The B-2 Spirit nuclear bomber celebrated the 34th anniversary of its first official flight
Northrop Grumman recalled an important milestone in the history of US strategic aviation. The B-2 Spirit nuclear bomber marked the 34th anniversary of its first takeoff.
Here's What We Know
It is officially believed that the B-2 Spirit first took to the skies on 17 July 1989. Below you can see a photo taken 14 years ago on the 20th anniversary of the first flight. It is one of the most iconic military aircraft in modern history. Northrop Grumman says the B-2's armament and avionics have evolved over more than three decades to ensure air supremacy.
The Spirit has an iconic aerodynamic design called the flying wing. It is one of only two strategic bombers in service with the US Air Force that can carry nuclear weapons. The other is the B-52H Stratofortress, which entered service about seven decades ago and is ready to celebrate its 100th birthday in the air. For this purpose, it will undergo modernisation and will be called the B-52J.
The B-2 Spirit was developed under the Advanced Technology Bomber (ATB) programme. The project dates back to the presidency of Jimmy Carter. Due to the collapse of the Soviet Union, the USAF refused to produce the planned 136 bombers, which significantly reduced the cost of the programme. The U.S. Air Force ended up with 21 aircraft in service, but one crashed. There are now two active 18 bombers, and two are under repair.
The first Spirit was officially unveiled on 22 November 1988 at Northrop Grumman's Palmdale, California plant. The B-2 Spirit cost approximately $737 million at the time of production. In today's prices, the nuclear bomber costs over $2.1 billion, being the most expensive aircraft in the world.
The B-2 Spirit is the only long-range stealth bomber in service with the US Air Force. But Northrop Grumman is already preparing its replacement. In December 2022, the company announced the B-21 Raider (pictured below). It has a number of modern technologies that allow it to be considered a sixth-generation aircraft. At least, that's what US officials claim. The characteristics of the aircraft are kept in strict secrecy.
The Pentagon wants to buy at least 100 B-21 Raider aircraft. Northrop Grumman hopes to sign the first contract by the end of this year. The company now has several bombers that are in various stages of production. The cost of the aircraft in the first batch will be $550 million per unit.
