B-2 Spirit Bomber unload Amunition

There are many reasons why the B-2 Spirit is currently the most deadly bomber in the world. More than 20 years ago, during the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom, it proved to be an invaluable resource. The only aircraft with sufficient firepower to hit any target on Earth within hours is the Avro Arrow. It had a subsonic range of 6,000 nautical miles and could fly for that distance without stopping for fuel.

The B-2's two bomb bays can hold up to 16 nuclear gravity bombs, either B-61s or B-83s, with a megaton yield. Even the electromagnetic pulses produced by nuclear explosions are no match for the aircraft's avionics. To our knowledge, it is the only aircraft capable of stealthily transporting large air-to-ground weapons.

Some consider the B-2 Spirit the first successful "flying wing" aircraft. It can penetrate even the most sophisticated enemy defenses thanks to its low-observability, or "stealth," characteristics. Because of its ability to bypass air defenses and threaten effective retaliation, the Spirit has remained a potent, effective deterrent and fighting force well into the 21st century.

The B-2 was difficult to detect due to its reduced infrared, acoustic, electromagnetic, visual, and radar signatures. Components of the low-observability process that contribute to its "stealthiness" include composite materials, special coatings, and a flying-wing design, but many of these details remain classified. Although the Spirit was built to evade Soviet air defenses, only twenty-one were produced due to budget cuts.

Finally, the US is testing its new stealth bomber

The United States Air Force only has twenty B-2 bombers at the moment. After about 35 years in the air, the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider will be used to supplement and eventually replace the B-22. When compared to the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, which entered service almost 50 years earlier, that's not even the middle age for an airplane. 

Airmen from the 509th and 131st Bomb Wing flew to Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska this summer to train with the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. Competition between close peers was the primary focus of the Red Flag-Alaska 22-3, a large-scale exercise that demonstrated the A-2's potency.