force. Retrieved: 24 August 2011.
24. Cite error: The named reference B-2_AF_fact_sheet was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
25. ^ Pace 1999, Appendix A
26. ^ Cite error: The named reference Spick_p340-1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
27. "B-2 Technical Details". Northrop Grumman. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
28. Dan Petty. "The US Navy – Fact File: AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW)". Archived from the original on 2 April 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
29. "JASSM". Archived from the original on 4 June 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
30. "New Video Of B-2 Bomber Dropping Mother Of All Bunker Busters Sends Ominous Message". The War Zone. 17 May 2019. Archived from the original on 29 May 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
31. Pace 1999, Appendix
32. "B-2." Archived 9 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine fas.org. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
33. All 21 copies brought to Block 30 standard.
34. "Air Force names final B-2 bomber 'Spirit of America" Archived 9 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine. fas.org, 14 July 2000. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
35. Losey, Stephen (17 March 2022). "Old, weak landing gear springs led to a B-2's $10M skid off the runway". Sightline Media Group. Defense News. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
36. Trevithick, Joseph (22 September 2022). "Damaged B-2 Returns To Palmdale For Repairs A Year After Landing Mishap". The War Zone. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
37. Cohen, Rachel (12 December 2022). "B-2 stealth bomber damaged in Missouri emergency landing". Air Force Times. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2022.

Bibliography

• "Air Force, Options to Retire or Restructure the Force Would Reduce Planned Spending, NSIAD-96-192." US General Accounting Office, September 1996.
• Boyne, Walter J. (2002), Air Warfare: an International Encyclopedia: A-L, Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, ISBN 978-1-57607-345-2
• Chudoba, Bernd (2001), Stability and Control of Conventional and Unconventional Aircraft Configurations: A Generic Approach, Stoughton, Wisconsin: Books on Demand, ISBN 978-3-83112-982-9
• Crickmore, Paul and Alison J. Crickmore, "Nighthawk F-117 Stealth Fighter". North Branch, Minnesota: Zenith Imprint, 2003. ISBN 0-76031-512-4.
• Croddy, Eric and James J. Wirtz. Weapons of Mass Destruction: An Encyclopedia of Worldwide Policy, Technology, and History, Volume 2. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 2005. ISBN 1-85109-490-3.
• Dawson, T.W.G., G.F. Kitchen and G.B. Glider. Measurements of the Radar Echoing Area of the Vulcan by the Optical Simulation Method. Farnborough, Hants, UK: Royal Aircraft Establishment, September 1957 National Archive Catalogue file, AVIA 6/20895
• Donald, David, ed. (2003), Black Jets: The Development and Operation of America's Most Secret Warplanes, Norwalk, Connecticut: AIRtime, ISBN 978-1-880588-67-3
• Donald, David (2004), The Pocket Guide to Military Aircraft: And the World's Airforces, London: Octopus Publishing Group, ISBN 978-0-681-03185-2
• Eden, Paul. "Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit". Encyclopedia of Modern Military Aircraft. New York: Amber Books, 2004. ISBN 1-904687-84-9.
• Evans, Nicholas D. (2004), Military Gadgets: How Advanced Technology is Transforming Today's Battlefield – and Tomorrow's, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: FT Press, ISBN 978-0-1314-4021-0
• Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. (1978), Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare, vol. 21, London: Phoebus, ISBN 978-0-8393-6175-6
• Goodall, James C. "The Northrop B-2A Stealth Bomber." America's Stealth Fighters and Bombers: B-2, F-117, YF-22, and YF-23. St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing Company, 1992. ISBN 0-87938-609-6.
• Griffin, John; Kinnu, James (2007), B-2 Systems Engineering Case Study (PDF), Dayton, Ohio: Air Force Center for Systems Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2009
• Moir, Ian; Seabridge, Allan G. (2008), Aircraft Systems: Mechanical, Electrical and Avionics Subsystems Integration, Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 978-0-4700-5996-8
• Pace, Steve (1999), B-2 Spirit: The Most Capable War Machine on the Planet, New York: McGraw-Hill, ISBN 978-0-07-134433-3
• Pelletier, Alain J. "Towards the Ideal Aircraft: The Life and Times of the Flying Wing, Part Two". Air Enthusiast, No. 65, September–October 1996, pp. 8–19. ISSN 0143-5450.
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• Spick, Mike (2000), B-2 Spirit, The Great Book of Modern Warplanes, St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI, ISBN 978-0-7603-0893-6
• Sweetman, Bill (2005), Lockheed Stealth, North Branch, Minnesota: Zenith Imprint, ISBN 978-0-7603-1940-6
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Further reading

• Richardson, Doug. Northrop B-2 Spirit (Classic Warplanes). New York: Smithmark Publishers Inc., 1991. ISBN 0-8317-1404-2.
• Sweetman, Bill. Inside the Stealth Bomber. St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-7603-0627-3.
• Winchester, Jim, ed. "Northrop B-2 Spirit". Modern Military Aircraft (Aviation Factfile). Rochester, Kent, UK: Grange Books plc, 2004. ISBN 1-84013-640-5.
• The World's Great Stealth and Reconnaissance Aircraft. New York: Smithmark, 1991. ISBN 0-8317-9558-1.

External links

• B-2 Spirit fact sheet and gallery on U.S. Air Force site
• B-2 Spirit page on Northrop Grumman site Archived 3 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine
• B-2 Stealth Bomber article on How It Works Daily
• B-2 Spirit News Articles

• Northrop aircraft
• Northrop Grumman aircraft
• 1980s United States bomber aircraft
• Flying wings
• Stealth aircraft
• Quadjets
• Relaxed-stability aircraft
• Aircraft first flown in 1989
• High-altitude and long endurance aircraft
• Strategic bombers