Northrop Grumman will receive up to $7bn to expand the capabilities of 20 B-2 Spirit nuclear bombers at a cost of more than $2.1bn

The US Air Force is investing billions of dollars to maintain and expand the capabilities of its fleet of B-2 Spirit strategic bombers. Northrop Grumman has won the contract, the value of which could reach $7bn.

This was announced earlier this week by the US Department of Defence. This may be the last contract under the iconic bomber programme, as its execution will last until 2029, and the US Air Force intends to retire the aircraft in the early 2030s.

The potential value of the contract is estimated at $7bn, which means Northrop Grumman will receive an average of $350m per aircraft as the B-2 Spirit fleet consists of 20 strategic bombers.

The B-2 Spirit is an American strategic stealth bomber designed by Northrop Grumman more than 30 years ago. Its primary purpose is to deliver nuclear weapons over long distances. Its characteristics provide low visibility to radar and other detection systems, allowing the aircraft to penetrate deep into enemy defences.

The B-2 Spirit now remains an important component of US strategic forces and continues to be modernised to maintain combat capability and adapt to changing threats. The U.S. Air Force has 20 nuclear bombers in service, nearly 7 times fewer than originally planned to be built.

• crew: pilot and systems operator;
• length: ~21 metres;
• wingspan: ~52 metres;
• maximum take-off weight: ~170 tonnes;
• engines: General Electric F118-GE-100 x4.
• maximum speed: over 900 km/h;
• cruising speed: about 760 kilometres per hour;
• range: over 11,000 kilometres without aerial refuelling.

Spirit was developed as part of the Advanced Technology Bomber programme. Initially, the US Air Force wanted 136 aircraft, but the collapse of the USSR made adjustments to the plans of the military service. In the end, the US built 21 bombers. The B-2 is the most expensive aircraft in history. Its cost, adjusted for inflation, is more than $2bn.

Right now, the US Air Force can only use 18 bombers. Two planes are under repair and another strategic aircraft crashed in 2008 on the Pacific island of Guam, where the US military base Andersen is located.

In December 2022, an accident at Whiteman Base followed by an aircraft fire resulted in the suspension of flights for about six months. It was not until May 2023 that the B-2s took to the air for the first time after the pause . By the end of 2023, the bombers had flown several missions and landed in continental Europe for the first time in history.

The B-2 Spirit can carry various types of conventional and nuclear warheads. Last year, it became the first aircraft in U.S. history capable of carrying the upgraded B61-12 thermonuclear bomb with a yield ranging from 0.3 to 50 kilotons. It can also use the B61-7, B61-11 and B83-1 bombs.

Applications of the B-2 Spirit

The B-2 fleet is based in Missouri. The first aircraft was named Spirit of Missouri and was delivered to the base on 17 December 1993, and had to wait until January 1997 to achieve initial combat readiness.

The B-2 Spirit made its combat debut in 1999 as part of the NATO operation in Yugoslavia. During the first weeks of U.S. involvement in the war, the Spirit was able to destroy one-third of the targets using precision-guided JDAM bombs. To do this, six aircraft made a non-stop flight to Europe. The round trip took 30 hours.

The B-2 Spirit flew less than 0.2% of the total number of sorties, but dropped 11% of all bombs. They were also the first in the world to use the JDAM. Two decades later, JDAMs continue to be popular. The Ukrainian Defence Forces have successfully used precision-guided bombs to destroy Russian targets, while Boeing is working on a TDI-J85 turbojet-powered P-JDAM to turn conventional bombs into cruise missiles.

After Yugoslavia, the U.S. Air Force used the B-Spirit in Iraq and Afghanistan. In spring 2011, the aircraft took part in Operation Odyssey Dawn, destroying command and control posts, air defence facilities and ammunition depots in Libya.

Replacement for the B-2 Spirit

The US Air Force is actively working on a replacement for the B-2 Spirit. Northrop Grumman has created a next-generation nuclear bomber called the B-21 Raider. It was unveiled in December 2022, but the first flight had to wait almost a year. Initial production will not make the company a profit.

The US will buy 100 B-21 Raider aircraft, but before that it will get rid of the B-2 Spirit and B-1 Lancer. After that, the air component of America's strategic forces will consist of B-21 Raider and B-52 Stratofortress.

Boeing is upgrading the Stratofortress. Raytheon delivered the first active phased array radar last September. In addition, the aircraft will receive eight F130 engines and a nuclear missile with a launch range of more than 2,000 kilometres, which will replace the AGM-86B ALCM. The US Air Force is ready to invest about $11bn in upgrading the bombers.

B-52s have been actively used in testing the hypersonic Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW). The last tests took place in March 2024. The US Air Force said the tests were successful, but refrained from releasing details about the use of the AGM-183 missile.