Replies

I think the only base these expensive behemoths can fly out of is somewhere in the mid-US....I forget which state. They all fly nearly 20 something hour missions from there and then fly home.

They have been mainly used in the past to try and justify they are still relevant in an irregular war (i.e., bombing the shit of of some Taliban vs. nuking the hell out of the politburo in Russia).

Fly a 24 hour mission from Missouri or wherever, drop a few 2000lb bombs on a camel and declare mission success and flyaway home! Bingo!

Even at the height of it’s planned efficacy (before the wall fell), it became a fantastically expensive jobs program for California, and a whole host of other states. Now it’s just a joke and isn’t even stealthy.

The damned things can’t even be left out in the rain on the tarmac for cripes sake.

I think the only base these expensive behemoths can fly out of is somewhere in the mid-US....I forget which state. They all fly nearly 20 something hour missions from there and then fly home.

Two other bases have been equipped to handle B-2s -- Guam and Diego Garcia.

48 posted on 3/28/2013 1:07:38 PM by Gaffer: “I think the only base these expensive behemoths can fly out of is somewhere in the mid-US....I forget which state.”

It's Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri where the B-2s are based.

48 posted on 3/28/2013 1:07:38 PM by Gaffer: “They all fly nearly 20 something hour missions from there and then fly home. They have been mainly used in the past to try and justify they are still relevant in an irregular war (i.e., bombing the shit of of some Taliban vs. nuking the hell out of the politburo in Russia). Fly a 24 hour mission from Missouri or wherever, drop a few 2000lb bombs on a camel and declare mission success and flyaway home! Bingo! Even at the height of it’s planned efficacy (before the wall fell), it became a fantastically expensive jobs program for California, and a whole host of other states. Now it’s just a joke and isn’t even stealthy. The damned things can’t even be left out in the rain on the tarmac for cripes sake.”

Having a nuclear weapons delivery system which can be recalled after launch is not an irrelevant asset. I'm not disputing that the B-2s were created to provide an option in dealing with the Soviet Union and were intended as an upgrade of the aging B-52 manned bomber fleet.

Would we develop a system like that today, now that the Soviet Union is gone?

Maybe not.

But keeping a few B-2 bombers around is not a bad idea, and in a true shooting war with a second-tier enemy such as North Korea, they are much more likely to be used than ICBMs, which we also keep in our arsenals for good reason. Being able to deliver a weapon capable of penetrating the deepest known bunkers of the North Koreans is not a bad idea, either.