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The '''B-2 Spirit''' ("Stealth bomber") is an advanced, [[stealth]] aircraft developed by [[Northrop Grumman]]. The B-2 Spirit bomber has many benefits over other military bombers. Its main advantages are its, low-observable, strategic, long-range, and heavy bomber capable of penetrating sophisticated and dense air-defense shields.<ref name="Airforce tech">{{cite web|url=http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/b2/|work=airforce-technology.com|language=English|title=B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber, USA|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref> The B-2 can also carry up to 40,000lb of the most technological advanced weapons, including,conventional and nuclear weapons, precision-guided munitions, gravity bombs, a range of maritime weapons, and even nuclear bombs.<ref name="Airforce tech" /><ref name="Howstuff">{{cite web|url=http://science.howstuffworks.com/stealth-bomber.htm|title=How Stealth Bombers Work|work=HowStuffWorks|author=Tom Harris|language=English|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref> It holds two separate weapons bays, both of which are equipped with a rotary launcher, and two bomb-rack assemblies.<ref name="Airforce tech" /> An assessment published by the USAF showed that two B-2s armed with precision weaponry can do the job of 75 conventional aircraft.<ref name="Airforce tech" />

The '''B-2 Spirit''' ("Stealth bomber") is an advanced, [[stealth]] aircraft developed by [[Northrop Grumman]]. The B-2 Spirit bomber has many benefits over other military bombers. Its main advantages are its, low-observable, strategic, long-range, and heavy bomber capable of penetrating sophisticated and dense air-defense shields.<ref name="Airforce tech">{{cite web|url=http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/b2/|work=airforce-technology.com|language=English|title=B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber, USA|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref> The B-2 can also carry up to 40,000lb of what by [[NATO]] standards are the most technologically advanced weapons, including, conventional and nuclear weapons, precision-guided munitions, gravity bombs, a range of maritime weapons, and even nuclear bombs.<ref name="Airforce tech" /><ref name="Howstuff">{{cite web|url=http://science.howstuffworks.com/stealth-bomber.htm|title=How Stealth Bombers Work|work=HowStuffWorks|author=Tom Harris|language=English|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref> It holds two separate weapons bays, both of which are equipped with a rotary launcher, and two bomb-rack assemblies.<ref name="Airforce tech" /> An assessment published by the USAF showed that two B-2s armed with precision weaponry can do the job of 75 conventional aircraft.<ref name="Airforce tech" />

Originally 132 were to be built, but rising costs (a near certainty in military programs) caused the program to be cut to a mere 21.  Twenty are still in operation (one was lost in a 2008 crash), of which 19 are located in [[Missouri]] and the 20th at Edwards Air Force Base in [[California]] which serves as a flight test vehicle.  All 21 were given the name "Spirit of" followed by a state name (except the 1st, named Spirit of America, and the 19th which was named Spirit of Kitty Hawk), "Kansas" was the one lost in the crash.

Originally 132 were to be built, but rising costs (a near certainty in military programs) caused the program to be cut to a mere 21.  Twenty are still in operation (one was lost in a 2008 crash), of which 19 are located in [[Missouri]] and the 20th at Edwards Air Force Base in [[California]] which serves as a flight test vehicle.  All 21 were given the name "Spirit of" followed by a state name (except the 1st, named Spirit of America, and the 19th which was named Spirit of Kitty Hawk), "Kansas" was the one lost in the crash.

==History==

==History==

Much of the design for the B-2 Spirit came from [[Jack Northrop]], the founder of what is now known as Northrup Grumman. In 1946 the United States military looked for a bomber to replace the aging, [[B-52]] bomber. They wanted a plane that was more advanced and one with  better range. The military awarded Jack Northrop with a 88 million contract to build a new bomber. Northrop began working on an idea for a plane which he called the "[[Flying Wing]]". But in 1947, the Air Force mysteriously ended his contract, and the project ended.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dau.mil/pubs/arq/2001arq/Baker.pdf|title=Clipped Wings: The Death of Jack Northrop's Flying Wing Bombers|author=Dr. Bud Baker|format=PDF|language=English|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref> The [[United States Air Force]] restarted it quest for a better bomber in 1970. In 1981, the first B-2 bomber was built. The new 172-foot wide flying wing was very similar to Jack Northrop's design, and much of the plane is attributed to him.<ref name="Centennial">{{cite web|url=http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Aerospace/Northrop/Aero40.htm|title=Jack Northrop and the Northrop Corporation|work=U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission|author=Judy Rumerman|accessdate=2007-08-20|language=English}}</ref> The plane became fully operational in December 2003.<ref name="Howstuff" />

Much of the design for the B-2 Spirit came from [[Jack Northrop]], the founder of what is now known as Northrup Grumman. In 1946 the United States military looked for a bomber to replace the aging, [[B-52]] bomber. They wanted a plane that was more advanced and one with  better range. The military awarded Jack Northrop with a 88 million contract to build a new bomber. Northrop began working on an idea for a plane which he called the "[[Flying Wing]]". But in 1947, the Air Force mysteriously ended his contract, and the project ended.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dau.mil/pubs/arq/2001arq/Baker.pdf|title=Clipped Wings: The Death of Jack Northrop's Flying Wing Bombers|author=Dr. Bud Baker|format=PDF|language=English|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref> The [[United States Air Force]] restarted it quest for a better bomber in 1970. In 1981, the first B-2 bomber was built. The new 172-foot wide flying wing was very similar to Jack Northrop's design, and much of the plane is attributed to him.<ref name="Centennial">{{cite web|url=http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Aerospace/Northrop/Aero40.htm|title=Jack Northrop and the Northrop Corporation|work=U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission|author=Judy Rumerman|accessdate=2007-08-20|language=English}}</ref> The plane became fully operational in December 2003.<ref name="Howstuff" />

   

 

On December 10, 2022 an unarmed B-2 Spirit malfunctioned in flight, made an emergency landing at Whiteman Air Force Base in [[Missouri]], and then caught fire on the runway.<ref>https://www.whiteman.af.mil/News/Article/3252068/update-b-2-spirit-damaged-after-emergency-landing-on-wafb-runway/</ref> The entire fleet was grounded after the incident.

 

== Facts ==

== Facts ==

[[Image:Bomberb-2.jpg‎|250px|thumb|right|B-2 Spirit flies over the St. Louis Arch]]  

[[Image:Bomberb-2.jpg‎|250px|thumb|right|B-2 Spirit flies over the St. Louis Arch]]  

* [[Strategic Air Command]]

* [[Strategic Air Command]]

* [[War]]

* [[War]]

== External links ==

== External links ==