The first flight of the number one of twenty one Northrop B-2A
(82-1066), known as AV-1 or Air Vehicle One,
took place at Palmdale, CA on July 17,1989.
The B-2A is powered by four General Electric
F-118-GE-110 non-afterburning turbofan engines
mounted in pairs inside the wing adjacent to the
crew/pay- Load area with both inlets
and exhausts atop the aircraft to help to shield
them from infra-red detection from below.
The crew compartment provides side-by-side
seating for two crew members, both of them will
be pilots (not navigator or radar
navigator/bombardier).
The B-2As may not be as stealthy as the USAF
assert. The B-2A is difficult to detect at
least, in time for an effective defense by the
high-frequency radars used in fire-control
systems today.
The new version of the B-2A, known as the B-2C
(C for conventional) will be based closely on
the current B-2A Block 30, thought it would have
a new and much less costly radar and
old-technology computers would be replaced by
commercial, off-the-shelf processors. One plan
that has been mooted would involve the
production of 40 more B-2Cs over a 10 years
period for a total cost of $28 billion.
Northrop B-2A Spirit
in action
Allied Force: March 24 - June 10, 1999
From their home base in the
United States
, Whiteman AFB, MO, two B-2As
flew a 31 hours mission to Kosovo in the first
night of the air-strikes against the Serbs.
October 7, 2001 -
……… Afghanistan. Enduring Freedom.
Air-to-ground strikes against Osama bin Laden
and the Taliban, from home base Whiteman AFB,
MO. On their flight they get refueled in midair
by tankers. After their drops they set course to
Diego Garcia (on that point the mission took 40
hours.) On Diego Garcia the a crew-change takes
place for the flight back to Whiteman AFB
(another 30 hours.)
6
B-2's were used the first 3 days of the air
strikes.
