The Real Secret Spy Planes of Area 51 nationalinterest.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nationalinterest.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The B-2 Spirit remains the most advanced bomber in U.S. service.
Here s What You Need to Know: Conventional or nuclear, the B-2 Spirit can handle almost any precision attack mission in any environment imaginable.
The B-2 Spirit is one of three strategic heavy bombers in U.S. Air Force service. Originally conceived to infiltrate the Soviet air-defense network and attack targets with nuclear weapons, over the decades its mission has grown to include conventional precision attack. The B-2 is the most advanced bomber in U.S. service, and the only one of three types that still carries nuclear gravity bombs.
Revisit the Private Testing Ground for Eisenhower s Top-Secret Spy Plane nationalinterest.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nationalinterest.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Spirit first dropped bombs in anger in the 1999 Kosovo War, followed by the Iraq War in 2003. B-2s were among the first to drop bombs on the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan after 9/11, and bombed Libyan forces in 2011.
If America Loves the B-2 Stealth Bomber, Why Did It Only Build 20?
The Air Force still wanted B-2s, but the expensive program was on the chopping block with other premium weapons like the
Sea Wolf-class submarine.
Here s What You Need to Know: As the B-2’s capabilities would be fully subsumed by the B-21’s, the Air Force plans to retire the Spirit around the year 2036 as the Raiders phase in. Of course, the B-2 story suggests that the biggest question may be whether the B-21 can stay on budget, and just how many Washington will be willing to pay for when the bill comes due.