The B-2 Spirit — Stealth Bomber

Underside of a B-2 Spirit in Flight, Joint Base Andrews, MD. (Photo by Robert Sacchi)

Development, Intrigue, & Disaster

In the 1970s the Advanced Technology Bomber (ATB) project worked to develop a strategic bomber with a small radar signature. Ostensibly the promise of an all but invisible bomber made the B-1 bomber program obsolete. President Carter cancelled the B-1A program in favor of the ATB program.[i]

Thomas Patrick Cavanagh, a Northrop aerospace engineer, attempted to sell secrets related to the B-2 program in December, 1984. It was a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sting operation and Cavanagh spent 16 years in prison.[ii]

Northrop rolled out the first B-2 on November 22, 1988. The B-2 made some highspeed runway tests. Then on July 17, 1989 the B-2 made its first flight. The Air Force received the first B-2, christened Spirit of Missouri, on December 17, 1993.[iii] President Clinton stopped production of the B-2 at 21 aircraft. A B-2 crashed on February 23, 2008. The crew, Major Ryan Link and Captain Justin Grieve, ejected safely. The Spirit of Kansas was a total loss, a cost of $1.4 billion dollars. The other 20 B-2s are still in service, one is used for testing.

[i] Development on the B-1 resumed in the 1980s and the Air Force purchased and deployed B-1Bs.

[ii] May 23, 1985: Selling Stealth Secrets to the Reds Comes at a High Price, May 23, 1985: Selling Stealth Secrets to the Reds Comes at a High Price | WIRED, last accessed 4/15/23.

[iii] Air Force Fact Sheet, B-2 Spirit > Air Force > Fact Sheet Display (af.mil), last accessed 4/13/26.

A B-2, tail number 21066, on static Display at Joint Base Andrews, MD, May 2003. (Photo by Robert Sacchi)

In Combat

The Air Force first used B-2s in combat during Operation Allied Force, the 1999 campaign against Bosnia. B-2s flew missions from Whiteman AFB, Missouri to Kosovo and back nonstop. B-2s destroyed 33% of all Serbian targets.[i] In one B-2 strike five bombs struck inside the Chinese Embassy complex. The strike killed Shao Yunhuan, Xu Xinghu and his spouse Zhu Ying. The strike wounded another 20 people in the compound.

During Operation Enduring Freedom B-2s flew six sorties, two each on October 7, 8, and 9th. These were among the longest Spirit missions ever flown. The missions were 44 hours. The Spirit of America made a 45-minute stop for a crew change and service. Its engines kept running and it flew a 30-hour flight. This meant its engines kept running for over 70 consecutive hours.[ii]

B-2s had an 85% mission capable rate during Operation Iraqi Freedom. On March 30, 2003 B-2s, B-1s, and B-52s carried out simultaneous attacks for the first time. One of the targets was a telephone exchange which was destroyed with two 4,700-pound satellite guided bombs. On April 1 Captain Jennifer Wilson landed her B-2 at Whiteman AFB and became the first woman to fly a B-2 Spirit in combat.[iii] B-2s struck 92 targets and dropped 1.5 million pounds of munitions.[iv] Spirits flew 49 Iraqi Freedom sorties, 22 from forward operating bases and 27 from Whiteman AFB.[v] This happened before the B-2 received full operational capability status in December 2003.[vi]

On January 19, 2011 Three B-2s dropped 40 bombs on targets in Libya. On March 20, the B-2B Spirit of Pennsylvania bombed targets in Libya. On January 19, 2017 two B-2s dropped 100 munitions on two terrorist training camps south of Sirte, Libya, killing 90 Islamic State terrorists.[vii]

On June 21, 2025 seven B-2 bombers flew from Whiteman AFB, Missouri and attacked the Iranian Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities. They dropped two 30,000 pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs. Other B-2s departed Whiteman AFB and flew in the opposite direction as a diversion. This 37 hour mission was the largest B-2 mission in history.

B-2s have also flown Operation Epic Fury missions.

[i] Air Force Fact Sheet, B-2 Spirit > Air Force > Fact Sheet Display (af.mil), last accessed 4/15/22.

[ii] Northrop Grumman, 10 Cool Facts about the B-2 — Northrop Grumman, last accessed 4/15/22.

[iii] Captain Wilson had previously piloted B-1Bs in combat during Operation Allied Force.

[iv] Air Force Fact Sheet, B-2 Spirit > Air Force > Fact Sheet Display (af.mil), last accessed 4/15/22.

[v] Air Force Fact Sheet, B-2 Spirit > Air Force > Fact Sheet Display (af.mil), last accessed 4/15/22.

[vi] Air Force Fact Sheet, B-2 Spirit > Air Force > Fact Sheet Display (af.mil), last accessed 4/15/22.

[vii] “90 Bodies Found at Site of U.A. Air Strike in Libya by Reuters”, January 26, 2017. 90 Bodies Found at Site of U.S. Air Strike in Libya (newsweek.com), last accessed 4/18/23.

Shao Yunhuan, Xu Xinghu, and Zhu Ying killed when bombs from a B-2 landed inside the Chinese Embassy compound in Belgrade.

B-2 Spirit Stats

B-2 21066 sporting the “Let’s Roll” artwork, Joint Base Andrews, May 2003. “Let’s Roll” was the last recorded words of Flight 93 passenger, Todd Beamer. He, and some other passengers attempted to regain control of the plane from terrorists. (Photo by Robert Sacchi)

© 2023 Robert Sacchi

Originally published at https://hubpages.com on June 25, 2025.