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Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

Why Are There So Few B-2 Stealth Bombers in the U.S. Air Force?

B-2
A US. Air Force B-2 Spirt assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base receives fuel from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 assigned to the 185th Air Refueling Wing, Iowa Air National Guard in the sky over northwest Missouri on August 29, 2018. U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Vincent De Groot

The B-2 Spirit bomber has an excellent combat record and is one of the best bombers in the world. Civilians rarely see the stealthy war bird in the skies over the United States, but it is a big hit when it does appear at air shows. The airplane has a menacing, unique flying-wing shape that makes it stand out from the crowd. The U.S. Air Force could have used many more of the bombers during the Global War on Terror. Now, the fight is likely to be against great powers such as China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea, and more stealth bombers are needed.

Let’s examine why there are only 19 B-2s in service.

B-2 Bomber

A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit, deployed from the 131st Bomb Wing, Missouri Air National Guard, takes off from Andersen Air Base Guam after completing a hot pit refuel on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Sept. 10, 2024. Hot pit refueling involves providing fuel to an aircraft immediately after it lands and engines running to minimize time spent on the ground and extend power projection capabilities. Bomber missions continue to contribute to joint force lethality and deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific by demonstrating the USAF’s ability to operate anywhere in the world at any time in support of the National Defense Strategy. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Eric Summers Jr.)

Eye Watering Cost for B-2

The first reason is the unit cost of the airplane. Each bomber set the Air Force back $2.1 billion. The B-2 is the most expensive aircraft in Air Force history.

But This Bomber Can Bring the Ordinance

While the cost is high, the B-2 has huge advantages in warfare. It can carry 40,000 pounds of munitions from two separate internal weapons bays. Up to 16 satellite-guided JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) precision-guided air-to-surface devices can be launched. The B-2 also has re-configured the rack assemblies on the bomb bays to carry up to 80 JDAMs. The B-2 can deploy nuclear weapons, so it is a strategic platform and key portion of the American nuclear triad.

George H.W. Bush Administration Took Out the Long Budget Cutting Knives

The Air Force first projected it would acquire at least 75 B-2s. There were even plans to build as many at 139. Research and development costs were high, especially for creating and maintaining the stealth attributes. So, the George H.W. Bush administration led by Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, due to budget cuts, drastically reduced that number down to 21. That decision caused the unit cost to balloon. One crashed in 2008, and another was damaged in a mishap in 2022. The Air Force decided to take that bird out of action because the damages were too extensive to fix. This decision brought the number down to 19 B-2s.

B-2

B-2

Peace Dividend After the Cold War

Another reason the B-2 dwindled in numbers was the geopolitical climate changing in the early 1990s. The Soviet Union disintegrated, and the number of targets in Russia and Eastern Europe for the B-2 was reduced. This peace dividend necessitated changes to the Air Force’s overall bombing mission. While the B-2 had answered the call during Operation Desert Storm, the U.S. military faced a situation in which the Cold War was over, and no bombing runs were needed to destroy the Soviet Union’s military and nuclear sites.

Some Voice Called for More B-2s

However, during the mid-1990s, friends of the B-2 bomber, those serving in Congress and outside the Department of Defense, believed that high numbers of stealth airplanes were still needed. Former U.S. National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft, considered one of the best foreign policy hands in history, called for more B-2s. The Air Force listened to these voices but ended up passing due to budget constraints and a change in overall mission parameters.

Also, some defense analysts believe the B-2 is becoming obsolete. It is decades old, and it does not have the stealth attributes that make it entirely blind on enemy radar scopes. Newer surface-to-air missile systems, such as the Russian S-400, could likely spot it and shoot it out of the sky.

The B-21 Will Replace the B-2

So, the Air Force will replace the B-2 with the B-21 Raider, itself an expensive bomber that does boast the modern stealth characteristics that can avoid defense systems into the 2030s and beyond.

The B-2 should not be completely retired. Nineteen airplanes are not many, and the bomber is expensive to maintain, but it is still a strategic asset that can serve the Air Force well into the next decade. The B-2 should be seen as an airplane that did its job adroitly through decades of service. Few were produced, but the airplane will leave a lasting legacy and an airframe that designers and engineers improved on over the decades. Hail to the B-2, let it go down as one of the best (but most expensive) bombers in history.

About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood

Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.

Brent M. Eastwood
Written By

Dr. Brent M. Eastwood is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Foreign Policy/ International Relations.

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Meme McGillicutty

    October 23, 2024 at 9:22 am

    We paid for 132 and got 19.
    The B2 contract was fixed price for delivery of 132 aircraft. The “peace dividend” was nonsense, the Democrats repeatedly got cuts to the number of planes, but the overall cost of the program remained the same. It was insane to watch as each time they would cite the unit cost as too high as a justification to bring the unit count down while the program cost remained the same, which increased the unit cost enabling more cuts, etc.

  2. Big Jake

    October 23, 2024 at 10:59 am

    Damages?

    I’m guessing English is your second language…

    SMH.

  3. Casual Reader

    October 24, 2024 at 10:25 am

    The B-2 did not participate in Operation Desert Storm (1991). The first operational aircraft wasn’t even delivered until 1993.

  4. Pingback: China's H-20: The Great Stealth Bomber Unknown - NationalSecurityJournal

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