SOTD – B-2 Spirit was shot down to!

Infrared detection is also minimized. The B-2’s engines are buried deep within the wing, and exhaust is cooled and diffused to reduce heat signatures. This design complicates targeting by infrared-guided missiles, which rely on thermal contrast to lock onto aircraft. Combined with high-altitude flight profiles, the bomber often operates beyond the effective reach of many surface-to-air missile systems.

Electronic warfare capabilities further enhance survivability. The B-2 is equipped with classified countermeasures designed to jam, deceive, or overwhelm enemy radar and targeting systems. Its missions are planned using extensive satellite intelligence, threat modeling, and route optimization to avoid known air defense zones entirely. In practice, the bomber’s strategy is not to outrun or overpower defenses, but to never be seen in the first place.

Operational history supports this reputation. The B-2 has flown combat missions in Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya, often striking heavily defended targets without loss. In 1999, when a U.S. stealth aircraft was famously shot down over Serbia, it was not a B-2 but an older F-117 Nighthawk, whose stealth technology was far less advanced and whose flight patterns had become predictable. That distinction is often ignored by those conflating unrelated events.

Continue reading…