B-2 Stealth Bomber Lands For The First Time On The European Mainland

A B-2 Spirit bomber assigned to Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., quickly refueled at Orland Air Base in Norway on August 29, 2023. It’s one of three B-2s that are operating out of Keflavik Air Base in Iceland.  

Aviation24.be: B-2 “Spirit” stealth bomber for first time in European mainland  

An American Northrop B-2 Spirit bomber, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, has landed in Norway. This marks the first time the B-2 bomber has landed on mainland Europe. 

The landing is part of joint training exercises with Norwegian forces, including the F-35. The bomber landed at Ørland air station for refuelling and crew change as part of its mission to receive and support allied forces. The B-2 Spirit bomber rarely lands outside of the United States, with landings outside of the US occurring about once a year for training purposes.

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Update #1: B-2 Spirit Conducts Historic Hot Pit Refueling in Norway (US Air Force)  

Update #2: At Russia’s Doorsteps, B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber Of US Air Force Performs Historic Hot Pit Refueling (EurAsian Times)  

WNU Editor: The view in Russia on this B-2 stealth bomber flying over the European mainland for the first time is that this is a message to Russia that the US is ready for nuclear war.

U.S. Air Force Updates The B-2's Digital Communications Network

A B-2 Spirit assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing taxis down the runway at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 19, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Sheila deVera  

Air & Space Forces Magazine: USAF, Northrop Test New Tech That Lets the B-2 Update Mission Parameters ‘In Seconds’ 

 Northrop Grumman and the Air Force successfully demonstrated a new mission update system for the B-2 bomber in a two-day event at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., last month. 

The system receives new mission parameters and feeds them directly into the B-2’s computers without the need for the pilots to manually input the data. 

The Integrated Airborne Mission Transfer (IAMT) demonstration started July 18 after B-2 No. 1086, the Spirit of Kitty Hawk, was fitted with Northrop’s Multi-Mission Domain (MMD) open-mission architecture, meant to make adding new mission capabilities easier.  

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Update #1: Northrop Grumman’s B-2 Capabilities Enhance its Digital Communications (Northrop Grumman Corporation) 

Update #2: B-2 Spirit: US Keeps Its Aging Bombers ‘Alive’ With Digital Engineering Before Raider Arrives (EurAsian Times)  

WNU Editor: The bomber to replace the B-2 is getting ready for its first flight .... B-21 Raider powers up, prepares for first flight later this year (Sandboxx).

B-2 Stealth Bombers Return To Flight After Five Month 'Safety Pause'

A B-2 Spirit assigned to Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., prepares for takeoff March 19, 2021, at Lajes Field, Azores. The B-2 fleet was approved to return to regular flying operations May 18 after a five-month safety stand-down. (Tech. Sgt. Heather Salazar/Air Force) 

Air Force Times: B-2 stealth bombers to return to flight after 5-month delay 

The Air Force’s B-2 Spirit stealth bombers will resume flying May 22, following five months of safety inspections after one caught fire last December, the service confirmed Friday. 

Gen. Thomas Bussiere, the head of Air Force Global Strike Command, approved the nuclear-capable fleet’s return to normal operations on May 18, command spokesperson Brus Vidal said. 

“We successfully accomplished all necessary actions to safely return to full flight operations,” Vidal said. “Our ability to deliver nuclear deterrence and provide long-range strike was never in doubt.”  

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B-2 Stealth Bombers Return To Flight After Five Month 'Safety Pause'  

B-2s to Return to Flight after Five Months -- Defense One 

B-2 stealth bomber returns to skies after 5 month ‘safety pause’ -- AP  

B-2 ‘Safety Pause’ Lifted, Flights Set to Resume Within Days -- Air & Space Forces Magazine 

B-2 Stealth Bombers, US Air Force’s Billion Dollar Flying Machines, Ready To Roar Again As ‘Safety Pause’ Lifted -- EurAsian Times  

Why the Stealthy B-2 Bomber Fleet Hasn't Flown in Nearly 6 Months -- Popular Mechanics

Entire Fleet Of B-2 Stealth Bombers "Stand Down" After Emergency Landing Incident

Airmen from the 509th Bomb Wing participate in a B-2 Spirit elephant walk at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., Nov. 7, the culmination of this year’s Spirit Vigilance exercise. (Tech. Sgt. Heather Salazar/Air Force)  

Air Force Times: B-2 nuclear bomber fleet grounded amid search for safety defects 

All 20 of the Air Force’s B-2 Spirit bombers are grounded as the service hunts for potential safety defects, a spokesperson confirmed Monday. The stealth aircraft will be down until further notice. 

