The
B-2A Spirit bomber fleet, while limited to 19 aircraft, forms a disproportionately powerful element of America's global strike capability, especially where stealth and precision are paramount. As reported in the Military Balance 2025 by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), these aircraft are operated primarily by the 509th Bomb Wing and the 131st Bomb Wing of the Missouri Air National Guard at Whiteman Air Force Base.
The B-2 Spirit, developed by Northrop Grumman and introduced into service in the late 1990s, was designed specifically to penetrate the world’s most sophisticated air defense networks. Its flying wing design, constructed largely from radar-absorbent composite materials, dramatically reduces its radar cross-section. This allows the B-2 to evade ground-based radar systems, infrared tracking, and electromagnetic surveillance across hostile territory.
Measuring 21 meters (69 feet) in length with a wingspan of 52.4 meters (172 feet), the B-2 can carry a payload of up to 18,000 kg (40,000 pounds) in a combination of precision-guided and nuclear-capable munitions. These include GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, B61 and B83 gravity bombs, and the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator designed to destroy deeply buried and fortified targets. The B-2’s maximum unrefueled range is approximately 11,100 kilometers (6,900 miles), extendable through aerial refueling, enabling global reach from U.S.-based airfields without reliance on forward-deployed assets.
Its stealth capabilities were reportedly pivotal in the covert airstrikes launched earlier this year on Iranian nuclear enrichment sites at Natanz and Fordow. Defense officials have privately confirmed that the B-2s were able to bypass Iran’s layered air defense systems, execute low-observable strikes with pinpoint accuracy, and return without detection or engagement. The success of that mission, according to Pentagon insiders, has revived interest in extending the platform's operational life beyond its original retirement timelines.
U.S. President Trump’s call to increase the
B-2 fleet likely signals a temporary realignment in U.S. bomber procurement strategy. The U.S. Air Force had been preparing for a gradual transition to the B-21 Raider, another stealth platform under development by Northrop Grumman, with deliveries expected to begin in 2027. However, defense sources familiar with internal planning indicate that delays in B-21 production and the urgent need for high-survivability platforms have accelerated considerations for reactivating or expanding B-2 production.
Industry experts suggest that such an expansion would require either remanufacturing stored airframes or a limited restart of B-2 assembly using adapted B-21 technologies. The original production line, shuttered in the late 1990s after building only 21 aircraft, would require extensive retooling, including the reactivation of specialized supply chains for stealth coatings, avionics, and structural components.
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