B-2 Spirit - THE MOST EXPENSIVE PLANE IN THE WORLD is a powerful INVISIBLE FLYING WING

Video from the channel Aero Por Trás da Aviação about Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 27:00. Language: Portuguese. Video type: Documentary.

Educational documentary in Portuguese about the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, the American stealth strategic bomber shaped as a flying wing. It explains where the idea of a radar-invisible aircraft comes from, how the program was developed, what its low detectability is based on, how a tailless aircraft is controlled, and what its operational record has been.

The video reviews the background. During the First World War, attempts were already being made to hide aircraft from sight. The German flying wing Horten Ho 229 shares only its configuration with the B-2. During the Cold War, bombers, from the B-36 to the B-52, became increasingly exposed to radars and missiles, especially after the shooting down of the U-2. That need gave rise to the Advanced Technology Bomber (ATB) program. The Americans started from Soviet physicist Pyotr Ufimtsev's calculations on wave reflection to create the Echo 1 computer program. Northrop had already tested flying wings such as the XB-49 in the 1940s, and in 1981 it won the competition against Lockheed and Rockwell. The aircraft was unveiled in 1988 and first flew in 1989, as the Soviet Union was already nearing its end.

Stealth combines two elements: a shape that deflects waves rather than returning them to the emitter, and a radar-absorbent material (RAM). The four turbofans are housed inside the wing, which reduces noise. Cold bypass air mixes with the exhaust to reduce the infrared signature. Since it has no rudder, yaw is controlled with split surfaces at the wingtips and engine power adjustments. Pitch and roll are controlled with elevons, all under a fly-by-wire system. It carries two crew members, with room for a third. It is 21 m long with a 52 m wingspan, has a maximum takeoff weight of 170 t, reaches about 1,000 km/h, has a range of 11,000 km, and carries up to 23 t of payload. 132 aircraft were originally planned, cut to 72 and, in 1992, to 20. With a converted prototype, the fleet stood at 21. By 2004 the program had exceeded 44 billion dollars, and each flight hour requires at least 190 hours of maintenance. It first saw combat in Kosovo in 1999 and later flew in Afghanistan, with a 44-hour mission, in Iraq, and in Libya. In its only accident, in 2008, the aircraft was lost, but both pilots ejected. According to the video, it will remain in service until 2032 and will be replaced by the B-21 Raider.