B2 Spirit Bomber

The B-2 has a crew of two pilots, a pilot in the left seat and mission commander in the right. The B-2 is highly automated, and unlike single-seat fighters, one crew member can sleep, use a flush toilet or prepare a hot meal while the other monitors the aircraft.

The first B-2 was publicly displayed on 22 November 1988, when it was rolled out of its hangar at Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, California, where it was built. Its first public flight was on 17 July 1989. The B-2 Combined Test Force, Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California, is responsible for flight testing the engineering, manufacturing and development aircraft. It has seen service in three separate campaigns. The Kosovo War in 1999, Afghanistan in Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

• Primary Function: Multi-role heavy bomber
• Crew: 2 pilots
• Length: 69 ft. (20.9 m.)
• Wingspan: 172 ft. (52.4 m.)
• Height: 17 ft. (5.1 m.)
• Wing Area: 5,000 ft² (460 m²)
• Max Takeoff Weight: 376,000 lb (171.0 t)
• Empty Weight: 158,000 lb (71.7 t)
• Loaded Weight: 336,500 lb (152.6 t)
• Powerplant: 4× General Electric F118-GE-100 turbofans, 17,300 lbf (77 kN) each

Performance

• Maximum Speed: (High subsonic) 410 knots (760 km/h, 470 mph)
• Range: (Intercontinental,unrefueled) 5,600 nm (10,400 km, 6,400 mi)
• Service Ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,000 m)
• Wing loading: 67.3 lb/ft² (329 kg/m²)
• Thrust/Weight: 0.205

Armament

• Conventional or nuclear weapons