Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit

TomcatViP said:
And we have a request for solicitation for a reverse engineering work on the heat exchanger (see attached doc) :
https://twitter.com/x/status/1366408888220741632
View: https://mobile.twitter.com/MarkThompson_DC/status/1366408888220741632

Despite the irony of Mike T, those things are fairly common in countries that still protect IP* (Bless them).

*occasionally a subcontractor would close its doors without being re-acquired by a third party (foreclosure, retirements of the owner, change in activity or market) and the engineering material or know-how would be simply lost.
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They should ask China. China probably still has the design.
 
Sineva said:
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Why cover the inlets and exhaust? There have been plenty of times B-2s have been in the open in full view of satellites without those areas covered.
 
New variation? Just for giggles and kicks? Bugging the media?
 
sferrin said:
Hope it's not a write-off.
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Looks like the LMLG lost downlock at touchdown, may have lost hydraulic pressure. Even with loss of hydraulic pressure, should have maintained a mechanical downlock condition. Won't be a write-off, they will get her up and flying again. A B-2 had a gear collapse in the hangar during non-routine maintenance in May 2002, this is what happens when you do not follow proper procedures when playing with proximity sensor states.
 

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rooster said:
sferrin said:
TomcatViP said:
www.airforcemag.com

B-2 Crashes at Whiteman; No Injuries, But Status of Operations Withheld | Air & Space Forces Magazine

A B-2 bomber is lying damaged on the side of the runway at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., after a crash early on September 14.
www.airforcemag.com www.airforcemag.com
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10% of the B-2 force has crashed now. That's worse than the B-58.
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In a span of over 20 years. 20 years of hustler would have probably left just enough for a few museums.
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I was being facetious.
 
Random B-2 question: was the SDB ever integrated into the aircraft? I've never seen it listed as being operational with the a/c but I did once before, I think on this forum, see an image of four orange colored weapons on a rack in a B-2.
 
From "Jets and Classics" 1989 LaserDisc(https://www.ebay.com/itm/Jets-And-Classics-CAV-LASERDISC-/293577965607?_ul=IN): Early footage of B-2 Spirit AV-1 Serial No 82-1066 "Spirit Of America" first flight and landing gear testing, notable gettting a look at the heat pitot air data sensor deployed in conjunction with a 2 tone paint scheme that would be later dropped:
www.whiteeagleaerospace.com

B-2 First Flight - White Eagle Aerospace

Twenty-seven years ago this month, the USAF/Northrop B-2 Stealth Strategic Bomber flew for the first time. The aircrew for the B-2’s maiden trip upstairs included Northrop B-2 Division Chief Test Pilot Bruce J. Hinds (command pilot) and B-2 Combined Test Force Commander USAF Col. Richard S...
www.whiteeagleaerospace.com www.whiteeagleaerospace.com

 
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news.northropgrumman.com

Northrop Grumman Continues B-2 Spirit Modernization

Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Air Force are continuing enhancements to the B-2 Spirit Stealth bomber fleet providing new capability, including its first long-range stealth missile. The B-2 successfully released a Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile –...
news.northropgrumman.com news.northropgrumman.com
 
B-2 has 4 engines but only 2 big inlets, so does it has a plate to separate the inside of each inlet into 2 different air ways (like concordes and B-1) or does the 2 engines share the airflow?
 
thanks for the photos, it is interesting to see that B-2 duct curve downward immediately just 1-2 meters behind the inlet mouth. I thought it would curve slightly and go all the way through the bump on top. So why the inlet bump on top of B-2 needed to be so long??
Screenshot_20220919_015118_Chrome.jpg
another question, what is this gap?
Screenshot_20220919_014403_Chrome.jpg
 
Vanessa1402 said:
B-2 has 4 engines but only 2 big inlets, so does it has a plate to separate the inside of each inlet into 2 different air ways (like concordes and B-1) or does the 2 engines share the airflow?
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A splitter isn't always necessary. For instance, on the XB-70, each inlet duct fed three engines.

damaged-engine.jpg
 
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Vanessa1402 said:
thanks for the photos, it is interesting to see that B-2 duct curve downward immediately just 1-2 meters behind the inlet mouth. I thought it would curve slightly and go all the way through the bump on top. So why the inlet bump on top of B-2 needed to be so long??
View attachment 684228
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For aerodynamic reasons... reduces drag in addition to housing equipment as mentioned above.

The inlet duct actually curves down over a somewhat longer distance than that, but still needs to drop fully into the wing to block radar signals from reaching and reflecting off the front engine blade disk (the engines themselves are fully buried in the wing as well).
 
In the event of an engine surge the flow reverses, such that gas comes out of the compressor inlet. If the surge was caused by a failure within the compressor, then it’s likely to be a mixture of gas and engine debris, such as blades. Engine debris in front of the other engine is going to FOD and fail it. Having no splitter is a great way to generate cascade (multiple) engine failures from one event. <Turn a drama into a crisis>

This was a lesson learned from early experience in particular with super sonic aircraft where surges where a way of life.
 
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