The B-2 bomber flying wing is not from a crashed UFO. As per reports, it evolved from 1940s American aircraft designs like the Northrop XB-35 and YB-49. Its design focuses on aerodynamics and stealth, developed by engineers.
What is a flying wing?
A flying wing is an aircraft without a separate tail or fuselage. Instead, it’s all wing. This shape reduces drag and radar visibility. Engineers first experimented with it in the 1930s-40s, aiming for better fuel efficiency and stealth.
The B2 is a modern evolution.
The B2 Spirit looks just as futuristic as it did when it was unveiled over three decades ago. It is such an exotic and capable aircraft that it almost feels like seeing something forbidden when in its presence. It has been captured in captivating ways via unique images. Yet the images below truly convey the stealthy flying wing bomber’s alien feel, conjuring up fond memories of the 1980s sci-fi flick Flight of the Navigator, a movie also about a secretive exotic craft, albeit one actually from another world. Although it is only really apparent from a limited number of angles, and the B2 is a shapeshifter of epic proportions depending on what aspect you are looking at it from, the aircraft’s beak is possibly the most exquisite of all its almost organic-like attributes.
This shape is extremely reminiscent of the alien ship in Flight of the Navigator. The movie hit theatres in 1986, right when the B-2 was deep in classified development under the next-generation bomber program; just two years later, it would be unveiled to the public.
The B2 Spirit builds on these earlier designs. Its crescent shape results from decades of research into reducing radar detection and improving flight. It uses advanced materials and computer modelling, but the shape’s roots are purely terrestrial.
The bomber can drop conventional and thermonuclear weapons. The B2 can perform attack missions at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet. It has an unfuelled range of more than 6,000 nautical miles and can fly more than 10,000 nautical miles with one mid-refuelling. Approximately 80 pilots fly the B-2 aircraft. Each aircraft has a crew of two, a pilot in the left seat and a mission commander in the right, with provisions for a third crew member if needed. It is highly automated, and one crew member can sleep in a camp bed, use a toilet, or prepare a hot meal while the other monitors the aircraft—unlike most two-seat aircraft.
Some believe the B-2 bomber design was copied from a UFO from the Roswell incident or that whistleblower Bob Lazar revealed secret files. As per reports, these claims have no solid evidence and remain in the realm of conspiracy theories. The sleek, smooth shape of the B2 resembles reported UFO sightings. This is just because both designs aim for the same things: invisibility to radars and efficient flight. Experts say the similarity is functional, not alien.
The revolutionary blending of low-observable technologies with high aerodynamic efficiency and large payload gives the B-2 important advantages over existing bombers. Its low observability provides it greater freedom of action at high altitudes, thus increasing its range and a better field of view for the aircraft’s sensors.
The first B2 was publicly displayed on Nov 22, 1988, when it was rolled out of its hangar at Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, California. Its first flight was July 17, 1989. The B2 Combined Test Force, Air Force Flight Test Centre, Edwards Air Force Base, California, is responsible for flight testing the engineering and manufacturing development aircraft on the B2. The B2 Spirit’s alien appearance still amazes after all these years. The design remains among the most elegant engineering solutions of all time, and this becomes especially apparent when one examines its many details. As it sits now, the flying wing aircraft will serve through 2032, after which the B-21 will have fully taken its place as America’s stealth bomber.
Facts and secrets of the B-2 bomber
- Bomber’s shape is designed to deflect radio beams with the large, flat areas on the top and bottom of the plane, like tilted mirrors. B2 designers were fans of Star Wars, as the futuristic cockpit shape reminds us of Vader’s helmet.
- The B2 is a record breaker: it holds the record for the longest air combat mission in history, dating back to 2001, when the Spirit of America and five other B2s entered Afghan airspace for a record-setting 44-hour mission.
- The B2 stealth features allow it to penetrate an enemy’s most sophisticated defences.
- Hollywood cameos: The B2 has appeared in Independence Day, Iron Man 2, Cloverfield, Aeroplanes, Rampage, and Captain Marvel. It seems the B2 Spirit is Hollywood’s favourite cameo in the sky, often stealthily stealing the show.
Spectacular specs: wingspan of 172 feet, length of 69 feet, and height of 17 feet.
Grounded for 6 months: The Spirits returned to the sky in May 2023 after an accident grounded the stealth bombers for about six months. The reason for the safety pause isn’t altogether clear. Air Force Times said an in-flight malfunction forced a B-2 crew to make an emergency landing on Whiteman Air Force Base runway in Missouri, where firefighters extinguished flames. No one was injured, but the fleet was grounded as a precaution.
Next-gen B21 Raiders: Took its first test flight on November 10, 2023, lifting off from Plant 42 at sunrise. While the B21 has a similar wing shape to the B2, it incorporates advanced materials, propulsion, and stealth technology.
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