- B-2 Stealth Bomber
- Text "National Museum of the U.S. Air Force"
- Black
- 100% Preshrunk Cotton
By the 1980s, the global spread of sophisticated air defense systems threatened the U.S. Air Force's ability to destroy an enemy's most valuable targets. To overcome this threat, the USAF and Northrop-Grumman adopted the revolutionary low-observable, or "stealth" technology to produce the B-2 "Spirit," a long-range bomber capable of delivering large payloads of conventional or nuclear weapons. The B-2 is virtually invisible to even the most sophisticated air defense radar systems.
With a crew of only two, the pilot in the left seat and the mission commander in the right, a typical combat mission consists of a non-stop flight from its home base at Whiteman AFB, Missouri, to the target and back. During these missions, each B-2 can deliver up to 40,000 pounds of precision weapons.
The B-2 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force is a ground static test prototype which never flew. After completing its series of tests, it was turned over to the Museum and was placed on display in December of 2003.