The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit (also known as the Stealth Bomber) is an American heavy bomber with "low observable" stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses and deploy both conventional and nuclear weapons.
Twenty B-2s are operated by the United States Air Force. Though originally designed in the 1980s for Cold War operations scenarios, B-2s have been used in combat to drop bombs on Kosovo in the late 1990s, and see continued use during the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
B-2 Spirit Specifications
General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 69 ft
Wingspan: 172 ft
Height: 17 ft
Wing area: 5,140ft²
Empty weight: 158,000 lb
Loaded weight: 336,500 lb
Max takeoff weight: 376,000 lb
Powerplant: 4 × General Electric F118-GE-100 non-afterburning turbofans, 17,300 lbf each
Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 0.95 (525 knots, 604 mph)
Cruise speed: Mach 0.85 (470 knots, 541 mph)
Range: 6,000 nmi (6,900mi)
Service ceiling: 50,000 ft
Armament
2 internal bays for 50,000lb of ordnance.
80 × 500 lb class bombs (Mk-82) mounted on Bomb Rack Assembly (BRA)
36 × 750 lb CBU class bombs on BRA
16 × 2000 lb class weapons (Mk-84, JDAM-84, JDAM-102) mounted on Rotary Launcher Assembly (RLA)
16 × B61 or B83 nuclear weapons on RLA
Later avionics and equipment improvements allow B-2A to carry JSOW and GBU-28s as well. The Spirit is also designated as a delivery aircraft for the AGM-158 JASSM when the missile enters service.
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