B-2 Spirit

The B-2 Spirit, sometimes known as the B-2 Bomber, is an American multi-role stealth bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear weapons. A dramatic leap forward in technology, the bomber represented a major milestone in the U.S. bomber modernization program. The B-2 is the most expensive plane built to date, costing approximately $2.2 billion USD per plane. http://www.fas.org/man/gao/gao94217.htm Some writers have suggested that the huge program cost may actually include costs for other black projects that remain classified. The high per-unit cost may also be partially explained by the small number of planes produced coupled with a large research overhead in the B-2 program (see below).

Specifications (B-2A)

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 69 ft (20.9 m)
• Wingspan: 172 ft (52.12 m)
• Height: 17 ft (5.1 m)
• Wing area: 5,000 ft² (460 m²)
• Empty: 158,000 lb (71,700 kg)
• Loaded: 336,500 lb (152,634 kg)
• Maximum takeoff: 336,500 lb (152,634 kg)
• Powerplant: 4× General Electric F-118-GE-100 turbofans; 17,300 lbf (77kN) thrust each

Performance

• Maximum speed: Mach 0.85 (560 knots, 1000 km/h)
• Range: 6,500 miles (12,000 km)
• Service ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,240 m)
• Rate of climb: ft/min (m/min)
• Wing loading: 67.3 lb/ft² (329 kg/m²)
• Thrust/weight ratio: 0.205:1

Armament

Block 30 Aircraft:

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• 40,000 lb (18,000 kg) of Bomb Rack Assembly mounted 500 lb class bombs (Mk82) (total carriage quantity: 80)
• 27,000 lb (12,000 kg) of BRA mounted 750 lb CBU class bombs (total carriage quantity: 36)
• 16 Rotary Launcher Assembly (RLA) mounted 2000 lb class weapons (Mk84, JDAM-84, JDAM-102)
• 16 RLA mounted B61 or B83 nuclear weapons

Later avionics and hardware upgrades allow B-2A to carry JSOW and GBU-28s as well.

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