Your Hands Can't Hit What Your Eyes Can't See
- Muhammad Ali
In the 1970s, the U.S. military wanted a replacement for the aging B-52 bomber. The requirement was for a flying machine that could not only carry nuclear bombs all over the world but also be completely invisible while it does so. Something like this existed only in the dreams of military mandarins all over the world. The B-2 bomber, commonly known as the stealth bomber, was an ambitious project, to say the least.
Northrop Grumman, the defense firm that won the bomber contract, spent billions of dollars and nearly 10 years developing the top-secret project. The finished product is a 172-foot wide flying wing that looks like a small bird to radar scanners.
An ordinary airplane consists of a fuselage (the main body), two wings and three rear stabilizers attached to the tail. The wings generate lift, hoisting the fuselage into the air. The B-2 bomber has a completely different design: It's one big wing, like a boomerang. Instead of separate wings supporting all the weight of the fuselage, the entire craft works to generate lift. Eliminating the tail and fuselage also reduces drag -- the total force of air resistance acting on the plane.
It can go 6,900 miles (11,000 km) without refueling and 11,500 miles (18,500 km) with one in-flight refueling. It can get anywhere on Earth on short notice. Northrop Grumman have been developing flying wings since the 1940’s but they suffered from stability problems in the past.
By the 1980s, advancements in computer technology made the flying wing a more viable option. Northrop Grumman built the B-2 with a sophisticated fly-by-wire system. The pilot controls a computer and the computer controls the steering system. The B-2 bomber needs only a two-person crew -- a pilot and a mission commander who sit in a cockpit at the front of the plane.
The B-2 is a huge plane, but its advanced stealth capabilities make it seem smaller than a small bird on radar. The B-2's flat, narrow shape and black coloration help it fade into the night. Even in the daytime, when the B-2 stands out against blue sky, it can be hard to figure out which way the plane is going. The B-2 emits minimal exhaust, so it doesn't leave a visible trail behind it. The B-2's noisiest component is its engine system but they are buried inside the plane. This helps muffle the noise. The efficient aerodynamic design is another factor that helps keep the B-2 quiet.
In the B-2, all of the exhaust passes through cooling vents before flowing out of the rear ports. The B-2 has two major defenses against radar detection. The first element is the plane's radar-absorbent surface. In the same way that certain materials absorb light very well (black paint), some materials are particularly good at absorbing radio waves.
The second element in radar invisibility is the plane's shape. The large flat areas on the top and bottom of the plane are just like tilted mirrors. These flat areas will deflect most radio beams away from the station, presuming the station isn't directly beneath the plane. The plane does emit radio energy when using its radar scanner or communicating with ground forces and other aircraft, but the radar signal is small and highly focused, making it less susceptible to detection.
Although the U.S. Air Force has increased the public visibility of Stealth Bomber with fly-overs at various events getting a closer look is impossible for the public.
The Stealth bomber had however come for a lot of criticism in the U.S. Congress because Northrop Grumman upped the price tags of the bombers by more than 3 times the original price after the fall of the Soviet Union. The Clinton administration nevertheless went ahead with the purchase of these magnificent flying machines.
By Anish Chandy
Nuclear Weapons - News - Science
News about nuclear weapons. Commentary and archival information about atomic weapons from The New York Times.
- Muhammad Ali
In the 1970s, the U.S. military wanted a replacement for the aging B-52 bomber. The requirement was for a flying machine that could not only carry nuclear bombs all over the world but also be completely invisible while it does so. Something like this existed only in the dreams of military mandarins all over the world. The B-2 bomber, commonly known as the stealth bomber, was an ambitious project, to say the least.
Northrop Grumman, the defense firm that won the bomber contract, spent billions of dollars and nearly 10 years developing the top-secret project. The finished product is a 172-foot wide flying wing that looks like a small bird to radar scanners.
An ordinary airplane consists of a fuselage (the main body), two wings and three rear stabilizers attached to the tail. The wings generate lift, hoisting the fuselage into the air. The B-2 bomber has a completely different design: It's one big wing, like a boomerang. Instead of separate wings supporting all the weight of the fuselage, the entire craft works to generate lift. Eliminating the tail and fuselage also reduces drag -- the total force of air resistance acting on the plane.
It can go 6,900 miles (11,000 km) without refueling and 11,500 miles (18,500 km) with one in-flight refueling. It can get anywhere on Earth on short notice. Northrop Grumman have been developing flying wings since the 1940’s but they suffered from stability problems in the past.
By the 1980s, advancements in computer technology made the flying wing a more viable option. Northrop Grumman built the B-2 with a sophisticated fly-by-wire system. The pilot controls a computer and the computer controls the steering system. The B-2 bomber needs only a two-person crew -- a pilot and a mission commander who sit in a cockpit at the front of the plane.
The B-2 is a huge plane, but its advanced stealth capabilities make it seem smaller than a small bird on radar. The B-2's flat, narrow shape and black coloration help it fade into the night. Even in the daytime, when the B-2 stands out against blue sky, it can be hard to figure out which way the plane is going. The B-2 emits minimal exhaust, so it doesn't leave a visible trail behind it. The B-2's noisiest component is its engine system but they are buried inside the plane. This helps muffle the noise. The efficient aerodynamic design is another factor that helps keep the B-2 quiet.
In the B-2, all of the exhaust passes through cooling vents before flowing out of the rear ports. The B-2 has two major defenses against radar detection. The first element is the plane's radar-absorbent surface. In the same way that certain materials absorb light very well (black paint), some materials are particularly good at absorbing radio waves.
The second element in radar invisibility is the plane's shape. The large flat areas on the top and bottom of the plane are just like tilted mirrors. These flat areas will deflect most radio beams away from the station, presuming the station isn't directly beneath the plane. The plane does emit radio energy when using its radar scanner or communicating with ground forces and other aircraft, but the radar signal is small and highly focused, making it less susceptible to detection.
Although the U.S. Air Force has increased the public visibility of Stealth Bomber with fly-overs at various events getting a closer look is impossible for the public.
The Stealth bomber had however come for a lot of criticism in the U.S. Congress because Northrop Grumman upped the price tags of the bombers by more than 3 times the original price after the fall of the Soviet Union. The Clinton administration nevertheless went ahead with the purchase of these magnificent flying machines.
By Anish Chandy
Nuclear Weapons - News - Science
News about nuclear weapons. Commentary and archival information about atomic weapons from The New York Times.
