Twelve U.S. B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, carrying thermonuclear weapons, were photographed taking off from the 509th Bomber Base in Missouri in a show of force the United States was unaccustomed to.
The first take-off exercise took place last Monday, but it was reportedly repeated a few hours ago. The aircraft fly overseas missions with the support of air tankers.
Monday, to cap off exercise Spirit Vigilance 24, 12 USAF B-2 stealth bombers from the 509th Bomb Wing conducted a scramble and mass fly-off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. pic.twitter.com/7RUnT2n53l
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) April 18, 2024
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) April 18, 2024
The show of force follows recent images of nuclear-tipped AGM-129 ACM cruise missiles carried on strategic bombers B-52Hwhen the United States responded to Moscow's order on the nuclear readiness of Russian strategic ballistic missile submarines (SLBMs) by broadcasting the code “MONOLITH”.
Created during the Cold War as the first “stealth” strategic bomber and first flying on July 17, 1989, the B-2 Spirit is considered one of the most recognizable and important aircraft to serve in the United States Air Force. Its development was originally initiated as part of the Advanced Technology Bomber (ATB) program during the Carter administration, and its performance was one of the reasons for the program's cancellation in favor of the B-1 Lancer. The ATB program continued under the Reagan administration, but concerns about delays in its implementation led to the restoration of the B-1 program.
Development program
The cost of the program increased throughout the development period. Each aircraft designed and built by Northrop Grumman with assistance from Boeing averaged $737 million (in 1997 dollars). The aircraft has a range of about 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km), according to the US Air Force.
Special Features
Due to the aircraft's complex flight characteristics and design requirements to maintain very low observability while employing multiple detection capabilities, the development and construction of the B-2 required innovative use of manufacturing technologies and computer-aided design. It can carry more than 12 nuclear-tipped missiles in one mission! The B-2's crew consists of only two people: the pilot in the left seat and the crew chief in the right seat, with the ability to accommodate a third crew member if necessary. By comparison, the B-1B has a crew of four, while the B-52 has a crew of five.
The B-2's operational effectiveness was demonstrated during Operation Allied Force, where in its first eight weeks it destroyed 33% of all Serb targets while flying nonstop to Kosovo and back from its headquarters in Missouri. There is also speculation that a B-2 Spirit fighter jet bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade at one time.
More Stories
Paris: wild clashes between police and "black" block
Modern Germans are far from the most hardworking in Europe
Georgia: Opposition leaders were brutally beaten by security forces (video)