B-2 Spirit: The legendary stealth bomber with flying wings from Northrop Grumman has been unveiled.

After thirty-five years since its first flight, the B-2 Spirit remains the only operational stealth strategic bomber in the world. The Northrop Grumman masterpiece, with its flying wing design, carries a price tag of $2.1 billion per aircraft, has a radar cross-section smaller than a bee, and a combat record that spans from Kosovo in 1999 to Houthi strikes in Yemen in 2025.

Quick Look

Stealth Class

~0.001 m² RCS

Radar cross-section of an insect

Range

11,100 km

Without refueling; unlimited with aerial refueling

Payload

23,000 kg

Nuclear or conventional

Unit Cost

2.1 billion USD

The most expensive aircraft ever built

What is the B-2 Spirit?

The B-2 Spirit is a stealth strategic bomber with a flying wing design, a crew of two, and four engines, operated exclusively by the United States Air Force. It made its first flight on July 17, 1989, and entered operational service in April 1997. Today, 19 of the 21 aircraft built remain active with the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. The distinctive feature is the flying wing design – there is no separate fuselage or tail surface – the entire aircraft is a single continuous wing, significantly reducing radar reflection while increasing internal volume for fuel and weapons.

What does it do?

Strategic nuclear deterrence – one of the three legs of the U.S. nuclear triad, carrying B61-7/11/12 and B83-1 bombs.
Penetrating denied airspace – enters adversary air defense networks (S-400, HQ-9) undetected to strike high-value targets.
Mass conventional strike – 80 bombs weighing 500 pounds or 16 JDAM bombs weighing 2,000 pounds in a single pass.
Deep underground bunker destruction missions – the only platform certified for the GBU-57 MOP (30,000 pounds) for deeply buried facilities.
Global range — from Whiteman Air Force Base to any point on Earth without the need for refueling; documented combat missions round trip lasting 44 hours.

B-2 Spirit BTF mission — B-2 Spirit on a bombing mission. The 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base can strike any point on Earth within 44 hours round trip. Source: Wikimedia Commons / U.S. Air Force.

Technical specifications

Specification	Value
Crew	2 Pilots
Length / Wingspan	21.0 m / 52.4 m (172 ft)
Empty Weight / Maximum Takeoff Weight	71,700 kg / 170,550 kg
Engines	4 × GE F118-GE-100 (77 kN each)
Maximum Speed	Mach 0.95 (~1,010 km/h)
Range (without refueling)	11,100 km (6,000 nautical miles)
Service Ceiling	15,200 m (50,000 ft)
Weapon Payload	23,000 kg maximum (50,000 lbs)
RCS (Estimated)	~0.001 m²
Nuclear Weapons	B61-7, B61-11, B61-12, B83-1
Conventional Weapons	GBU-36/37 JDAM, GBU-57 MOP, JASSM, JSOW
Aerial Refueling	Compatible with KC-135 / KC-46

Operators and Contracts

Operator	Quantity	Notes
Wing 509 for bombing by the U.S. Air Force	19 active	Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri
Total production	21 aircraft	Spirit of Kansas lost in 2008 (crash in Guam)
Program cost	Approximately $44.75 billion	About $2.1 billion per aircraft
Annual maintenance	Approximately $3.4 million / aircraft / year	RAM coating maintenance is the largest cost driver

Why it matters to Turkey

Standard	B-2 Spirit	Turkish Equivalent
Stealth with Flying Wing	B-2 Spirit (Manned, 4 Engines)	TAI ANKA-III — Local drone with flying wing (2023)
Long-range Strikes	11,100 km, 23,000 kg payload	ROKETSAN TAYFUN (+500 km) + GEZGIN (+800 km)
Crew Risk	2 pilots per mission	ANKA-III, AKINCI — Unmanned, Zero Crew Exposure
Export Sovereignty	Restricted under ITAR — Zero exports whatsoever	100% Local — ANKA-III, AKINCI, TAYFUN ready for export
Unit Cost	2.1 billion USD / aircraft	TAYFUN about 3-5 million USD / missile; ANKA-III less than 10 million USD

Strategic Conclusion: TAI ANKA-III shares the fundamental understanding of the B-2 — a flying wing design that eliminates radar returns — but offers it unmanned, exportable, and at a fraction of the cost. Turkey is reproducing the philosophy without the burden of 2.1 billion USD per unit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the B-2 cost 2.1 billion USD?
Only 21 were built – development costs spread over very few units; RAM coating requires continuously expensive maintenance; assembling the flying wing without a tail is extremely complex.

Has the B-2 seen combat?
Yes: Kosovo 1999, Afghanistan 2001, Iraq 2003, Libya 2011, anti-ISIS operations 2015-2019, and Houthi strikes in Yemen in 2025.

Why were only 21 B-2s built?
The Cold War ended; the plan to build 132 aircraft was first reduced to 75, then to 21. The unit cost exceeded $2 billion, and Congress rejected further purchases.

What will replace the B-2?
B-21 Raider. Ellsworth Air Force Base will receive its first operational squadron in 2027; B-2s will be retired during the 2030s while there will be over 100 B-21s in service.

Summary

The B-2 Spirit is considered the most strategic piece of air power built in the past half-century. It provided the stealth philosophy of the flying wing to every country that monitors it, serving as a model for reducing radar cross-section through shape. Turkey learned the lesson and applied it in the unmanned ANKA-III platform – the same logic of the flying wing, unmanned, domestic, and exportable at a much lower cost.

B-21 Raider Explained
B-2 alternative – sixth-generation stealth bomber.

Turkish: What is the B-2 Spirit?
The same article in Turkish with a complete comparison.