[Article déjà publié le 1er mai 2024]
Like cars or boats, combat aircraft have several models in their rank that have exceeded ages. True technological prowess, these military conceptions are fully rooted in the common and cultural heritage. This is the case for the Northrop B-2 Spirit, a “stealth bomber”, still in service. An ingenious device, with a unique design but at the cost (very) high dedicated, however, to be replaced.
Northrop B-2 Spirit, an American army icon
It is a Rolls Royce Air. Appeared, like many large famous combat aircraft, during the Cold War, the B-2 was born in the premises of the Northdrop Grumman Corporation within the US Air Force at the end of the 1980s.
However, its commissioning will only be operational after the end of the Cold War, around 1997. Classified in the category of “flying wings”, these rare planes whose cockpit is integrated into the wing, the B-2 Spirit will mark the story with its angular, even triangular, immediately recognizable design.
A technical feat necessary for a most “stealth” rendering for this device whose first missions took place a few months later during the Kosovo War before being deployed on international war theater, such as Iraq or Afghanistan.
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The B-2 Spirit technical sheet, a technology jewelry
Who says stealth apparatus, used for supplies or direct attacks from enemy space with the ability to transport powerful missiles, also says advanced technologies during its design. A quick look at his technical sheet gives us an idea of the feat of this device.
It has four turbojet engines without post-combustion signed General Electric. Its wingspan is 52 m and its length of 21 m. On the scale, the displayed weight of the B-2 Spirit is 45 tonnes for a maximum load (fuel and equipment) of more than 150 tonnes.
An aerial mastodon that has been delivered to around twenty copies for the American army. On the speed side, that of cruise was 870 km, far from what the famous SR-71 Blackbird could do! CNN in a dedicated paper in 2020 summed up the phenomenal capacity of this device: “The B-2 can reach a target anywhere in the world and return to the base, by refueling in the air”.
The astronomical price of the air legend
Intended to be replaced in the 2030s by the highly anticipated B-21 Raider, the B-2 Spirit will remain in the Hall of Fame The most ingenious and iconic planes in the American army. The average cost for each device is estimated at more than $ 2 billionwhich made him the most expensive combat aircraft of the 20th century.
Sacred record. He is one of the few aircraft to appear often in the world of video games, especially in the best -selling license in gender history, Call of Duty with the series of Modern Warfare. During online games, the player can call the famous plane to lend him a hand on the battlefield.
“”The B-2 stealth bomber from the US Air Force is a key element of the country's long-range striking arsenal and one of the world's most resistant planes. Its unique furtive characteristics allow it to penetrate the most sophisticated enemy defenses“Want to recall Northrop Grumman on his site.
Aircraft of all economic records, the B-2 Spirit bomber will have cost $ 45 billion in the American army during the 1990s. A profitable investment when, almost 30 years after its commissioning, the triangular giant still convinces its owners.
Source: Le Figaro
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