B-2A Spirit

[Mr. Bones]

i can talk hours and hours about this plane but i'd like to know what you guys know about this awesome bomber.

[BMan1113VR]

what i Know ( ) about it:

very very expensive
based off a previous protype bomber (think it was the yb-49 or something like that)
believe it is still top secret
had problems during testing with stability
carries the most ordinance out of any stealth aircraft
i think** that it can go close to or break the speed of sound
pilots turning is taken by the computer, and then the computer flies the plane

[loomex]

what he said, and that it is the USAF aircraft I have never seen

[Ivan]

[list]
[*]it's so unstable in flight that the main reset swithc for the flight control system is within arms reach of the pilot
[*]it costs more money than some countries WHOLE state budget
[*]Based on german tailless-aricraft resarch from the second world war.
[*]rumours go about it having a star-trek like shield system to produce extra ECM capabilities.
[*]has been repainted from total black to a dark grey scheme, just as the other stealth aircraft of the USAF to make it less 'dark' when operating in daylight.]
[*]on board facilities include an oven and crew rest beds.
[*]it's still one of the biggest crowd pullers on airshows throughout the world

[Mr. Bones]

the whole B2 project costed 45 000 000 000USD . the result: 21 bombers...so you can calculate the unit cost yourself.

it's based on the Northrop YB-49.

it gets a new repaint every three months (RAM skin)

the early B-2's had a system which injected a chemical liquid in the nozzles to reduce the formation of contrails. they have also lasers who adapt the throttle when there is too much formation of contrails behind the plane.

a B-2 mission can take up to 40 hours!

...

[Felix/FFDS]

Jack Northrop was into flying wings since before WW2, and especially after WW2.  If memory serves me right, the YB-49 was intended to fulfill the same role as the B-36.  I have no doubt that captured German documents (Horten) were also a part of the Northrop development, but they were also pretty welll on the way already.

The B-2's dimensions are very similar to the B-49, maybe within inches.

Jack Northrop was shown a model of the B-2, the airplane that finally fulfilled his dreams of a "flying wing" shortly before his death.

[list][*]Based on german tailless-aricraft resarch from the second world war.

[Felix/FFDS]

Teacher!  BH's getting off topic!    You're getting to be almost as bad as Inspector Poly....

Back on Topic - I am impressed by those long duration missions  -  undertaken by the B-2s ...

There was also a B-2A built
by Curtis in 193?

http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research ... /b1-42.htm

a bit of an ugly thing!!

Bhofmx

[N505AF]

I have friends that work on B-2's plus I had to take schooling to work on them as well, I can tell you this much most of the info out on it is not true key word is most...

[Felix/FFDS]

Undeniably true (from the list above):

It's expensive  ..
It's a crowd pleaser....

I have friends that work on B-2's plus I had to take schooling to work on them as well, I can tell you this much most of the info out on it is not true key word is most...

[Mr. Bones]

[quote]Undeniably true (from the list above):

It's expensive

[Woodlouse2002]

Hey boys you missed a vital and amazing fact about the B2... Its the only fixed wing aircraft where the pilot sits on the right withthe co-pilot on the left.

[Wing Nut]

I think that for the price of one of these things, every school in America could have new computers.  We need to get our priorities straight...

[HABU]

The B-2 has the same wingspan (172ft) as the 1947 YB-49 prototype.

Source: X-planes at Edwards (Motorbooks)

[Developer]

I saw one of these planes at an airshow in my hometown (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) a while back.  It was cool to see!!! I also saw the F-117.  It was only a static display.  I would have liked to see it fly like the B-2A.

Developer  :)  :)  :)

[Meyekul]

[quote]I think that for the price of one of these things, every school in America could have new computers.