[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 114 (Thursday, August 5, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1752]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                  TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE B-2 BOMBER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. IKE SKELTON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, August 4, 1999

  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, let me take this means to recognize the 
tenth anniversary of the first flight of the B-2 bomber. The 
anniversary was recently celebrated at a ceremony at Air Force Plant 42 
in Palmdale, CA, on July 17, 1999.
  The first public display of the B-2 was in late 1988, at Air Force 
Plant 42 in Palmdale, CA. This was followed by the first flight of the 
B-2 on July 17, 1989, at Edwards Air Force Base, CA. Northrop Gumman's 
Military Aircraft Systems Division unveiled its brand new product--a 
low-observability, Multi-role bomber that can fly 6,000 nautical miles 
(9,600 kilometers) without refueling. The plane's revolutionary design, 
while instantly recognizable to the human eye, makes it all but 
invisible to radar.
  The B-2 is an engineering marvel. The plane's low-observability 
characteristic derives from a combination of reduced infrared acoustic, 
electromagnetic, visual, and radar signatures. These facts make it 
difficult for even the most sophisticated defensive systems to detect 
and engage the B-2. While most of the technical aspects of the plane 
remain classified, the B-2 owes some of its stealth capabilities to 
special coatings, the flying wing design, and the composite materials 
of which it is made. These innovations are complemented by the highest-
precision bombing technology in existence. The B-2 is now outfitted 
with the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kit. This system 
combines the Global Positioning System and Inertial Navigation System 
for incredibly accurate bombing.
  The B-2 is based at Whiteman Air Force Base, near Knof Noster, MO. 
The first B-2, the Spirit of Missouri, was delivered to Whiteman on 
December 17, 1993. During the recent air war, B-2 made 30-hour round-
trip missions from this base to Kosovo, where they dropped eleven 
percent of the precision ordnance while flying less than one percent of 
the sorties. As General Leroy Barnidge said at the tenth anniversary 
ceremony, ``The airplane exceeded everybody's expectations. It's got a 
war-fighting capability that is second to none.''
  Mr. Speaker, I know that all of our colleagues in the House will join 
me in celebrating the tenth anniversary of the most revolutionary 
design in bombing aircraft since World War II.

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