Stealth bomber are not invisible — far from it , in fact . The Northrop Grumman - designed B-2 Spirit has a hard - to - brush aside 175 - foot wingspan and a tenuous , disc - similar silhouette that makes it look like a crown of thorns between a stingray and an foreign slyness from a summertime blockbuster .
When one flies over your head , you turn back and stare . The words holy shit might fall out of your mouth . Considering there are only 20 around , I ’m conk out to indicate the response is appropriate . They really do n’t look like anything else in the humans . Rather than evade attention , B-2s catch your attention by the shoulder and violently shake it . So how do they go stealth ?
Turns out , it ’s not just one thing ; many factors contribute to a B-2 ’s supersneak exponent . There ’s no invisibility cloak here . B-2s combine the best radar - evading technical school and pattern into a unmistakably efficient depressed - observability cocktail . In fact , since it was first expose in 1988 , only one B-2 has ever been misplace — and not in combat . So the airplane ’s under - the - radar ( and infrared , acoustical , electromagnetic , visual , for that matter ) plan has been doing its job well . See , there ’s more limited about the plane than just its stealth status . The B-2 can also expect a huge weapons loading . Combine that with the ability to approach targets undetected , and this extremely expensive woodworking plane ( we ’re talking billions ) is quietly proving its worth .
The B-2 ’s contour acquire most of the recognition for keep it off foe gadget . Major Timothy Hale , a former B-2 pilot , explains , “ If you beam a flashlight at a mirror , and that mirror is directly on , 100 - percentage of the light source shine back at you . Same goes for radio detection and ranging energy , but the shape of the plane can deflect or ascendency where it goes ; you want that energy to go anywhere but back to your enemy ’s radar array . ” He would n’t go too deep into the item , but the gist is that the B2 ’s angled outline is for more than just intimidation ; it confuses radar pings so that they never see their way home .
The plane ’s v - influence design — also have it off as a “ fly wing”—helps the B-2 zoom undetected , as do the slopes of its side , which have 33 - academic degree slant front boundary . locomotive engineer also took any part that would typically jut from a plane and smoothed it out for the B-2 ’s design . The slim profile makes it exceedingly aerodynamic and countenance it to vaporize pixilated tight — but more than that , the shape keep it from enemy cross tomentum . “ A regular aeroplane has got sight of matter hanging off of it , ” say Major Hale . “ When we take those surface off , it offer us a middling low radar hybrid department . ”
Composite materials and special coating make up the rest of the secret sauce . Their job is to help diffuse or imbibe the sign that attempt to detect the wedge . And the relief is all about mission architectural plan and alimony , say Major Hale . “ We do our best to bonk the battle space and the emitters we ’ll be faced with . ” The more knowledge they have going into a delegacy , the more able they are to utilize the plane ’s impressive tool kit suitably .
Together , the innovation , materials , and just just preparation make the B-2 the most advanced “ low - observability ” craft around … until , of course , we figure out the cloaking gadget .
effigy : Northrop Grumman
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