B-2 spirit

a href=”http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/45/B-2_Spirit.jpg/250px-B-2_Spirit.jpg”img style=”FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand” alt=”” src=”http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/45/B-2_Spirit.jpg/250px-B-2_Spirit.jpg” border=”0″ //abr /divDefeating an enemy’s air defenses to deliver weapons on target is what the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit does best. The B-2 can fly more than 6,000 nautical miles before refueling (more than 10,000 nautical miles with just one refueling) while carrying 40,000 pounds of weapons. This tremendous capability gives the aircraft the ability to fly anywhere in the world and deliver a variety of weapons in less than 24 hours.br /Structurally, the B-2’s design can be traced back to Jack Northrop’s flying wing designs of the 1940s. The aircraft’s integrated computer systems comprise over 130 computers and nearly 2 million lines of software code. Operated by the U.S. Air Force, the B-2 is the world’s preeminent strategic, long-range multi-role bomber. Its low observable characteristics make it the world’s most survivable aircraft as well, able to penetrate hostile air space without being detected. The B-2 has repeatedly demonstrated this and its all-weather capability during Operation Allied Force and Operation Enduring Freedom with missions of up to 44 hours duration.br /The B-2’s low observability, or stealth, means it doesn’t need an armada of support aircraft to accomplish a mission, and its large payload allows it to do the work of many smaller aircraft. For the first time in military aviation history, the U.S. Air Force has a war-fighting capability that combines long range, large payload, all-aspect stealth, and near-precision weapons in one aircraft. All 21 B-2s were assembled in Palmdale, California, and are stationed with the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. /divdiv/divdivSource: northropgrumman.com/div