The B-2 Spirit Bomber, an aircraft that brought strategic deterrence and stealth to the US Air Force (USAF), is now 35 years old and receiving cutting-edge upgrades to ensure it remains as deadly as ever amid escalating tensions with China.
On July 17, 1989, the B-2 Spirit completed its maiden flight, ushering in a new era of strategic deterrence. The Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) took to the social media site X (previously Twitter) to wish the aircraft a ‘Happy Birthday.’
The B-2 Spirit is one of the three strategic bombers used by the USAF. Designed for covert nuclear and conventional strikes, it has expanded its mission to include traditional precision attacks, even though it was originally designed for the Soviet air defense network and a possible nuclear attack.
Thirty-five years on, the Spirit is still the bedrock of the air component of the US nuclear triad. The B-2 is expected to be replaced by the next-generation formidable B-21 Raider in the late 2020s or early 2030s. However, the USAF and Northrop Grumman are giving the bomber more teeth with new upgrades to increase its capability until it is replaced.
Announcing the anniversary of its inaugural flight, Northrop Grumman said in an official press release, “The B-2 program recently achieved a major milestone by providing the bomber with its first fieldable, an agile, integrated functional capability called Spirit Realm 1 (SR 1).”
Happy 35th Birthday to the #USAF B-2 Spirit!
Flight testing continues with the 419th FLTS and @northropgrumman at Edwards to ensure the B-2 maintains cutting-edge capabilities in an era of Global Power Competition. #AFMC @HQ_AFMC @AFTestCenter @AFGlobalStrike @usairforce pic.twitter.com/tsTYQ91yEK
— Edwards Air Force Base (@EdwardsAFB) July 17, 2024
These key upgrades will ensure that the B-2 Spirit continues to play a crucial role in carrying out long-range conventional strike missions. In addition to enhancing combat capability, SR 1 provides the B-2 with an open mission systems architecture that permits the installation of more weapons and communications.
“We are rapidly fielding capabilities with zero software defects through the software factory development ecosystem and further enhancing the B-2 fleet’s mission effectiveness,” said Jerry McBrearty, director and B-2 acting program manager, Northrop Grumman. “The agile framework methodology within SR 1 directly supports the Air Force’s initiative to adapt new capabilities in the aircraft, executing the mission today.”
Improved displays, flight hardware, and improvements seen in SR 1 have bolstered the B-2’s survivability.
Northrop stated that the complete development of SR 1 took place inside the B-2 Spirit Realm software factory, which was founded in collaboration with the B-2 Systems Program Office and Air Force Global Strike Command.
Colonel Frank Marino, senior materiel leader and B-2 systems program manager for the US Air Force said, “Our implementation of a software factory is opening new doors for the B-2 to carry future weapons and advanced capabilities that will further strengthen our country’s strategic deterrence.”
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While industry and the US Air Force collaborated to develop SR 1, it is unclear how the program is progressing. Furthermore, neither the contractor nor the USAF have disclosed the number of B-2 bombers that have received the upgrade out of the 20 currently in service.
EurAsian Times understands that the USAF has been making concerted efforts to upgrade the B-2 Spirit to keep it up-to-date with modern combat situations.
For example, to enhance threat radar detection, identification, and avoidance capabilities, the service previously launched the Defensive Management System Modernization Program or DMS-M. This program included new ESM antennas, a digital electronic support measures (ESM) subsystem, and contemporary display processing units. This modernization program was the “largest major modification to the aircraft ever.”
In 2020, the USAF said it was looking to increase the mission readiness of the B-2s with a cockpit display upgrade under a new B-2 display modernization program.
More recently, in May 2024, Northrop Grumman was awarded a $7 billion contract to maintain and enhance the capabilities of the Air Force’s fleet of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers. The contract includes “B-2 enhancements, sustainment, logistics elements including sustaining engineering, software maintenance, and support equipment.”
The B-2 is the most expensive military plane ever built, at about $2 billion per unit. Despite this high price tag, the aircraft continues to receive further investment and upgrades due to its cutting-edge capabilities, which are expected to play a crucial role in any potential combat between the United States and its adversaries, like China.
B-2 Is Old But Powerful
The B-2 Spirit bomber is a marvel of American aerospace engineering. It is capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear payloads while remaining virtually invisible to radars due to its superior stealth capability.
Combining stealth, long-range strike, and precision weaponry, the B-2 Spirit can be a potent deterrent. It is the only of three types of bombers still carrying nuclear gravity bombs and is considered to be the most sophisticated in the US inventory.
The B-2A Spirit stealth bomber was equipped with the B61-12 nuclear bomb, making it the first aircraft in the US Air Force (USAF) inventory to be equipped with the lethal weapon.
The B-2 bombers are expected to play a major role in any potential conflict in the Indo-Pacific. Amid rising tensions with Beijing, B-2 Spirit stealth bombers touched down on the island of Guam last month for the first time since 2019.
Guam is a strategic US territory in the Pacific that is anticipated to be a launchpad for US bombers in case of a conflict with China. The bomber was deployed for a joint exercise around Guam, Palau, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
The B-2s have been used for force projection against US adversaries. The bomber made history in August last year when it conducted a hot pit refueling at Orland Air Base in Norway, its first landing in the Scandinavian country.
In April this year, the USAF flew 12 B-2 Spirit stealth bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base (AFB) in Missouri. The drill aimed to hone the logistical and operational procedures of strategic bombing strikes during conventional wars and send a message to Russia and China, two of its primary adversaries.
Thirty-five years later, it is safe to say that the B-2 Spirit is old but not dusty. The B-2 Spirit bomber occupies a central role in the US strategic arsenal. It can influence the course of battles and discourage aggressiveness by using precision-guided munitions to strike deep into enemy territory, neutralize high-value targets, interfere with enemy command and control systems, and weaken hostile defenses.
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