UFO flew over Moscow, Silver metal.
Gilbert Wells was right. Aliens. War of the Worlds. They do exist. Unidentified! Flying! Objects! A phenomenon, a ghost, a strange anomaly, whose appearance contradicts all our ideas about aviation technology.
- The object has disappeared from the radar screens!
- Raise the interceptors, you need to survey the airspace.
- I'm half a hundred and two. The MiG radar does not see the target. A heat direction finder is useless!
According to the statements of the experts of the analytical center RAND, a link of three B-2 stealth bombers is capable of stopping the advance of a Soviet tank division, destroying up to 350 armored vehicles in one sortie with impunity!
"The parabolic antenna of the N-019 radar distinguishes the B-2 even against the background of the earth" - the scandalous revelation of Larry Nielsen became the subject of heated debate among aviators. Nielsen is not a simple expert analyst. This is a highly qualified specialist, a test pilot of the US Air Force, who happened to take part in the MiG-29 test. The plane fell into the hands of the Americans immediately after the unification of Germany and presented the Pentagon with many surprises - the acquaintance with the new Soviet fighter almost put an end to the fate of the "invisible".
The most expensive aircraft in the history of aviation, a fantastic "flying saucer" capable of overcoming any air defense system and delivering a fatal blow to the very heart of the enemy. Meet today's hero - the B-2 Spirit strategic stealth bomber! Hot breath of the Cold War. A ghost plane born of the fevered imagination of SDI hoaxers. A super hero without a super enemy.
There are so many mysterious myths, legends and outright misconceptions around the B-2 that there is no way to determine what this aircraft really is. A formidable winged ship or a useless "wunderwaffle"? But all the secret sooner or later becomes clear - over 15 years of operation of the B-2 stealth bombers enough information has leaked into the open press to draw certain conclusions about these aircraft.
B-2 looks bad
Noted right - the appearance of the stealth bomber seems to be borrowed from science fiction. Seen from Earth, Spirit looks like a racing piece of black bedspread. Flying stingray. Fantastic interstellar ship. In profile - a true "flying saucer", flat, slippery, as if flattened by a sledgehammer blow - without the usual fuselage and tail. Impressive.
The strange appearance of the aircraft is just an aerodynamic "flying wing" scheme, known long before the appearance of American Stealths. The scheme has its own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. The absence of the tail unit does not at all prevent the "flying wing" from making turns and turning pirouettes: contrary to the common misconception, airplanes do not change course at all with the help of the vertical rudder on the keel - it plays only an auxiliary role. The main task of the keel is to stabilize the flight.
The turn is always performed by the roll of the aircraft - in this case, on the "lower" wing, the lift decreases, on the "upper" wing, it increases, as a result, the "upper" wing "turns" the aircraft in the desired direction.“Wing loading” is one of the most important parameters in aviation - the less kg per square meter of surface, the easier it is for the wing to “unfold” the aircraft; accordingly, maneuverability is improved.
The "Flying Wing" turns its pirouettes great, but does not keep on course at all - the absence of a vertical keel makes itself felt. Control of the B-2 would be impossible without the use of automation and fly-by-wire control system: numerous sensors continuously monitor the position of the aircraft in space and every second issue corrective pulses to the wing mechanization elements.
It is fair to say that few of the modern aircraft can be controlled "manually" - the same statically unstable Su-27 is also unrealistic to fly without automatic assistance.
Air refueling requires delicate control of the aircraft
A similar aircraft existed 70 years ago - we are talking about the project of the German fighter-bomber "Horten" Ho.229 (put into mass production in the spring of 1945). The Horten brothers' aircraft designers chose this scheme based on their personal preferences - the sleek, streamlined "wing-plane" fully corresponded to their ideas of a high-speed jet bomber. Suddenly, it turned out that the Ho.229 has another, no less important quality - reduced visibility to enemy radars.
It is possible that the specialists of the Northrop corporation were inspired by the works of their German colleagues. Technologically, however, the B-2 and Ho.229 differ in the same way as an elephant from a pterodactyl.
B-2 is useless?
The Pentagon has spent $ 2 billion on a plane that is not capable of using cruise missiles. Incredible! How could this have happened?
American capitalists are pragmatic people. They will consider every cent in the world before investing it in any project. The strategic stealth bomber was under special congressional control and, at first, seemed like a perfectly justified decision with fantastic prospects. The situation is reflected in the following illustration:
According to the calculations of the American military, in order to overcome the Soviet-style air defense system and strike at targets deep in enemy territory, F-16 fighter-bombers (the estimated number of strike group vehicles is 32 units, when using high-precision weapons - 16 units), you will need:
- an escort of 16 F-15 Eagle fighters;
- a group of jammers consisting of 4 electronic warfare aircraft EF-111 "Raven";
- air defense suppression group of 8 F-4G aircraft, the so-called. "Wild Caress";
- and an armada of tankers to provide fuel for this honest company - 15 fat-bellied KC-135 Stratotanker.
