- Stealth Bomber: - The Role and History of Bombers in Warfare

Key Chapter Title List

1. FROM FIRST FLIGHT TO WHITEMAN AFB
2. THE B-2 BOMBER IN NATO’S FIRST AIR WAR
3. AFGHANISTAN: 44-HOUR MISSION
4. OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM
5. OPERATION ODYSSEY DAWN
6. DYNAMIC TARGETING: ISIS IN LIBYA
7. BOMBER TASK FORCE
8. NUCLEAR DETERRENCE
9. COMBAT LESSONS

Document Introduction

This report systematically examines the critical role played by the U.S. B-2 "Spirit" stealth strategic bomber in nearly three decades of combat and deterrence operations since its inception in the late Cold War era. The core issue of the report is to explore how this heavy stealth platform, designed to penetrate advanced Soviet air defense systems, has continued to serve as the ultimate instrument for U.S. power projection and the execution of national will in the evolving global security environment of the post-Cold War era. Based on detailed combat records, firsthand accounts from pilots and commanders, and official documents, the report provides an in-depth analysis of the B-2's specific applications, tactical innovations, and resulting strategic impacts in five major military operations (the 1999 Kosovo War, the 2001 Afghanistan War, the 2003 Iraq War, and the 2011 and 2017 strikes against Libya).

Structurally, the report first traces the origins of the B-2 from the highly classified "Advanced Technology Bomber" (ATB) program, through post-Cold War procurement cuts and controversies, to its achievement of Initial Operational Capability and nuclear certification in 1997. Subsequently, the report analyzes the B-2's performance in successive conflicts using a combined chronological and thematic approach. In the "Allied Force" operation over Kosovo, the B-2's combat debut validated its ability to launch from the continental United States and execute ultra-long-range (over 30 hours) precision strike missions. Its stealth characteristics made it a high-survivability option against Serbia's dense air defense network and set a precedent for the subsequent "bomb truck" model of multi-target precision strikes.

Entering the era of the Global War on Terror, the B-2's role deepened further. In the early stages of "Operation Enduring Freedom" in Afghanistan, the B-2 undertook the critical mission of destroying Taliban air force and air defense systems to achieve air superiority, setting a historical record for a single mission lasting 44.3 hours, demonstrating unparalleled global reach and persistence. In "Operation Iraqi Freedom," the B-2 was used to conduct "shock and awe"-style large-scale simultaneous strikes against heavily defended targets around Baghdad. Its high mission completion rate (85%) proved its reliability and ability to sustain operational tempo in high-intensity conflict. The report also details the B-2's precise destruction of hardened aircraft shelters in Libya during the 2011 "Operation Odyssey Dawn," and the "dynamic targeting" strikes against ISIS training camps in Libya in 2017. The latter highlights the B-2's unique flexibility in receiving real-time target coordinates and executing "find, fix, finish" missions.

Beyond direct combat, the report also explores the B-2's role as a tool of "bomber diplomacy" in peacetime, including its regular forward deployments to Guam, exercise and warning operations on the Korean Peninsula, and its ongoing modernization as the air-based pillar of the U.S. nuclear triad (e.g., integration of the B61-12 nuclear bomb). Finally, the report summarizes key lessons learned from B-2 operational employment: its central role in achieving air superiority in the early stages of a campaign, its unparalleled tactical flexibility (including the ability to strike geographically dispersed multiple targets in a single mission and in-flight retargeting capability), and the strategic options and operational surprise it provides decision-makers by enabling global strikes launched from the continental United States.

The analysis in this report is based entirely on publicly available military records, authoritative interviews, official statements, and professional military publications. It aims to provide defense policy researchers, military strategy analysts, and advanced military enthusiasts with an authoritative and in-depth reference on the evolution of stealth strategic bomber operational concepts and the assessment of their combat effectiveness. The report concludes that, despite the limited size of the B-2 fleet (20 aircraft), its unique combination of stealth, range, payload, and precision strike capability will ensure its status as an irreplaceable asset for the United States in addressing high-end threats and executing conventional and nuclear deterrence missions for the foreseeable future, at least until the B-21 "Raider" fleet matures.