Strategic low-visibility heavy bomber B-2 Spirit of the Air Force (Air Force) The United States is "one of the most well-designed and fuel-efficient aircraft ever built for military use," writes the American magazine The National Interest.
The publication calls this aircraft the "bomber king of the sky". The publication notes that the B-2 Spirit took part in strikes on Serbia, Iraq and Libya. The publication recalls that missions lasting more than 40 hours are common for these aircraft.
"Most of all, B-2 pilots focus on being ready [to maneuver and use weapons], as they are often the first to strike in a high-intensity conflict," the magazine writes.
In April 2020, the American military-industrial corporation Northrop Grumman released on YouTube a commercial for a heavy, unobtrusive B-2 Spirit strategic bomber. "When the United States goes to war, the B-2s go first — as they did in Iraq, Afghanistan, Serbia, and Libya (in 2011 and 2017)," the video says. Also in the video, the corporation boasts of the 44-hour B-2 Spirit combat mission conducted in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, which is called the longest in world history.
The B-2 Spirit is the most expensive aircraft in history. The cost of one bomber (without equipment) is estimated at one billion dollars, with full equipment, the price increases more than twice. Between 1987 and 2000, Northrop produced 21 such machines.
Ivan Potapov