Eight F-117 Nighthawk stealth aircraft can deliver an equivalent strike with the support of two air tankers. But the use of the B-2 looks especially impressive - only two aircraft are enough to perform a similar task, while the Spirit, due to its strategic flight range, does not need air tankers!
A task that requires 50-60 conventional aircraft (shock, cover fighters, electronic warfare systems) can be completed only two stealth cars! The savings are clear.
The trick is that American congressmen and the military have become the victims of deception (accidental or deliberate - in this case, it does not matter). Lectures on the creation of an "inconspicuous aircraft" were regularly read to people who were not too versed in radio engineering and diffraction of electromagnetic waves - the luminaries of American science vied with each other to promise the implementation of such a project in practice. A virtually undetectable and invulnerable aircraft that does not require an escort or support facilities.
The result of the efforts of Northrop specialists turned out to be more than doubtful: the effective scattering area of B-2 is estimated in the range from 0.0014 to 0.1 sq. meter (for comparison, the RCS of the Su-27 family fighters is within 3-4 square meters. meters). It would seem that the B-2 Spirit demonstrates a radical reduction in ESR compared to conventional machines.
Flat shapes, no vertical keel, widespread use of radio-absorbing materials, "zigzag" joints of parts. The huge plane looks like a tiny bird on the radar!
However, not everything is so simple: the small RCS of a stealth bomber is not a guarantee of the B-2's safety. Reducing the RCS provides some protection against outdated detection equipment and air defense systems, but modern radars see such an object (RCS = 0.1 sq. M) at a distance of tens of kilometers. There are problems with the infrared range - despite all the tricks of the engineers (the location of the engines on the upper surface of the wing, the special shape of the nozzles that forms a "flat" jet for the rapid cooling of combustion products) - despite all efforts, it was impossible to completely hide the red-hot jet exhaust.
According to eyewitnesses (the plane was examined a couple of times through thermal imaging cameras at international air shows), from some angles, "Spirit" noticeably shines in the infrared range. Finally, the pilot of an enemy fighter can visually detect the Spirit - in this case, the helpless bomber is doomed.
The risk of being discovered (and therefore destroyed) is still great. No one in their right mind and good memory will send a B-2 Spirit alone into the coverage area of the S-300 air defense missile system or enemy fighter aircraft. In practice, a serious air defense breakthrough is carried out using dozens of specialized aircraft F-16CJ, EA-18 "Growler", EC-130 "Compass Call", etc. Enemy air defense is "crushed" with massive volleys of anti-radar missiles, Tomahawk SLCMs, squalls of electronic jamming, Hellfires from unmanned aerial vehicles. In this case, the "invisible" B-2 has no clear advantages over conventional aircraft, at the same time, its use is ineffective and ruinous.
In the same place where the resistance of the air force and air defense of the enemy is minimized (Afghanistan, Libya), ordinary F-16s also do an excellent job. The super hero is too bored under these conditions.
Who are you, B-2 stealth bomber?
The USAF received a conventional bomb carrier at an overpriced price. There is no doubt that this is a serious aircraft for "establishing democracy" around the world, capable of taking on board 80 bombs of 227 kg caliber and making a 50-hour combat flight from Whiteman AFB (Missouri) to Afghanistan (with air refueling).
Apart from its controversial “stealth” and incredible cost, the B-2 is not inferior to its legendary predecessor, the B-52 Stratofortress (according to the plans of the 80s, by the beginning of the new century 132 Spirit were to completely replace the fleet “Stratospheric fortresses "). Each of the bombers has its own strengths, at the same time, "invisibility" does not show clear advantages over the veteran.
The old "Stratofortress" (modification B-52H) has almost twice the flight range, while carrying a 20% greater bomb load.
The B-2, in turn, demonstrates an amazing set of detection tools: the 21-mode AN / APQ-181 radar, capable of scanning a strip of underlying terrain 240 km wide and working in terrain mapping mode, by 2010 was replaced by an even more impressive LRIP radar with an active phased array … The B-2 pilots have at their disposal the most modern avionics: the FLIR surveillance system, electronic reconnaissance equipment, a HANIUAL radio altimeter with a low probability of signal interception, an inertial navigation system, an information exchange channel with reconnaissance satellites, VILSTAR communication equipment, a ZSR-62 electronic warfare system, target designation equipment designed for the use of guided munitions JDAM, the TACAN navigation system, a VIR-130 radio landing system receiver and a system of passive sensors signaling changes in the situation overboard.
Another question - why did the B-2 Spirit need a super-radar with AFAR? After all, this contradicts the whole concept of using a "stealth aircraft". Just one impulse - and enemy RT-reconnaissance systems detected the aircraft's location. For example, the famous colleague of "Spirit" - F-117, did not have an onboard radar at all. Only passive means of collecting information.
