Northrop B-2 'Spirit' by junge1

Photography • Aviation • posted on Dec 01, 2009

Open full image in new tab Zoom on image

Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.

Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.

Description

This picture was taken in April 1997 on the flightline at Nellis AFB, Nevada during one of the celebrations of the United States Air Force's 50th anniversary of becoming a separate branch. The B-2 is the most expensive aircraft ever produced at a cost of $1.2 billion each. Much about this aircraft is classied. The B-2 is a low-observable, strategic, long-range, heavy bomber capable of penetrating sophisticated and dense air-defence shields. It is capable of all-altitude attack missions up to 50,000-ft, with a range of more than 6,000nm unrefueled and over 10,000nm with one refueling, giving it the ability to fly to any point in the world. The low-observability is achieved by the design and radar absorbing/reflecting materials. It is reputed to have the radar cross-section of a small bird. Statistics: Dimensions: Length: 69-ft (21.03m) Wingspan: 172-ft (52.43m) Height: 17-ft (5.15m) Weights: Empty: 110,000lb (49,900kg) Max T/O: 376,000lb (170,550kg) Performance: n/a Range: 6,600nm (12,223km) 4,500nm (8,334km) low level Powerplant: Four General Electric F118-GE-110 turbofans Thrust: 76,000lb (169kN) Armanent: Internal bomb bay with rotary launchers carrying 16 nuclear weapons or bomb racks carrying conventional weapons; 50,000lb (22 680kg) warload; AGM-131 SRAM II stand-off nuclear weapon, AGM-129 nuclear cruise missile; B61, B83 free fall nuclear weapons; conventional bombs and mines. Accomodation: One pilot, one mission commander, side-by-side. (Jane's Aircraft Recognition Guide, 1995). The aircraft engines are internally mounted in the body of the wings and have an exhaust temperature control system to minimise thermal signature. The B-2 has been used in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. During the Afghan deployment a B-2 established the longest non-stop combat flight ever - over 44 hrs. I was fortunate enough to go on a night refueling mission in summer of 1997. Boom operators have to be qualified for each aircraft type for day and night refueling. On this mission, while laying in the boom pod of the KC-135E I heard the chief boom tell the boom operator that was to do the refueling to 'watch the bow wave'. Each aircraft pushes a certain amount of air ahead of its fuselage, and the amount of air pushed ahead of large receivers (aircraft) could affect the flight characteristics of the tanker and the tanker may have to be trimmed accordingly. This bow wave is much like the wave pushed by a subway train, and anyone that ever stood on a platform of a subway station could often feel the arrival of a train, before it could be seen or heard. As we were flying along in total darkness, the receiver (B-2) was some distance behind us and somewhat lower, and all that could be seen were the position lights (one red, one green) in its wingtips. I went to the cockpit of the tanker, and when I came back we were hooked up, i.e. refueling. The B-2 is relatively short and the refueling receptacle is behind the cockpit in the rear half of the aircraft. While being refueled neither the cockpit nor the engine intakes of the B-2 can be seen. All that was visible was a faint light around the receptacle and slight bulges of the internal engines. No vertical stabilizer (there is none, and no position lights (the wing tips are too far apart). As we were refueling we began to fly over a large city and silhouetted against the city lights was this huge wing- I thought I was in Star Wars. This picture is scanned. Thank you for viewing, commenting, and favs, Sig...

Comments (38)

)

Richardphotos

9:28PM | Tue, 01 December 2009

outstanding shot Sig.I got to walk around a B1 b bomber at Love Field before

MrsLubner

10:00PM | Tue, 01 December 2009

I would melt to see this pass overhead. I can't express the wonder of seeing something like this move in the sky and cut through clouds and haze...like it was part of a dream...another world. This is a wonderfully fantasmic shot.

)

kgb224

10:08PM | Tue, 01 December 2009

Outstanding capture my friend.Thank you for sharing all the information.

)

bimm3d

10:32PM | Tue, 01 December 2009

wonderful photo!!!

)

psyoshida

10:37PM | Tue, 01 December 2009

Fantastic shot! It really does look like Star Wars. Very slick. I would love to have a fly in that. Great story, too, I really enjoy it!

)

RodS

11:00PM | Tue, 01 December 2009

You should see one of these in the air - it looks like something from another planet. These guys are my neighbors; based about 50 miles from me, so I get to see then airborne every so often. Nice photo!

)

Faemike55

11:23PM | Tue, 01 December 2009

Excellent photo and great information!

)

bazza

11:27PM | Tue, 01 December 2009

Very lovely capture of this aircraft, it does look like something from a sci-fi movie, excellent info also Sig well done!!

)

jocko500

11:30PM | Tue, 01 December 2009

wow this is a wonderful pov of this plane

M2A

11:42PM | Tue, 01 December 2009

Thanks for the shot, kind of furtive planes are always excellent to watch.

)

blinkings

12:44AM | Wed, 02 December 2009

Wow. I went 4wding through Arizona, Utah, and Colorado a few years back and passed a few of these in our travels. They always sat there without any 'visible' fence around them!!!!! We always wondered what would happen to us if we approached it!!!! I'm glad I didn't find out!

)