Trump Reiterates Plan to Put B-2 Stealth Bombers Back In Production After Iran Combat Successes
North America, Western Europe and Oceania , Aircraft and Anti-Aircraft
During an address to U.S. military personnel on November 27, President Donald Trump announced that his administration had approved the procurement of B-2 Spirit intercontinental range stealth bombers, citing their performance in strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June. The president had previously in November announced an order for an upgraded version of the bomber during a speech to the Israeli parliament, during which he stated regarding their performance: “I had no idea they could do what they did. Frankly, we just ordered another 28 of them. A little, a little improved version. We ordered a whole bunch.” His statement follows the release of the first footage showing a Chinese intercontinental range heavyweight stealth aircraft in flight, which has a comparable wingspan to the B-2. Only 20 serial production B-2 bombers were ever built, with these entering service between 1997 and 2000. The program was cut far short of the initially planned 132 bombers due to issues with the design.
Under Operation Midnight Hammer, seven B-2s took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in the late hours of June 21 with a flight plan that indicated Guam was their destination, apparently to reduce the possibility of Iran preparing its defences to intercept the targets. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine elaborated that U.S. forces employed “several deception tactics, including decoys, as the fourth-and fifth-generation aircraft pushed out in front of the strike package at high altitude and high speed, sweeping in front of the package for enemy fighters and surface-to-air missile threats.” With each B-2 able to carry up to 18,000 kilograms of ordinance, each can deliver up to two GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, which were designed to destroy some of the best hardened and most sensitive military sites across the world without crossing the nuclear threshold. These bombs were confirmed to have been used to strike Iranian facilities, although the success of the attacks remains highly uncertain.
Retooling Northrop Grumman’s facilities for B-2 production after more than a quarter of a century would likely be cost prohibitive, particularly for a production run of just 28 aircraft, which has raised serious questions regarding the veracity of President Trump’s recent claim. A further factor is that the B-2’s design is considered increasingly obsolete, as both radar and stealth technologies have improved considerably since the aircraft was designed in the 1980s. It remains possible that the president’s allusion to an upgraded B-2 referenced the new B-21 bomber, which in many respects represents a refinement of the B-2 design, albeit one that is significantly scaled down to reduce costs. The B-21 is scheduled for service entry in the early 2030s, and benefits from avionics and stealth capabilities approximately a quarter century more advanced than those of the B-2, albeit with a much smaller weapons payload and shorter range.
At over $2 billion each, the B-2 is by far the most costly combat aircraft ever produced, with the B-21 expected to cost approximately 70 percent less per aircraft due to its much larger production run and smaller size. A further issue with the B-2 design is its extremely high maintenance requirements and operational costs, which far exceeded program specifications and has limited the practicality of the design. Unlike other bombers, the aircraft are required to be stored in specially air conditioned hangars which prevents them from being based outside the United States. The Air Force’s unprecedented budgetary strain to finance the B-21, the F-47 fighter program, continued F-35 procurements, and urgently needed new tankers and AEW&C systems, among other priorities, has further limited the possibility of an additional multi-billion dollar program to resume B-2 production being feasible.
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