3D Model of B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber By PerspectX (Browse This Publisher's Products) (View Profile)

Description

The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit (also known as the Stealth Bomber) is a multirole heavy bomber with "low observable" stealth technology capable of penetrating dense anti-aircraft defenses to deploy both conventional and nuclear weapons. Because of its astronomical capital and operations costs, the project was controversial in Congress and among Pentagon brass during its development and placement into service. In time, Congress scaled back initial plans to purchase 132 of the bombers. By the early 1990s the United States elected to purchase just 21 of the bombers at US$737 million per aircraft. Total program cost averaged US$2.1 billion per aircraft in 1997 dollars.The B-2 is operated exclusively by the United States Air Force with none in the Air Force Reserves. Though originally designed in the 1980s for Cold War operations scenarios, B-2s have been used in combat to drop bombs on Kosovo in the late 1990s, and see continued use during the ongoing Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.Featuring formidable design specifications, a two officer crew aboard the bomber can drop up to eighty 500-pound class JDAM "smart" bombs, or sixteen 2,600-pound B83 nuclear bombs in a single pass through extremely dense anti-aircraft defenses. The bomber has been a prominent public spectacle at air shows since the 1990s. It has been the subject of espionage and counter-espionage activity. (Wiki) 

Texture

Texture and color maps are included.

History

The B-2 originated from the Advanced Technology Bomber (ATB) black project which began in 1979. Meanwhile, as Ronald Reagan campaigned for the Presidency in 1979 and 1980, he promised a restoration of American military strength. On August 22, 1980, the Department of Defense first publicly disclosed that it was working to develop stealth aircraft including the ATB. The ATB competition was reduced to the Northrop/and/Rockwell teams with each receiving a study contract for further work. Both teams developed flying wing designs. The Northrop design was larger while thedesign was smaller and included a small tail. The Northrop/team's ATB design was selected over the/Rockwell design on October 20, 1981. The black project was funded under the code name "Aurora". The Northrop design would receive the designation B-2 and the name "Spirit". The bomber's design was changed in the mid-1980s when its mission profile was changed from high-altitude to low-altitude, terrain-following. The redesign delayed the B-2's first flight by two years and added about US$1 billion to the program's cost. An estimated US$23 billion was secretly spent for research and development on the B-2 by 1989. At the program's peak, 13,000 people were employed at a dedicated plant in Pico Rivera, California for the plane's engineering and portions of its manufacturing. The first B-2 was first publicly displayed on November 22, 1988, at Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, California, where it was built. Its first public flight was on July 17, 1989 from Palmdale. The B-2 Combined Test Force, Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, is responsible for flight testing Air Force aircraft.The first operational aircraft, christened Spirit of Missouri, was delivered to Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri on 17 December 1993. The B-2 reached initial operational capability on 1 January 1997. The B-2 fleet is based at Whiteman AFB. Depot maintenance for the B-2 is accomplished by United States Air Force contractor support and managed at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Originally designed to deliver nuclear weapons, modern usage has shifted towards a flexible role with conventional and nuclear capability. (Wiki)