The Air Force paused the fleet’s operations after a bomber was damaged Dec. 10 at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. 

An undisclosed in-flight malfunction forced the crew to make an emergency landing on Whiteman’s runway, where firefighters extinguished flames at the scene, according to the 509th Bomb Wing. No one was injured.  

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Entire Fleet Of B-2 Stealth Bombers "Stand Down" After Emergency Landing Incident 

Air Force grounds entire B-2 fleet after emergency landing -- AP  

Air Force grounds B-2 stealth bomber fleet after aircraft catches fire during emergency landing -- FOX News  

Air Force Grounds Fleet of B-2 Stealth Bombers After Malfunction Leads to Emergency Landing and Fire -- NBC  

Air Force grounds B-2 stealth bomber fleet in wake of crash landing -- Stars and Stripes  

B-2 Bomber Fleet Grounded Indefinitely -- Defense One

B-2 Stealth Bomber Catches Fire After Emergency Landing At Whiteman Air Force Base In Missouri

US Air Force/Senior Airman Bryan Crane  

Air Force Times: B-2 stealth bomber damaged in Missouri emergency landing 

A B-2 Spirit stealth bomber suffered damage Saturday when an in-flight malfunction forced the crew to make an emergency landing in Missouri. 

Firefighters at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri extinguished a fire at the scene, Staff Sgt. Alexandria Lee, a spokesperson for the 509th Bomb Wing, said Monday. No one was hurt and an investigation is ongoing. 

Whiteman is home to the service’s fleet of 20 B-2s, though it’s unclear how many of the jets currently are operational. Eight recently marched down the runway in a display of strength ahead of the Air Force’s reveal of its new B-21 Raider bomber.  

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WNU Editor: No details have been released on what is the damage on this B-2 bomber. 

B-2 Stealth Bomber Catches Fire After Emergency Landing At Whiteman Air Force Base In Missouri  

B-2 Stealth Bomber Damaged During Emergency Landing -- War Zone/The Drive 

B-2 Stealth Bomber Catches Fire After Emergency Landing -- Military.com 

US Nuclear Bomber Erupts In Flames After Emergency Landing; US Air Force Confirms Mishap With B-2 Spirit -- EurAsian Times  

Photos show damage to U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber after emergency landing -- KMBC News

Eight US B-2 Spirit Bombers Perform The Elephant Walk

U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Bryson Britt 

 

Warzone/The Drive: Behold 40% Of B-2 Bomber Fleet Executing An ‘Elephant Walk’ 

Eight B-2 Spirit bombers took to the tarmac at their Missouri base for an unprecedented display of stealthy airpower. 

While an ‘elephant walk’ is by now a well-known part of airpower exercises by the U.S. military and other air forces elsewhere around the world, the concept still has the power to impress. Case in point, the eight B-2 Spirit stealth bombers that took to the runway at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, at the culmination of the recent Spirit Vigilance 22 training exercise. 

The maneuvers involved the 509th and 131st Bomb Wings at Whiteman — the only operational B-2 base — and concluded on November 7, with an elephant walk and subsequent fly-off. This seems to be the first time that the flying-wing bombers had been involved in a mass launch of this scale.  

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WNU Editor: That is something that you do not see everyday. 

Eight US B-2 Spirit Bombers Perform The Elephant Walk  

Spirit Vigilance: Defending the Homeland From the Heartland -- Air Force Global Strike Command AFSTRAT-AIR  

Stunning Display Of ‘Stealth Power’! Eight US B-2 Spirit Bombers Perform Elephant Walk & Show Their Might! -- EurAsian Times  

B-2 Spirit stealth bombers conduct elephant walk to warn North Korean leader Kim Jong Un -- Aviation Geek Club  

B-2 bombers undertook an elephant walk to showcase American strategic deterrence -- Interesting Engineering

Damaged B-2 Returns To Northrop Grumman's Plant 42 In Palmdale California For Repairs A Year After Landing Accident

Tom Jordan Warzone/The Drive: Damaged B-2 Returns To Birthplace For Repairs A Year After Landing Mishap 

A B-2 Spirit has been ferried to Plant 42 in California for restoration a year after it ended up wing-down in the dirt. 

