Kirjahaku

The Lancer began its duties with Strategic Air Command as a nuclear-armed bomber in the mid-1980s. The end of the Cold War intervened, and the aircraft was removed from its nuclear missions as a result of arms control legislation. In order to retain the B-1 as a viable frontline type, the USAF re-rolled the Lancer as a potent conventional weapons carrier. The wide-range of ordnance which the B-1B can carry has seen it participating in Operation Desert Fox over Iraq, Operation Allied Force over Kosovo and Serbia, Operation Enduring Freedom against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and most recently during Operation Iraqi Freedom, when the aircraft was used to personally target Saddam Hussein.

The B-2A ‘Spirit’ was an aircraft conceived to fight the Cold War but which has proved invaluable to both the ‘New World Order’ and more recently the ‘War on Terrorism’.The combination of low-observability, precision strike, range and payload flexibility has made the ‘Spirit’ the weapon of choice when America hits its enemies at the start of a campaign. Spirits have fired the first shots of Operation ‘Allied Force’ over Kosovo and Serbia, as well as operations ‘Enduring Freedom’ and ‘Iraqi Freedom’. Despite the tremendous cost of the aircraft – each unit is literally worth its weight in gold – the B-2 has had an impact on modern warfare which has vastly exceeded this small force of 21 bombers.Developed in utmost secrecy, the B-2’s gestation saw the use of new computer design and manufacturing techniques and ultra-modern synthetic materials making it the most revolutionary aircraft in terms of design and performance. This book examines these incredible aircraft alongside stunning illustrations.