The B-2 Stealth Bomber: A Powerful Strategic Platform that the Cold War Killed – Designed to penetrate even the most heavily guarded airspace and deliver conventional or nuclear weapons, the B-2 bomber fell victim to the end of the Cold War and a dearth of opponents to justify immense program costs.
Meet the B-2 Spirit: A Bomber Flawed from the Start
The B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, operated exclusively by the United States Air Force, is a long-range, strategic bomber that entered service at the tail end of the Cold War. Intended to deliver both conventional munitions as well as be the air-borne pillar of the American nuclear triad, the B-2 is a remarkable aircraft.
The B-2 has seen combat since it was introduced into service in the 1990s. However, it has only delivered conventional, non-nuclear munitions during the war in Kosovo, as part of American involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as during combat against the Islamic State.
Origin Story
The genesis of what is, as of this writing, the stealthiest bomber aircraft in service began during the Cold War. During the latter stages of that cold conflict, the promise held by stealth platforms became realized.
In order to maintain a credible air-borne nuclear deterrent in the face of increasingly robust and sophisticated Soviet air defenses, Northrup designed and ultimately built a long-range strategic bomber capable of delivering nuclear weapons — that was stealthy, able to evade air defense radars and anti-air missiles. Its ability to penetrate even the most densely protected airspace continues to fill an essential role in American foreign policy today.
The Problem: Not Many B-2 Spirit Bombers Built
Early in the B-2 Spirit program, the U.S. Air Force wanted to purchase at least 132 of the new stealthy bombers — something that never happened. Instead, the U.S. Air Force today flies less than two dozen B-2 bombers.
The reason for that severely truncated procurement decision was partly due to program costs. Though very advanced, the price tag, which ballooned per aircraft to $2 billion per bomber, became the target of lawmakers in the search for savings.
But another reason for the program’s kibosh was the end of Cold War hostilities and the collapse of the United States’ chief geopolitical rival: the Soviet Union. With Russia, the Soviet successor state, stuck extinguishing political fires at home, and it’s near abroad, that old Soviet bear no longer posed the immense threat that it once had. With that geopolitical rivalry gone, so too did much of the need for an incredibly advanced — and expensive — stealth bomber. Ultimately, the U.S. Air Force would field, at the fleet’s peak, 21 B-2 Spirit bombers.
But despite their age, the B-2 remains one of America’s most potent geopolitical tools, most recently as a cudgel against the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
In the Indo-Pacific
Earlier this month, the Pentagon scrambled a vast amount of American military assets to Diego Garcia, a small British island nearly in the middle of the Indian Ocean, roughly between Indonesia and the African continent. Open-source satellite imagery showed that a sizable portion of the American B-2 fleet landed on the island in addition to cargo airplanes and aerial tanker aircraft.
The B-2 deployment was part of a broader push by the White House against the Houthis. That push also saw two U.S. Navy Carrier Strike Groups sent into the region, which falls under the jurisdiction of U.S. Central Command, partly as a sign to Iran, now severely weakened and facing mounting international pressure.
Into the Horizon for the B-2 Bomber?
Despite the B-2 Spirit’s capabilities, the sun is setting on that platform as the United States Air Force prepares to accept the B-21 Raider into service. Though outwardly very similar to the B-2 Spirit bomber, the B-21 is considered by its designers to be a sixth-generation aircraft with capabilities that significantly exceed that of its B-2 predecessor.
Both bombers are flying-wing aircraft that play a strategic role within the U.S. Air Force. Still, thanks to state-of-the-art avionics and superior stealth coatings, the B-21’s capabilities are thought to exceed the B-2 significantly.
Interestingly, researchers with China’s People’s Liberation Army recently concluded that the U.S. Air Force’s early Cold War-era B-52H strategic bombers were a bigger threat than the B-2 Spirit. While noting the bomber’s continuously-upgraded capabilities, the variant the researchers assessed is the H variant, which predates the upcoming B-52J. The B-52J will benefit from updated engines that will provide better thrust while also being significantly more fuel efficient, while also incorporating newer radar and updated communications and navigation tools.
What Now for B-2 Bomber?
Pioneering though the B-2 was that strategic bomber will be slowly flying off into the sunset and making way for the B-21 Raider bomber. According to Northrup Grumman, the aerospace firm behind both the B-2 Spirit and B-21 Raider designs, “The U.S. Air Force has stated plans to acquire at least 100 aircraft. Some defense analysts believe that the Air Force should plan to purchase at least 200 B-21s.”
It is still unclear just how many B-21s the U.S. Air Force will procure, but what is clearer is that the B-2’s days are numbered.
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.
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