A U.S. Air Force B-2 bomber nicknamed the Spirit of Georgia has touched down at Plant 42 in Palmdale California just over a year after skidding off the runway at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Today, the aircraft flew to Plant 42 after receiving temporary repairs at Whiteman, and will now undergo a more substantial restoration so that it can return to the fleet. The War Zone was the first to report on the initial mishap, which took place on September 14, 2021, and publish satellite imagery showing the bomber lying on the grass.  

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WNU editor: The repair bill for the $2 billion dollar stealth bomber will be $10+ million. 

Update: Here are some interesting facts about the B-2 .... 10 Cool Facts about the B-2( Northrop Grumman)

Four B-2s Arrive In Australia Four Joint Exercises

 

Daily Mail: Four United States stealth bombers arrive in Australia in a dramatic show of force to the Indo-Pacific - before the military has yet another encounter with a Chinese warship 

* US B-2A stealth bombers landed at a Queensland RAAF base for joint exercises 

* The USAF move is intended to be a warning show of strength to China's leaders 

* Their arrival comes as another Australian warship is stalked by Chinese military 

* Chinese aircraft, ships and submarines all chased HMAS Parramatta in open seas 

Rarely-seen USAF B-2A stealth bombers have landed in Queensland in a high-profile show of strength, as Australian Defence Forces have another encounter with a Chinese warship. 

At least four bombers - whose unique design makes them virtually invisible to radar detection - touched down on Sunday at the RAAF Amberely Base, west of Brisbane. 

The 'flying wing'-style aircraft flew 14,000km from their US base in Missouri on a 'training and strategic deterrence mission in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific'. 

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WNU Editor: B-1s have also been deployed to Guam .... These Photos From The B-1B’s Latest Guam Deployment Are Just Ridiculous (Warzone/The Drive). 

Four B-2s Arrive In Australia Four Joint Exercises

B-2 Spirit stealth bombers deploy to RAAF Base Amberley, Australia -- Pacific Air Forces  

B-2 Spirit aircraft arrives at RAAF Base Amberley -- Australian Government Defense 

B-2s Deploy to Australia for Bomber Task Force Mission -- Air Force Magazine  

US Air Force deploys its B-2 stealth bombers to Australia -- Defence Blog  

B-2 Stealth Bombers Land in Australia for Pacific Joint Exercise -- Defense Post

Every Nine Years A B-2 Bomber Needs A Deep Overhaul

B-2s age just like any other aircraft and need a deep overhaul from the manufacturer every nine years. Their unique, almost experimental, design makes the process very time-consuming and challenging, although strides have been made to improve it. Reader Submission  

Warzone/The Drive: Check Out This Super Grimy B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber Awaiting A Deep Overhaul 

B-2 Spirits usually look otherworldly, but every nine years they head to their birthplace for some much-needed TLC. Prior to the order for the new VC-25B Air Force One jets, the 21 B-2 Spirits ever built were the most expensive flying machines mankind ever created. Their design also represented an absolute revolution in aerospace technology, albeit one that is now nearly four decades old. The B-21 Raider, which is being built by Northrop Grumman behind extreme security at the sprawling Plant 42 installation in Palmdale, Calif., will show us the next great leap in stealth bomber technology, but we are still at least months from seeing it. The B-21 is slated to enter service around the middle of this decade, a highly ambitious goal, but until then, its flying wing progenitor will soldier on. 

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WNU Editor: It is hard to believe that some of these B-2s have been flying for over 30 years.

Satellite Photo Reveals Wreckage Of B-2 Stealth Bomber After Its Landing Gear Collapsed

Sources said the B-2 experienced a hydraulic failure during a routine training and had its port main landing gear collapse during landing. As a result, the B-2 was sent off the runway with its wing dug into the ground  

Daily Mail: PICTURED: Satellite photo reveals wreckage of $1BILLION B-2 Stealth bomber after landing gear gave way after emergency landing 

* Officials said the B-2 experienced a hydraulic failure during a routine training at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri 

* As a result, the B-2 was sent off the runway with its wing dug into the ground sources said 

* The incident happened around midnight and no people were injured and there was no fire once the bomber landed. 

* While it hasn't been confirmed this was the cause, satellite images seem to coincide with the gear collapse/wing down aspect of the incident 

* The B-2 bomber is considered one of America's Military most deadly weapons 

* A flight restriction has been put in place, six miles to every direction and 8,000ft from the ground up 

Satellite images show the exact moment a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, one of the most deadly weapons in the United States' military arsenal and worth $2billion, crash landed at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri yesterday. 

Sources said the B-2 experienced a hydraulic failure during a routine training and had its port main landing gear collapse during landing. 

