{"id":1759618,"date":"2022-12-02T06:30:32","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T11:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1759618"},"modified":"2022-12-02T10:03:41","modified_gmt":"2022-12-02T15:03:41","slug":"the-world-reacts-the-air-force-showed-off-8-b-2-stealth-bombers-at-once","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-world-reacts-the-air-force-showed-off-8-b-2-stealth-bombers-at-once\/","title":{"rendered":"The World Reacts: The Air Force Showed Off 8 B-2 Stealth Bombers at Once"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-world-reacts-the-air-force-showed-off-8-b-2-stealth-bombers-at-once%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1759618&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In early November, the U.S. Air Force put up a rare display of nuclear power. Eight B-2 Spirit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/2022\/11\/b-21-raider-stealth-bomber-10-facts-you-need-to-know\/\">stealth bombers<\/a> performed an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/2022\/11\/what-16-billion-in-b-2-bombers-on-one-runway-looks-like\/\">elephant walk<\/a>, essentially a parade of aircraft, at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_80586\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-80586\" class=\"wp-image-80586 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/B-2-Bomber-Elephant-Walk-1200x675-1.jpg\" alt=\"B-2 Elephant Walk\" width=\"880\" height=\"495\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/B-2-Bomber-Elephant-Walk-1200x675-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/B-2-Bomber-Elephant-Walk-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/B-2-Bomber-Elephant-Walk-768x432-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/B-2-Bomber-Elephant-Walk-1024x576-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/B-2-Bomber-Elephant-Walk-600x337-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/B-2-Bomber-Elephant-Walk-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/B-2-Bomber-Elephant-Walk.jpg 1280w\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-80586\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">B-2 Spirit stealth bombers assigned to Whiteman Air Force Base taxi and take-off during exercise Spirit Vigilance on Whiteman Air Force Base on November 7th, 2022. Routine exercises like Spirit Vigilance assure our allies and partners that Whiteman Air Force Base is ready to execute nuclear operations and global strike anytime, anywhere. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Bryson Britt)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Air Force has only 20 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aerotime.aero\/articles\/32800-b-2-spirit-bombers-elephant-walk\">B-2 Spirit stealth bombers<\/a> in its arsenal, and putting 40 percent of them in one play was a first for one of the U.S. military\u2019s most advanced nuclear delivery methods.\n<\/p>\n<p>The B-2 Spirit is set to be phased out by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defenseone.com\/business\/2022\/11\/revealed-public-finally-gets-see-b-21-stealth-bomber-week\/380175\/\">B-21 Raider<\/a>, which the Air Force and Northrup Grumman are set to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/2022\/11\/the-b-21-raider-stealth-bomber-is-almost-here\/\">reveal<\/a> in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/2022\/11\/the-b-21-raider-the-air-forces-plan-to-beat-china-in-a-war\/\">following days<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Spirit Vigilance\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/2022\/08\/the-b-2-spirit-stealth-bomber-will-keep-flying-into-the-2030s\/\">B-2 Spirit<\/a> elephant walk was part of Exercise Spirit Vigilance, which is designed to test the readiness of the B-2 Spirit fleet and also enhance the lethality of the crews.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, Spirit Vigilance was a prime opportunity for maintenance crews to test in a realistic situation the mass deployment of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedrive.com\/the-war-zone\/behold-40-of-b-2-bomber-fleet-executing-an-elephant-walk\">B-2 Spirits stealth bombers<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n<p>But Spirit Vigilance has more to do than readiness. The exercise offers the opportunity for some deterrence. U.S. adversaries and allies alike need to occasionally see and understand the capabilities of the U.S. military. To the former, that is a sign of power and can serve us deterrence; to the latter, is a sign of reassurance.<\/p>\n<p>To be sure, there are limitations to that approach in deterrence, but it can be useful.\n<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a reminder that the <a href=\"https:\/\/bulgarianmilitary.com\/2022\/08\/04\/drawings-of-a-russian-copy-of-the-b-2-spirit-bomber-surfaced\/\">B-2 Spirit bomber<\/a> is the visible leg of nuclear triad. Simply put, the B-2 is the world\u2019s most strategic aircraft. It is the only aircraft on the planet that combines stealth, payload, and long-range strike. We are charged with delivering the nation\u2019s most powerful weapons for our most important missions,\u201d Colonel Geoffrey Steeves, the commanding officer of the 509th Operations Group, said in a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whiteman.af.mil\/News\/Article\/3229317\/spirit-vigilance-defending-the-homeland-from-the-heartland\/\">press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The B-2 Spirit is set to be phased out by the B-21 Raider, which the Air Force and Northrup Grumman are set to reveal in the following days.\n<\/p>\n<p>But the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/specs-northrop-grumman-b-2-spirit\/\">B-2 Spirit<\/a> remains relevant, and the Air Force tested a stealth cruise missile that can be fired from the aircraft.\n<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are displaying a capability here to rapidly generate and deploy [the B-2] under greater scrutiny and time restraints than the normal day-to-day flying mission. Here we demonstrate to our near peer adversaries, as well as to ourselves, how well we can perform,\u201d Captain Richard Collier, the director of operations for the 509th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforce-technology.com\/news\/usaf-software-b2-spirit\/\">B-2 Spirit<\/a> is about 30 years old and has been serving as a nuclear and conventional stealth bomber ever since it was fielded.\n<\/p>\n<p>Initially, the Air Force planned on purchasing dozens of more aircraft, but the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War did away with the single biggest threat to U.S. national security and also the main target of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aerotime.aero\/articles\/32799-usaf-ready-to-unveil-the-b-21-herees-what-we-know-so-far\">B-2 Spirit<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n<p>As a result, the Air Force had to cut down its order. The fact that each stealth bomber had a price tag of more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/2022\/07\/b-2-expensive-stealth-bomber\/\">$2 billion<\/a> certainly helped the Air Force\u2019s decision.\n<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis exercise is a reminder that the 509th Bomb Wing and the 131st Bomb Wing are ready to execute their missions of executing nuclear operations and global strike, anytime, anywhere,\u201d Steeves added.\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Expert Biography:<\/strong>\u00a0A\u00a0<em>19FortyFive Defense and National Security Columnist,\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/sofrep.com\/author\/stavros-atlamazoglou\/\"><em>Stavros Atlamazoglou<\/em><\/a><em>\u00a0is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/soldiers-one-militarys-most-dangerous-161118164.html\"><em>special operations<\/em><\/a><em>, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. His work has been featured in <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/delta-force-sas-hunted-iraqi-scud-missiles-during-gulf-war-2021-2\"><em>Business Insider<\/em><\/a><em>,\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/author\/stavros\/\"><em>Sandboxx<\/em><\/a><em>, and\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/sofrep.com\/news\/exclusive-the-perilous-state-of-the-special-forces-combat-diver-capability\/\"><em>SOFREP<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n<p><em>Note: We have fixed a small location error in this piece which we have fixed thanks to an eagle-eyed reader.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In early November, the U.S. Air Force put up a rare display of nuclear power. Eight B-2 Spirit stealth bombers performed an elephant walk, essentially a parade of aircraft, at<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1759621,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1759618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1759618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1759618"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1759618\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1759621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1759618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1759618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1759618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}