The history and development of Northrop's Flying Wings, from the innovative XB-35A to the B-2A Spirit.



The history and development of Northrop's Flying Wings, from the innovative XB-35A to the B-2A Spirit.

This is a pictorial history of Jack Northrop's dream, the B-2A Spirit, a low-observable, strategic, long-range, heavy bomber with the ability to penetrate sophisticated and dense enemy air-defense shields.

• It is capable of all-altitude attack missions up to 50,000 feet, with a range of more than 6,000 nautical miles (nm) unrefueled, and over 10,000 nm with one refueling, giving it the ability to fly to any point in the world within hours.
• Stealth technology has rendered radar systems ineffective by greatly reducing their detection ranges.
• After ten years of service, the B-2A finally achieved full operational capability in December 2003.
• An assessment published by the USAF showed that two B-2As armed with precision weaponry could do the job of seventy-five conventional aircraft.
• Features more than 500 color images.

Over the last thirty-five years, Jim Goodall has authored more than two dozen books and articles on military aircraft, naval ships, and submarines with a focus on Low Observables or, as it is known today, Stealth.