As a result, the B-2 was sent off the runway with its wing dug into the ground. 

While it hasn't been confirmed this was the cause, satellite images seem to coincide with theory of the gear collapse/wing down aspect of the incident.  

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Update: B-2 Crashes at Whiteman; No Injuries, But Status of Operations Withheld (Air Force Magazine)  

WNU Editor: You do not need to be an expert to know that in this type of accident there will be a lot of damage to the belly of this B-2.

B-2 Stealth Bomber Damaged During "Emergency Landing" At Whiteman Air Force Base

Warzone/The Drive: Stars and Stripes: B-2 Stealth Bomber Damaged During Emergency Landing Incident 

Airspace around Whiteman Air Force Base has been cordoned off after the stealth bomber was damaged after landing after a training sortie. 

Details remain limited at this time, but there was an incident at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, the home of the Air Force's B-2 Spirit stealth bomber force, early this morning. 

This has resulted in a circular temporary flight restriction, or TFR, being put up over and around the base, extending six miles in every direction and from the ground up to 8,000 feet. 

The mishap involved a B-2 that was landing at Whiteman's only runway. Air Force Global Strike Command issued the following statement to The War Zone shortly after our inquiry: 

Thank you for the query. There has been an incident at Whiteman AFB. 

It occurred at approximately 12:30 a.m. on Sept. 14. A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit experienced and [sic] in-flight malfunction during a routine training mission and was damaged on the runway at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, after an emergency landing. 

There were no personnel injuries and no fire associated with the landing. The incident is under investigation and more information will be provided as it becomes available.  

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WNU Editor: I suspect this is going to be a costly repair. The U.S. Air Force cannot afford losing even one B-2 bomber. 

 More News On A B-2 Stealth Bomber Damaged During "Emergency Landing" At Whiteman Air Force Base  

Stealth bomber damaged during emergency landing -- AJC 

‘In-flight malfunction’: B-2 stealth bomber is damaged during emergency landing in Missouri -- Stars and Stripes  

B-2 stealth bomber damaged during emergency landing Tuesday at Whiteman Air Force Base -- KSHB  

B-2 Stealth Bomber Damaged During "Emergency Landing" At Whiteman Air Force Base -- Zero Hedge

U.S. Air Force Is Having To Reverse Engineer Parts Of Its Own B-2 Stealth Bomber

Warzone/The Drive: The Air Force Is Having To Reverse Engineer Parts Of Its Own Stealth Bomber 

Twenty-one years after the last Spirit was delivered, the Air Force is working out how to build the exotic spare parts the bomber requires. 

In a surprising turn of events, the United States government is calling upon its country’s industry to reverse engineer components for the Air Force’s B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. An official call for this highly unusual kind of assistance was put out today on the U.S. government’s contracting website beta.SAM.gov. 

Mark Thompson, a national-security analyst at the Project On Government Oversight, brought our attention to the notice, which seeks an engineering effort that will reverse engineer key parts for the B‐2’s Load Heat Exchangers. While it is not exactly clear what part of the aircraft’s many complex and exotic subsystems these heat exchangers relate to, the bomber has no shortage of avionics systems, for example, which could require cooling. 

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Update: US Air Force Needs to Reverse-Engineer Parts for Aging Stealth Bomber (Spuntik) 

WNU editor: You would think that after spending $2.4 billion per B-2 bomber that you would have a huge warehouse of spare parts to service this bomber, coupled with original plans for each component, machinery to build it, know-how, etc.. Apparently that is not the case.

A Look At The Belly Of A B-2

SCOTT KRAMMER 

Warzone/The Drive: This Rising B-2 Stealth Bomber's Intricate Belly Is Positively Otherworldly Looking 

The image looks like the arrival of an ominous alien spaceship while also showcasing how complex the B-2's smooth underside really is. 

While the biggest show in American sports is about to get underway in Tampa, Florida as the Buccaneers face off against the Chiefs, another Super Bowl of sorts has been ongoing in Southern Nevada, this one being of the air combat kind. The latest iteration of the Air Force's Red Flag aerial wargames have been underway, with the blue forces taking on the red forces over the expansive Nevada Test and Training Range. Most of these players launch out of Nellis Air Force Base in North Las Vegas, including the most alien-looking of them all, the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. While we have repeatedly showcased just how otherworldly the Spirit can look from various angles, aviation photographer Scott Krammer has offered us new evidence of this reality with images snapped as one of the B-2s climbed out from Nellis on a Red Flag sortie last week. 

