The B-2 Spirit has long been the U.S. Air Force’s ultimate expression of stealth, reach, and strategic punch. From marathon flights halfway across the globe to its capability to penetrate the most impenetrable defenses on Earth, it’s a machine that has revolutionized the projection of air power. But with its replacement now in flight testing, the B-2’s day is gradually winding down. Here’s a closer examination of the aircraft’s legacy, its capabilities, and the technology it leaves behind.
8. Passing the Torch to the 11 Raider
The B-2’s replacement, the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider, flew for the first time in November 2023. Designed for increased stealth and versatility—and capable of flight with or without a crew—it will one day replace the B-2 fleet. The U.S. Air Force anticipates ordering about 100 of them, so the Raider will form the backbone of next-generation strategic bombing raids, able to carry both nuclear and conventional munitions with advanced sensors and networked fighting systems.
7. Starting from Scratch on Stealth
Northrop Grumman didn’t just build a plane when they created the B-2—they created the tools and techniques to make it a reality. The airframe is nearly all carbon fiber composite, consisting of more than 10,000 discrete components, providing both strength and radar-absorbing properties.
In the 1980s and ’90s, this type of production necessitated equipment built to specific requirements and innovative 3D modeling software. Nowadays, the process is much more inclusive—automated fiber placement machines can be rented and fitted in weeks, and composite fabrication is now part of university curricula globally. Although the most sensitive technology of stealth remains classified, construction with these materials is no longer the uncommon activity that it once was.
6. Living On Board During 44-Hour Missions
Endurance is just as much a component of the B-2’s mission as stealth. There are only two pilots on board, so the cockpit has been designed for both work and survival during missions that last almost two days. Behind the seats is a space for sleeping, along with a microwave, refrigerator, pantry, and even a small toilet. Pilots are chosen not only for their flying skills but also for their ability to work well together in high-pressure, cramped environments where teamwork is everything.
5. The Price of Perfection
At a cost of more than $2 billion per plane and operating costs reaching $135,000 per flight hour, the B-2 is the most costly plane in the world.
Its maintenance needs are just as drastic—after each mission comes anywhere from 36 hours of maintenance, and its sensitive radar-absorbing skin has to be kept in climate-controlled hangars. With so much attention, the fleet’s readiness rate for missions sticks at around 50%, a testament to how challenging it is to make these bombers mission-ready.
4. Unique Heavy Hitter with a Special Arsenal
The B-2 carries as much as 40,000 pounds of ordnance within its two bomb bays, ranging from the precision-guided JDAMs to nuclear warheads. Most significantly, it is the only American aircraft that can deploy the 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, capable of penetrating 200 feet of hardened concrete.
This provides the B-2 with unparalleled capability against deeply buried targets out of reach of other bombers.
3. Going the Distance
Perhaps the B-2’s greatest asset is its range. Without refueling, it has a flight distance of about 6,000 nautical miles, but actually it allows it to attack anywhere on the planet from its Missouri home base through air-to-air refueling.
The bomber’s most noted accomplishment was a 44-hour combat mission to Afghanistan in 2001—the longest combat sortie in history. It has flown in Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, and most recently, Iran.
2. The Science of Being Invisible
The stealth of the B-2 is a union of form and material. Its flying wing shape, carbon-graphite skin that absorbs radar, titanium parts, and its deeply buried engines all combine to reduce radar, infrared, acoustic, and even contrail signatures. At altitude, its radar cross-section is roughly the size of a seabird—small enough to pass by the most advanced detection systems.
1. Operation Midnight Hammer: The B-2’s Defining Moment
The biggest B-2 mission ever occurred during Operation Midnight Hammer, when seven bombers flew out of Missouri and bombed Iran’s buried nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
Accompanied by 125 supporting aircraft and a submarine that launched dozens of Tomahawk cruise missiles, the B-2s delivered 14 bunker busters in 25 minutes. Iran’s defenses never stood a chance. It was the second-longest B-2 mission ever flown and a dramatic demonstration of its capacity to penetrate the most heavily defended airspace on the planet.