B‑29 meets B‑2: A historic flight at Whiteman Air Force Base
A recording featuring the strategic bombers B-29 Superfortress and B-2 Spirit has surfaced online. This is the first time these powerful American machines, whose capabilities we recall, have flown together.
The B-29 Superfortress and B-2 Spirit are strategic bombers from different eras. The former was produced from 1943 to 1946, while new B-2 Spirit units have been coming off Northrop Grumman's production lines only since 1994. These legendary aircraft shared the skies for the first time on 13 July 2024 during Whiteman Air Force Base displays.
B-29 Superfortress and B-2 Spirit in the air
The photos and video materials are now spreading widely on social media. Commenters highlight the uniqueness of the entire situation and the significant differences between the B-29 Superfortress and B-2 Spirit, which are easy to see at first glance. Although the purposes of these machines are very similar, their designs, and consequently their capabilities, differ significantly.
The B-2 Spirit was built in a flying wing configuration and is a strategic bomber with reduced detectability (utilising stealth technology). It is estimated that the cost of producing a single B-2 Spirit is about £1.6 billion.
This machine measures 21 metres in length and has a wingspan of 52 metres. In a flight-ready configuration, it weighs 152 metric tonnes, of which 76 metric tonnes are fuel. It can carry 23 metric tonnes of armaments in internal bays, which are designed to have both nuclear and conventional weapons.
The B-2 Spirit remains the newest strategic bomber used by the American military. However, that does not mean it will not have a successor. Work on its successor is already at a very advanced stage. This refers to the strategic bomber B-21 Raider, which has already completed its first flights.
Bomber used during World War II
The B-29 Superfortress, on the other hand, has a much more "classic" look. It was produced by Boeing and used by the USA, among others, during World War II and the Korean War. The USA used these machines during the bombings of Hiroshima (B-29 named "Enola Gay") and Nagasaki (B-29 named "Bockscar").
The B-29 Superfortress measures approximately 30 metres in length and has a wingspan of about 43 metres. Four Wright R-3350-23 engines power it.
