B-2 Stealth Bomber: Inside the $2 Billion Invisible Jet That Hit Iran's Nuclear Sites in 2025

                                                        

Introduction to the B-2 Stealth Bomber and Its First Combat Use in 2025 

B-2, a United States long-range stealth bomber that flew for the first flight in 1989 and was handed over to the U.S Air Force in 1993. The Northrop Grumman Corporation built and operates the B-2. It is a "flying wing," which implies that it has no fuselage and tail and is mainly made up of a short yet very broad wing. The B-2's length (69 feet, or 21 meters) is just slightly longer than a fighter's, but its wingspan (172 feet, or 52.4 meters) is nearly identical in length to its huge predecessor, the B-52 Stratofortress. The bomber is comprised of stealth materials and shapes that make it virtually impossible to see from average combat ranges. On June 21, 2025, B-2 bombers hit nuclear sites in Iran, resulting in the largest strike they ever took part in. 

Development of the Advanced Technology Bomber in the Cold War Era

The B-2 was developed in the 1980s as the Advanced Technology Bomber. Its initial objective was to be able to break through the Soviet Union's advanced air defenses, drop nuclear bombs on crucial targets, and then return to bases in the United States. The bomber's exterior has a lot of intricate, large-radius curved surfaces that are intended to aim radar energy in the least revealing directions. It lacks any vertical fin stabilizers, so flaps on its back of its notched wing control its roll, pitch, and yaw. To be able for the plane to fly well, the aircraft requires "fly-by-wire" mechanical stabilization and control systems.  

Power, Speed, and Long-Range Flight Capabilities

All of the firearms, which weigh about 40,000 pounds (18,000 kg), are within. It is significant to point out that the B-2 is the only U.S aircraft that is capable of firing the GBU-57 MOP "bunker buster" during combat. There are just two individuals operating the bomber: the pilot and the mission leader. It features four turbofan engines that supply it with power. In order to ensure infrared emissions are reduced and the battle radius gets wider, there are no afterburners, which would allow the plane to go faster than sound. The B-2 bomber is capable of flying at speeds as high as 628 nautical miles (1,010 km) per hour and can continue to fly for 6,000 nautical miles (11,100 km; 6,904 miles) with no pausing. The B-2's employed range is significantly boosted by refueling in the air.  

Cost, Production Numbers, and Aircraft Losses

With an approximate cost of over $2 billion per plane, the B-2 is the most expensive jet in the world. The first plan was to manufacture 132 of the bombs. With the end of the Cold War in the 1990s, yet, only 20 operating bombers and one experimental plane were produced. A B-2 bomber fell in 2008 and was destroyed. Another was put out of operation after an accident in 2022. There are 19 in service at present. 

Global Missions and Major Combat Operations, Including the Iran 2025 Strike

Although the bomber continues to possess the power to carry nuclear weapons, the B-2's primary task is now to carry conventional weapons. The operational bombers were based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri; however, they have also flown from bases in other countries, like Guam and Diego Garcia. Bombs fired by B-2 targeted areas in Serbia in 1999, Afghanistan in 2001, and Iraq in 2003. B-2s were used to attack covert storage facilities in Yemen, which at first were controlled by the Houthis. The planes were used to hit Iranian nuclear sites in 2025.