Finally, the veteran B-52 can be equipped with a suspended sighting and navigation container (for example, LITENING) - in this case, the capabilities of the old bomb carrier correspond to any modern aircraft.
The "invisible" has one more paradoxical, at first glance, advantage - it is less dependent on weather conditions! Unlike the bulky B-52 with its long and fragile wing planes, the B-2 can land safely in a 40 m / s crosswind.
B-2 Spirit is highly automated. The crew of a large strategic bomber consists of only two pilots! (5 people are required to operate the B-52, the B-1B crew consists of 4 people).
Alas, this is a weak excuse for Spirit. The operating costs of a stealth bomber are much higher than any of the vehicles listed. B-2 basing is possible only in a special hangar with an artificially maintained microclimate - otherwise, ultraviolet radiation will damage the aircraft's radio-absorbing coating. There are not many airbases on Earth where the long-term deployment of B-2 is possible - according to official data, the corresponding infrastructure is available only at Whiteman airbases (US territory), Anderson (Guam island, Pacific Ocean) and Diego Garcia (Chagos archipelago, 500 miles to the south Seychelles, Indian Ocean).
Of course, it's funny to see how Americans take care of their expensive "toys", however, reverent attitude to aircraft technology is a very useful tradition, the main thing is not to go to extremes. Finally, the special hangar protects the stealth not only from sunlight, but also from terrorist attacks and other force majeure situations. It is reported that in the event of a fire source, the fire extinguishing system is capable of filling the plane with flame-extinguishing foam in 20 seconds.
Ammunition. The most intriguing moment. The maximum combat load of a stealth bomber reaches 23 tons (after modernization, it is expected to increase to 27 tons). However, bombs cannot be “poured” into a bomb bay like concrete. In practice, the actual combat load of the B-2 is within 18 tons. What does it mean?
- 80 free-fall 500-pound bombs Mk. 82
- or 16 atomic bombs B-61
- or 36 cluster munitions of the CBU line
- or 12 large-caliber bombs JDAM (GPS ersatz kit that turns conventional ammunition into precision weapons)
- or 8 guided bombs with laser guidance GBU-27 Paveway III (estimated weight 907 kg).
Honestly, I have no idea how the myth came about that the B-2 is not capable of using air-launched cruise missiles. After all, in this case, not too much is required from the carrier - just hang the ammunition in the bomb bay and deliver it to the drop point.
For example, the B-2 armament composition may look like this: 8 AGM-137 TSSAM tactical cruise missiles with low radar signature or 8 AGM-158 JASSM cruise missiles or 8 AGM-154 JSOW gliding bombs.
Launch of the AGM-158 JASSM cruise missile
Nevertheless, the initial plans to equip Spirit with an AGM-129 super-missile with a thermonuclear warhead remained unfulfilled - after the collapse of the USSR, the only carrier of this ammunition remains the B-52 (the missiles are suspended from an underwing pylon).
When it comes to comparing the B-2 to its peer, the B-1B Lancer supersonic strategic bomber, there is no doubt that the Lancer looks preferable. The B-1B has an almost 2 times greater combat load (30+ tons in internal bomb compartments, excluding external weapons suspension), is capable of developing supersonic speed, and has the ability to mount additional sighting equipment (SNIPER XR containers for high-altitude bombing). The Lancer's design also uses signature reduction technologies, with the B-1B costing 5 times less!
Combat career B-2
The first combat use of the B-2 took place in 1999 - "stealth bombers" dropped about 600 high-precision JDAM bombs on Yugoslavia. Non-stop flights were carried out from the United States.
During the Invasion of Iraq (2003), B-2 Spirit operated from the forward Diego Garcia airbase in the Indian Ocean, and some of the aircraft were still flying ultra-long-range sorties from the United States. Official statistics - 49 sorties, 300 tons of dropped ammunition.
In 2011, three vehicles took part in raids on Libya, attacking 45 ground targets.
Well, the combat experience of the B-2 is quite considerable, and moreover, the "Spirits" were built in a tiny series of only 21 units.
Also, according to official data, one aircraft of this type was lost during operation - on February 23, 2008, an aircraft with the personal name "Spirit of Kansas" crashed immediately after takeoff from an air base on the island of Guam. Both crew members managed to eject.
Outcomes
The story of the B-2 bomber is a story about how you don't have to make planes. Despite some propaganda role, development of new technologies and limited participation in military conflicts, "Spirits" caused more damage to the US budget than opponents of the Pentagon. The plane turned out to be extremely expensive (the cost of each of the 21 built "Spirits", taking into account R&D, exceeded $ 2 billion in 1997 prices) and ineffective in the conditions of modern local conflicts. It is difficult to say how justified the use of stealth technology is, but more and more countries are striving to use these solutions in the design of aviation and naval equipment. Obviously, there is a rational grain in "stealth" - it is another matter how much the achieved result corresponds to the costs.
