B2 Stealth Bombers: How They Work
Sleek, dark and ominous: the Northrop Grumman B2 Spirit Bomber is one of the most recognizable silhouettes in all of aviation. The two billion dollar aircraft looks like something out of science fiction and the ability it possesses is doubly so.
B2s are multi-role bombers capable of penetrating radar-based defenses. They can carry either conventional or nuclear weapons and because of their radar penetration potential can drop said weapons wherever they are told to do so. This aircraft is possessed solely (as far as easily accessed public information goes) by the US Air Force and acts as a huge deterrent to many forces hostile to the United States.
The plane is a vital part of the United States Air Force’s arsenal as it allows for the adaptability and potential variability of a human manned flight to carry out radar penetrating missions. A drone can often also have a very limited radar signature however there is nowhere near as much control over a drone for things like mid-mission changes.
To understand the true capability of the B2 one must first understand how radar detection works and its critical importance.
The basic premise is that a low-frequency electromagnetic wave is sent out from a transmitter and when it hits something (like an aircraft), it is reflected off of the surface and travels back to a…
