NORTHROP B2A SPIRIT - DE-CLASSIFIED

The B2 Spirit is still a novelty at airshows.  Its apprearances are usually fleeting and closely escorted by fighters.  It was never observed close up by the general public, on the ground at a show....UNTIL NOW!  RIAT at Fairford 1999 was the first time the aircraft was seen close up on the ground. The first B2A on static display was not in its native USA but the UK!  Here are my pictures of this intreguing beast.

Here she is.  The Spirit of Indiana.  Airforce 1069.  A Genuine B2A Spirit Stealth Bomber of the 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman AFB, Missouri.

"Jack" Northrop's dream personified. He built the XB35 and YB49 "Flying Wing"  prototypes in the 40's and 50's.  It was not until 1988 that the dream of a true operational flying wing was realised.

Two Closeups. Note the split air intake, the saw tooth edges on the nose undercarriage bay and the unusual geometry of the leading edge.  Why is the main undercarriage door not sawtoothed like the nosewheel door? Rear views.  A good look at the plain weird arrangement of control surfaces.  The "Flaperons".  Note also the tiny engine exhausts.  The hot jet efflux from its 4 F118-GE-100 turbofans is blended with cold air to reduce the IR signiture.  I suspect that is what the small air intakes below the main intakes are for, to collect the cool air.

The Flying Display The undercarriage is already retracted and the doors slowly close.  The B2 was a more sprightly performer than I expected.   It shows off its familiar planform, its blended shape gives very little radar cros section, particularly head on.  The Saw tooth shapes reflect radar energy in disparate drections so as not to give a return.  The aircraft is covered in Radar Absorbent Material (RAM) which dissipates any radar energy not reflected away.  This gives this massive aircraft the radar cross section  of a small bird!

Although over 10 years old this aircraft still represents the cutting edge of technology.  We are no longer looking at an expensive toy or research plane.  This is now a combat proven WARPLANE!  It  hit several vital targets in Serbia in the Kosovo conflict.  It showed that it could strike any place on the globe, direct from its home base, unseen, undetected.  This is truely a terrifying capability.  Ominously the Bomb Wing equipped with these flying shadows holds claim to another first, one of its former charges was a B29 by the name of Enola Gay!

Just how close did my lens let me get? This close? No THIS CLOSE! Look at the detail of the markings, right down to the tiny Stars & Stripes on the nosewheel leg.

The extent of the stealth concept is taken to the very extremes.  To avoid producing contrails at altitude Chioro-fluorosulphonic acid is dumped into the exhaust!  The development costs alone topped $2,220 Million!  Easily the most expensive airplane in history.  Despite its frightening capabilities the aircraft has an unusual grace and a definate "presence"...for an aircraft designed to show little of its presence to its enemies.  Apart from a few Serbs most of this aircrafts enemies thus far  will be located on Capitol Hill!

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