B-2 Spirit: Unveiling the legendary stealth bomber with a flying wing from Northrop Grumman

After thirty-five years since its first flight, the B-2 Spirit remains the only operational strategic bomber in the world. Northrop Grumman’s flying wing masterpiece carries a price tag of $2.1 billion per aircraft, 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 Category

~0.001 m² RCS

Radar cross-section of an insect

Range

11,100 km

Unrefueled; 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 strategic stealth bomber with a flying wing design, powered by four engines and operated by a two-person crew, 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 out of the 21 aircraft built remain active with the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. The defining feature is its flying wing design – there is no separate fuselage, no 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.
Penetration of Restricted Airspace – Infiltrates the adversary’s 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 2000 pounds in a single pass.
Bunker Destruction Missions – The only platform certified for the GBU-57 MOP (30,000 pounds) for deeply buried facilities.
Global Reach — From Whiteman Air Force Base to any point on Earth without the need for refueling; documented combat missions taking 44 hours round trip.

B-2 Spirit BTF mission — B-2 Spirit on a bomber task force 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	Subsonic — 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 lb)
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
509th Wing for Bombing of the U.S. Air Force	19 active	Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri
Total Production	21 aircraft	Spirit of Kansas lost in 2008 (crash Guam)
Program Cost	~$44.75 billion	~$2.1 billion per aircraft
Annual Maintenance	~$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 Flying Wing	B-2 Spirit (Manned, 4 Engines)	TAI ANKA-III — Local Drone with Flying Wing (2023)
Long Range Strike	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 by ITAR — Zero Exports Ever	100% Domestic — ANKA-III, AKINCI, TAYFUN Ready for Export
Unit Cost	2.1 Billion USD / Aircraft	TAYFUN ~3-5 Million USD / Missile; ANKA-III Less than 10 Million USD

Strategic Point: TAI ANKA-III shares the core vision of the B-2 — a flying wing design that eliminates radar cross-sections — 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 been involved in 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 for 132 aircraft was first reduced to 75, then to 21. The unit cost exceeded $2 billion, and Congress refused further purchases.

What replaces the B-2?
The B-21 Raider. Ellsworth Air Force Base will receive its first operational squadron in 2027; B-2s will be replaced during the 2030s as over 100 B-21s enter service.

The Bottom Line

The B-2 Spirit is considered the most strategic piece of air power built in the past half-century. The stealth philosophy of the flying wing has given every country that observes it a model for reducing radar cross-section through shape. Turkey learned the lesson and applied it in the ANKA-III unmanned 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 full comparison.