Key Points and Summary on B-2 Bomber: The B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, despite being over 30 years old, remains at the forefront of America’s global strike capability thanks to continuous and innovative upgrades.
-The US Air Force is constantly modernizing the small fleet of 19 bombers with new hardware and software to enhance its survivability, communications, and weapons systems.
-Recent efforts, like the “Spirit Realm 1” software package, have improved its ability to penetrate advanced air defenses and deliver precision strikes, as demonstrated in the recent mission against Iran.
-These upgrades ensure the B-2 will remain a lethal and relevant strategic asset until its eventual replacement by the B-21 Raider.
The B-2 Bomber Is Almost Unstoppable
The B-2 Spirit bomber’s first flight was in 1989. That flight, at the tail end of the Cold War, heralded a new era in stealthy aviation.
As the pillar of America’s airborne nuclear triad, the B-2 bomber would deliver nuclear bombers from the air if called upon to do so.
That, however, has never happened — instead, the long-range strategic bomber has been used to drop conventional ordinance, most recently on Iran, targeting that country’s nuclear infrastructure.
But how has that bomber, advanced though it is, remained relevant three decades after its first flight?
The answer is simple, yet complicated at the same time: a variety of upgrades, improvements, and optimizations to the bomber have allowed the B-2 to remain relevant throughout the years.
During a podcast episode released by The Mitchell Institute in 2021, one B-2 pilot hinted at some of the upgrades that have gone into the platform without getting into the nitty gritty details.
“Without getting into specifics, and without getting into things that we frankly just don’t discuss in open channels, I will tell you that our current bomber fleet, and this is all of them, we use some pretty innovative ways to integrate modern weapons capabilities to have us both maintain and increase our survivability,” the pilot said. “And for the B-2 specifically, the expansion of some of our strike capabilities allow us to increase our survivability beyond the fighter escort realm.”
“Now the B-2 fleet is continuing to do that technological advancement, and that’s enabled us to expand our strike capabilities, as well. Although we’ve been around for over 30 years, there’s a lot of life left in this platform, and up until the B-21 is well on the scene and doing its job, this aircraft will continue to be at the forefront of our country and our nation’s defense… and with these, and continued innovative upgrades, and weapons system capabilities, we will continue to do that until the last jet flies off the ramp into retirement.”
One of the bomber’s most significant upgrades, dubbed Spirit Realm 1, involved the release of software upgrades to the B-2’s fleet.
The package provided “mission critical capability upgrades to the communications and weapons systems via an open mission systems architecture, directly enhancing combat capability and allowing the fleet to initiate a new phase of agile software releases,” Northrop Grumman, the B-2 manufacturer, explained.
Fast-forward
The most recent upgrade to the B-2 Spirit involved improvements to the bomber’s survivability and communications capabilities.
Aside from this information, however, the specifics of what exactly was changed are rather vague.
The upgrades happen “in-house… at Tinker AFB, OK, and may include acquisition programs that modify either hardware or software.” But more concrete details are unknown.
Postscript on B-2 Bomber
The United States Air Force is already getting ready to field the successor to the B-2 Spirit, the B-21 Raider bomber. Though the newer bomber is outwardly somewhat akin to its Cold War-era original, it promises significant advancements in survivability and stealth capabilities — so much so that the U.S. Air Force has dubbed it the first sixth-generation bomber.
That strategic bomber will no doubt be significantly more capable than the B-2.
When will the B-2 retire, then? It is unclear.
One commander said that it would be a “conditions based” decision, one dictated by the threat environment. The date range of the mid-to-late 2030s has also been suggested as a potential sunset for the bomber.
For now, it is unclear; however, what is more apparent is that the U.S. Air Force is making a concerted effort to keep the B-2 Spirit relevant for at least several years to come.
About the Author: Caleb Larson
Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.
Iran War
30,000 Pound Bunker-Buster Bombs Might Not Be Able to Destroy Fordow
