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B-2A Spirit (Block 30)

B-2A Spirit (Block 30) Type:Multirole Heavy Stealth Bomber (built as a flying wing) Primary Contractor: Northrop Grumman First Flight: 17 July 1989 Year Deployed: 1994 Entered Active Service: 1997 Unit cost: 737 million dollars (in 1997 dollars) Investment (average of money spent on building each aircraft, including project costs): 2.1-2.22 billion dollars (in 1997 dollars). Crew: 2-3

Sizes

-Length: 20.9 m (69 ft) -Wingspan: 52.12 m (172 ft) -Height: 5.18 m (17 ft) -Internal Fuel Capacity: 75,750 kg (167,000 lb) - Wing Area: 478 m² (5,140 ft²)

Weight

-Empty Weight: 71,700 kg (158,100 lb) -Loaded Weight: 152,200 kg (336,500 lb) -Payload: 22,700 kg (50,000 lb) -Max. Takeoff Weight: 170,000 kg (376,000 lb)

Max. Load to Wing Area: 329 kg/m² (67.3 lb/ft²) Engines: four General Electric F-118-GE-100 turbofans (non-afterburning) Thrust: 77 kiloNewtons (17,300 lbf) each engine Thrust/Weight (with 100% fuel): 0.205:1

Speed

-Max Speed: Mach 0.95 (972 km/h, 525 knots, 604 mph) -Cruise Speed: Mach 0.85 (870 km/h, 470 knots, 541 mph)

Range (no refueling)

-Combat Radius (flying while fully armed): 11,100 km (6,000 nautical miles, 6,900 miles) -Ferry Range (flying with all internal fuel, no ordnance): 12,000 km (6,500 nautical miles, 7,500 miles) -Max. Flying Height (“Ceiling”): 15,152 m (50,000 ft)

Armament

Gun(s):

none

Air to Air:

none

Air to Surface:

Nuclear:

-Up to 16 B61 (540 kg, or 1200 lb each) -Up to 16 B83 (1089 kg, or 2400 lb each) -Up to 16 AGM-129 ACM (1,334 kg, or 3500 lb each) -Up to 16 AGM-131 SRAM II (Missile cancelled by George H.W. Bush)

Conventional:

-Up to 80 MK-82 (227 kg, or 500lb each) -Up to 16 MK-84 (925 kg, or 2039 lb each) -Up to 36 CBU87 (340 kg, or 750 lb each) -Up to 36 CBU89 (340 kg, or 750 lb each) -Up to 36 CBU97 (340 kg, or 750 lb each) -Up to 16 JDAM-84 (900 kg, or 2000 lb each) -Up to 16 JDAM-102 (900 kg, or 2000 lb each) -Unknown number of AGM-154 JSOW (Between 483 kg to 497 kg, or 1,065 lb to 1,095 lb each) -Unknown number of AGM-158 JASSM (1,020 kg, or 2,250 lb each) -Unknown number of GBU-28 (2268 kg, or 5000 lb each)

No. of serving aircraft (only the exact type/variant): 20

Operators:

- United States, United States Air Force - Total of 20 B-2’s

Additional updates and improvements:

B-2A Spirit (Block 30)The B-2 had 3 types of blocks: 10, 20, and 30 (latest). All blocks were eventually modified to block 30. Block 10 B-2s had limited combat capability with no capability to launch conventional guided weapons. It could carry only Mk-84 900 kg (2,000 lb) conventional bombs or gravity nuclear weapons. Basically used only for training. Block 20 was modified to carrying GAM guided munitions and testing the capability of the B-2 to operate with Mk-84, CBU-87/B cluster bombs and general-purpose bombs. Block 30 configured B-2s are fully capable and meet the essential employment capabilities defined by the Air Force. They have close to twice the range of the block 20 B-2s, along with better terrain-following capability and the ability to operate with new types of weapons, including the latest nuclear bombs.