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WNU Editor: It is definitely different.

B-2 Looks Like An Alien Craft In These Pictures

USAF Warzone/The Drive: The B-2 Bomber Looks Positively Alien In These Images 

Even though it was based on 1980s technology, America's stealth bomber still looks like it is visiting us from another world. 

The Northrop B-2 Spirit looks just as futuristic as it did when it was unveiled over three decades ago. It is such an exotic and capable aircraft that you almost feel like you are seeing something forbidden when in its presence. With this in mind, I have done articles in the past solely on the aircraft's otherwordly appearance and how it is captured in captivating ways via unique images. Yet the images below truly convey the stealthy flying-wing bomber's alien feel, conjuring up fond memories of the 1980s sci-fi flick Flight Of The Navigator—a movie that was also about a secretive exotic craft, albeit one actually from another world. 

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WNU Editor: Cool pictures.

Satellite Images Reveal Three B-2 Stealth Bombers Deployed To The Island Of Diego Garcia

Warzone/The Drive: Trio Of B-2 Stealth Bombers Deployed To The Island Of Diego Garcia As Seen From Space

The B-2s flew direct from the U.S. to the remote outpost in the Indian Ocean and have already executed missions over Asia.

On August 11th, 2020, U.S. Air Force sent a trio of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers halfway around the world from their home at Whiteman AFB in Missouri to the remote island outpost of Diego Garcia located deep in the Indian Ocean. The unannounced deployment is part of the Air Force's new unpredictable bomber deployment strategy and comes at a time where tensions in Asia vis-à-vis China have peaked.

The remote airfield, which was a bustling hive of activity during the first decade of the Global War On Terror, is a far quieter place today. Still, it has seen a small resurgence in heavy bomber use as of late, with B-52s being sent there as a backstop against potential Iranian aggression last Winter. Now Diego Garcia''s huge parking apron has received three of its most prized, but temperamental patrons, ones which have their own special "VIP" climate-controlled clamshell shelters along the edge ramp that sit ready and waiting should the bombers have to use them in a crisis, or in this case, a deployment.

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WNU Editor: This deployment of B-2s to Diego Garcia was announced last week. But the way these bombers are displayed for satellites with high resolution cameras to detect tells me the US is purposely sending a message to countries in the region that the U.S. has prioritized the Indian Ocean in its military planning.

Could U.S. B-2 Stealth Bombers Penetrate Chinese Air Defenses?

Image: Creative Commons

Kris Osborn, National Interest: Could U.S. B-2 Stealth Bombers Take on Chinese Air Defenses?

U.S. Air Force B-2 stealth bombers may soon be conducting fly-over missions, combat preparation drills and interoperability exercises near the Indian-Chinese border in coming days, raising interesting questions about the extent to which current variants of the 30-year old bomber could elude Chinese air defenses.

The mission, as a routine deployment of the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Miss., is not a combat mission but rather a readiness and training effort to forward position the bombers in the highly sensitive Pacific theater.

The B-2s are supporting the well-known Naval Support Facility in Diego Garcia, an island off the Eastern coast of India. Interestingly, B-2 pilots made the 30-hour trip directly from Whilteman in Missouri to Diego Garcia to attack Taliban targets in the opening days of Operation Enduring Freedom over Afghanistan.

The Bomber Task Force mission, according to an Air Force report, is to “deliver lethal, ready, long-range strike options to geographic combatant commanders anytime, anywhere.”

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WNU Editor: China has been claiming for the past few years that they have developed technology to detect stealth aircraft like the B-2 .... China Is Claiming That They Have Developed A 'Quantim Radar' To Detect Stealth Aircraft (November 1, 2018).

Three B-2Stealth Bombers Have Been Deployed To Diego Garcia

Staff Sgt. Mark Farrar, a crew chief from the 131st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, marshalls a B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber as it arrives at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, Aug. 12, 2020. (Tech. Sgt. Heather Salazar/Air Force)

Warzone/The Drive: Trio Of B-2 Stealth Bombers Deploy To The Remote Island Outpost Of Diego Garcia

Forward deploying the B-2s to the Indian Ocean puts them well within reach of hotspots in the Middle East and Asia.

Three U.S. Air Force B-2A Spirit stealth bombers launched from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, in the early hours of Aug. 11, 2020, heading for the remote island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The three bombers flew west from their home base and out over the Pacific Ocean, passing Hawaii and then onwards for a planned run across northern Australia before continuing west to the secluded island air base.

