Stealth Bomber



The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit (also known as the Stealth Bomber) is an American heavy bomber with "low observable" stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses and deploy both conventional and nuclear weapons. Because of its considerable capital and operations costs, the project was controversial in Congress and among Pentagon brass. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Congress slashed initial plans to purchase 132 bombers to just 21.

Twenty B-2s are operated by the United States Air Force. Though originally designed in the 1980s for Cold War operations scenarios, B-2s have been used in combat to drop bombs on Serbia during the Kosovo - Serbia Conflict in the late 1990s, and see continued use during the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. One aircraft was lost when it crashed on takeoff in 2008, the 2 billion dollar aircraft was the only B-2 to be lost.

The bomber has a crew of two and can drop up to 80 500 lb (230 kg)-class JDAM GPS-guided bombs, or 16 2,400 lb (1,100 kg) B83 nuclear bombs in a single pass through extremely dense anti-aircraft defenses. The B-2 is the only aircraft that can carry large air to surface standoff weapons in a stealth configuration. The program has been the subject of espionage and counter-espionage activity and the B-2 has been prominent public spectacles at air shows since the 1990s.

In Game
thumb|300px|right|The Stealth Bomber killstreak in action The Stealth bomber is a 9-kill killstreak (8 with the Hardline perk) that calls in Stealth bomber over the map for a carpet bomb. Unlike an airstrike, the bomber does not show up on enemy radar and is not announced to the opposing team. There is a faint outline of the bomber on friendly radar, but it is difficult to see, so it is recommended to launch the strike well away from the player and while they are inside a building. The bombing spreads over the entire length of the map. If a player is in a protected position while an enemy Bomber passes, they will suffer severe shellshock.

Ironically, the only thing stealthy about the bomber is that it does not appear on radar. It flies far lower and slower than any real stealth aircraft, and can be easily heard long before it actually releases its ordnance. In addition, there is no map with a sky dark enough to camouflage the pitch-black B-2. It clearly stands out, and is quite easily seen by experienced players; but by the time a player can see the bomber it is already dropping its payload, so it's often too late to do anything.

Trivia

 * When selecting the target area to bomb, the arrow should be dragged from one end of the map to the other over the target. The Stealth Bomber has a seemingly infinite load of bombs on its single run, and literally carpet bombs the entire length of the map. Great for maps like Wasteland with open fields, and when 1 side or the other is being held by each team.
 * Players inside a building where a Stealth Bomber drops its load will be "shell-shocked," similar to the effects of a stun grenade and the effects of Artillery in World at War.
 * A Stealth Bomber is a surprisingly effective killstreak reward, a worthy competitor to the Pavelow for the 9 kill streak slot. In the hands of an experienced player, this killstreak can potentially wipe out a whole team on open maps like Wasteland. The effects are more immediate than Pavelow, as well as being a safer choice if bridging the gap between 9 and Chopper Gunner/AC-130 or even EMP, as a Pavelow can get shot down by a few missiles in seconds from entering the map.
 * This killstreak is especially effective on smaller maps, including Rust and Highrise, and will cover just about the entire map.
 * This weapon is unique in that some players perceive it as a psychological weapon; the rumbling noise is very intimidating, and the B-2 itself is dark and ominous, — not to mention the explosives being dropped on your head or the fact that someone on the enemy team has a 9 kill streak. (Or a [stolen] care package.)
 * Players can tell when a stealth bomber is coming because of the low rumbling. It's worth noting that visual identification is useless on a stealth bomber as it will be already dropping its payload by the time you actually see it.
 * In real life, the B-2 would never carpet bomb a target from such a low altitude.
 * It is best use with a UAV so you can see where the greatest group of enemies are
 * The B-2 Spirit is owned only by the United States Air Force, therefore only can be used by the U.S. Army Rangers and Navy SEALs, however other factions such as the Spetsnaz, OpFor, and Brazilian Milita still use the B-2 Spirit
 * The killstreak is surprisingly effective on the map Favela, just have the stealth bomber carpet bomb diagonally and it will cover the WHOLE map.