This picture was taken in April 1997 on the flightline at Nellis AFB, Nevada during one of the celebrations of the United States Air Force's 50th anniversary of becoming a separate branch. The B-2 is the most expensive aircraft ever produced at a cost of $1.2 billion each. Much about this aircraft is classied. The B-2 is a low-observable, strategic, long-range, heavy bomber capable of penetrating sophisticated and dense air-defence shields. It is capable of all-altitude attack missions up to 50,000-ft, with a range of more than 6,000nm unrefueled and over 10,000nm with one refueling, giving it the ability to fly to any point in the world. The low-observability is achieved by the design and radar absorbing/reflecting materials. It is reputed to have the radar cross-section of a small bird. Statistics: Dimensions: Length: 69-ft (21.03m) Wingspan: 172-ft (52.43m) Height: 17-ft (5.15m) Weights: Empty: 110,000lb (49,900kg) Max T/O: 376,000lb (170,550kg) Performance: n/a Range: 6,600nm (12,223km) 4,500nm (8,334km) low level Powerplant: Four General Electric F118-GE-110 turbofans Thrust: 76,000lb (169kN) Armanent: Internal bomb bay with rotary launchers carrying 16 nuclear weapons or bomb racks carrying conventional weapons; 50,000lb (22 680kg) warload; AGM-131 SRAM II stand-off nuclear weapon, AGM-129 nuclear cruise missile; B61, B83 free fall nuclear weapons; conventional bombs and mines. Accomodation: One pilot, one mission commander, side-by-side. (Jane's Aircraft Recognition Guide, 1995). The aircraft engines are internally mounted in the body of the wings and have an exhaust temperature control system to minimise thermal signature. The B-2 has been used in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. During the Afghan deployment a B-2 established the longest non-stop combat flight ever - over 44 hrs. I was fortunate enough to go on a night refueling mission in summer of 1997. Boom operators have to be qualified for each aircraft type for day and night refueling. On this mission, while laying in the boom pod of the KC-135E I heard the chief boom tell the boom operator that was to do the refueling to 'watch the bow wave'. Each aircraft pushes a certain amount of air ahead of its fuselage, and the amount of air pushed ahead of large receivers (aircraft) could affect the flight characteristics of the tanker and the tanker may have to be trimmed accordingly. This bow wave is much like the wave pushed by a subway train, and anyone that ever stood on a platform of a subway station could often feel the arrival of a train, before it could be seen or heard. As we were flying along in total darkness, the receiver (B-2) was some distance behind us and somewhat lower, and all that could be seen were the position lights (one red, one green) in its wingtips. I went to the cockpit of the tanker, and when I came back we were hooked up, i.e. refueling. The B-2 is relatively short and the refueling receptacle is behind the cockpit in the rear half of the aircraft. While being refueled neither the cockpit nor the engine intakes of the B-2 can be seen. All that was visible was a faint light around the receptacle and slight bulges of the internal engines. No vertical stabilizer (there is none, and no position lights (the wing tips are too far apart). As we were refueling we began to fly over a large city and silhouetted against the city lights was this huge wing- I thought I was in Star Wars. This picture is scanned. Thank you for viewing, commenting, and favs, Sig...