How powerful are the American B2 bombers?

Strategic bombers are an important part of the nuclear air force and an important link in completing the trinity of nuclear forces. The definition of a strategic bomber is to be able to carry nuclear weapons for delivery. Therefore, there are very few countries in the world that have fighters that meet the definition of strategic bombers.

Although China's H-6K can also reach the category of strategic bomber, the H-6K is a bomber modified from the H-6 after all. No matter how magically modified it is, it will not be able to escape. The basic framework of the H-6. Therefore, the H-6K appears increasingly out of date in China's current national defense needs.

Today, there are only two countries that have in-service strategic bombers that meet the true definition, one is Russia and the other is the United States. From this point of view, there is still a big gap in our country. Among them, the U.S. B2 bomber, known as the "Ghost", is the only stealth strategic bomber in service in the world, and is therefore regarded as the most powerful strategic bomber. So how advanced is the B2 bomber?

The design goal of the B2 bomber is to be able to penetrate thousands of miles and drop nuclear weapons deep into the Soviet Union when the U.S. Air Force is attacked by the Soviet Union and becomes disorganized. Therefore, the B2 must be able to fight alone without escorting fighters.

Special combat needs make this world’s only stealth strategic bomber stand out. Based on the idea of ??"as long as the Soviet radar system cannot detect me, I can leave the escort formation and fight alone", the B2 bomber was developed towards having strong stealth performance from the beginning of its design.

In order to make the B2 bomber have stealth capabilities, its designers have made efforts in two aspects. One is the absorbing coating and the other is the fuselage structure. The B2 bomber's absorbing coating is one of the B2 bomber's secret technologies. Decades after the birth of B2 bomber technology, no one except the United States still knows the composition of the B2 bomber's absorbing coating.

Relying on the absorbing coating, the skin of the B2 bomber can greatly absorb the electromagnetic waves emitted by the radar, making it harder to detect. The cost of using this kind of absorbing coating is very high, because every time the B2 bomber takes off, it must be re-sprayed. Therefore, this expensive absorbing coating is completely consumable on B2.

Structurally, the B2 bomber has been optimized many times during its design. From the appearance, the B2 bomber is very sci-fi, like an alien flying saucer. And this appearance effect is real. Through the optimization of appearance, it can minimize its ability to reflect electromagnetic waves, thereby achieving the purpose of stealth.

And in order to make the B2 emit less electromagnetic waves, the designers of the B2 used an unprecedented method of building this fighter from the outside in. In other words, B2 builds the outer shell first and then assembles the internal parts. This method allows the shell of B2 to be directly constructed as a whole without any welding steps, making B2 truly "seamless".

With its multi-faceted design, this fighter has become one of the most stealthy fighters in the world. The entire surface of B2 spreads out to an area of ??more than 400 square meters, but its area detected by electromagnetic waves is only 0.1 square meters. On radar, B2 is the size of a pigeon. In order to achieve its stealth capability, the B2 bomber was designed without regard to cost. It is reported that its single aircraft cost US$2.4 billion, which is three times its weight.