Northrop B-2 Spirit Bomber happens to be one of the most iconic military aircraft ever made by human. The shape and design of this aircraft is instantly is able to even those who do not know much about military.
The popularity that this aircraft has is not because of its unique design but of the fact that this is actually the only aircraft that is virtually undetectable under enemy’s radar. Due to this reason it has been used for missions like
- Spying on enemies
- Level targets with its heavy bomb payload
Few of the most amazing facts about this one of a kind and state of the art military aircraft are as follows.
Each B-2 Spirit has its own personality:-
Only 21 of these bad boys have been developed and the personal who fly them really know them like back of their hands. Each of these aircrafts has their own distinct personality when it comes to design and its maintenance needs.
Comes with indefinite range and flight time:-
Bomber aircrafts are normally designed with the goal of range. However this B-2 bomber with its distinct design is prone for long range operations than most bomber aircrafts. Without a need for refueling, it can go for a range of over 56000 miles. With refueling the range becomes indefinite. It is able to reach any place in the world with minimal support. This allows for US air force to deliver any sort of attack anywhere in the world when required.
Anti radar deign is actually a mix of materials:-
This one of a kind stealth aircraft is actually able to virtually go undetected in the enemy area. For this state of the art anti radar technology the sheet metal of the aircrafts is consistent of following materials.
- 200 different chemicals
- Sheets of composite materials
- High tech paints
Gaps are filled with foam made from a top secret formula. The exact chemical composition is also a highly guarded secret of USAF.
It is prone to odd accidents:-
Military aircrafts are prone to odd accidents. More advance an aircraft is, more the chances of oddity striking. With this B-2 bomber the same issue sometime rises. Back in 2008 one of the bombers named Spirit of Kansas crashed during only a takeoff routine. The crew managed to eject safely but the aircraft was nearly destroyed. A careful investigation revealed that the cause was “moisture buildup”.
It is designed to be an optical illusion:-
The purpose behind its special design is to fool the radar but it also happens to work on human eye as well. A flying B-2 when seen from afar can fell like an optical illusion. Seen form one angle it feels like a thin line. This design of optical illusion is named as “Flying Wing”. This design makes it impossible to track in the skies. If seen from a slight different angle it will be like a bulbous torpedo.
One haunted B-2 Spirit:-
This is one of the coolest B-2 facts out there. According t the maintenance crew of the US Air Force base in Guam, a B-2 spirit known as “The Spirit of Kitty Hawk” turned its engines on by itself with no one behind the controls. This B-2 Spirit has been named as “Christen” after the name of the car in the Stephen King’s horror novel.