The launch of this B-2 mission, which saw the aircraft using the callsigns Reaper 11, Reaper 12, and Reaper 13, follows the deployment of six USAF B-52Hs earlier this year to the remote base. That deployment was a response to a spike in tensions with Iran, details of which you can find here in this previous War Zone feature.

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Update: B-2s deploy to Diego Garcia (Air Force Times)

WNU Editor: This happens on every US Presidential election cycle. Two to three months before the election US military forces are deployed throughout the world.

B-2 Bomber Escorted By F-15C Eagles, And Royal Norwegian Air Force F-35As

A B-2A Spirit bomber is escorted by F-15C Eagles, and Royal Norwegian Air Force F-35A aircraft in support of Bomber Task Force Europe 20-2 over Keflavik, Iceland, March 17, 2020. US Air Force/Master Sgt. Matthew Plew

Business Insider: US B-2 stealth bombers teamed up with Norwegian F-35s for another flight over Iceland

* Increasing geopolitical tension between NATO and Russia has renewed attention on the North Atlantic and the Arctic.
* Iceland sits between those two regions, and the latest trip there by US stealth bombers underscores how important the island is to military planners.

Six months after the US Air Force's B-2A Spirit made its first trip to Iceland, the stealth bomber made another flight over the island this week, teaming up with US F-15C fighters and Norwegian F-35A stealth fighters.

Two B-2s, deployed for Bomber Task Force Europe 20-2 and operating out of RAF Fairford in the UK, made the flight on March 16, supported by F-15C Eagles out of RAF Lakenheath and by Norwegian F-35 Lightning IIs flying from Iceland.

B-2s also took part in a Bomber Task Force deployment in August and September, during which the stealth bomber made its first stop ever in Iceland.

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WNU Editor: Impressive photo-gallery.

B2 Stealth Bomber At RAF Fairford After Carrying Out Training Missions In Europe

Spanning an imposing 170 feet and capable of unleashing awesome destruction, the B-2 stealth bomber was on full display to Britons at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire this weekend

Daily Mail: Ghost ship of the sky! B2 Stealth Bomber from the US is pictured at RAF Fairford after carrying out training missions in Europe

* The B2 stealth bomber spans an imposing 170 feet and is capable of unleashing awesome destruction
* It was on full display to Britons at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire after flying in from Lajes Field, Portugal
* Training exercises over Garvi Island were choreographed to showcase Washington's military might to world
* Darren Lewington, 49, flew over the RAF base yesterday in a two-seater Piper Cub to glimpse the best view

Spanning an imposing 170 feet and capable of unleashing awesome destruction, the B2 stealth bomber is one of the most deadly weapons in the United States' military arsenal.

But this weekend it was on full display to Britons at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire after flying in from the American base in Lajes Field, Portugal, where it had carried out training.

These exercises over Garvi Island were choreographed to showcase Washington's military might by striking fear into its enemies while reassuring its allies.

And to those who marvelled at the stealth bomber in the Cotswolds, it certainly had the desired effect and sent a chill up the spine.

Darren Lewington, 49, flew over the RAF base yesterday in a two-seater Piper Cub to glimpse the best view of the gigantic plane.

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WNU Editor: There may be a global pandemic right now, but military training exercises continue.

Here Are What Some Of The B-2 Bomber's Sensors Do

A @usairforce B-2 Spirit took fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker during the Bomber Task Force training exercise over England, Aug. 29, 2019. The B-2 aircraft will operate out of RAF Fairford, England.

(Photos by Staff Sgt. Jordan Castelan) pic.twitter.com/Hs4qhDuH8V

— Airman Magazine (@AirmanMagazine) September 3, 2019

Business Insider: The Air Force published a close-up photo of some of the B-2 bomber's most important sensors

 * Air Force B-2 bombers are in Europe as part of the Bomber Task Force.
 * One shot of one of the bombers exposes a few interesting details about some of the B-2's sensors.

The US Air Force has just released some interesting photographs of one of the B-2 Spirit bombers deployed to RAF Fairford, UK, as part of a Bomber Task Force as it refuels from a KC-135 Stratotanker over England, August 29, 2019.

One of these photographs is worth a closer look as it shows an interesting sensor that equips every aircraft but whose shape and characteristics appear to be pretty peculiar to the Northrop Grumman's strategic bomber.

Here are the original shots. Take a look at the close up one:

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WNU Editor: For those who love reading about tech on airplanes, this is a must read.