Northrop B-2 Spirit: America's Stealth Bomber

[@megaprojects9649]

Get Surfshark VPN at Surfshark.deals/MEGA and enter promo code MEGA for 83% off and 3 extra months for free!

[@willynebula6193]

Your comment is 2 weeks old, how does that work? Also thanks Simon for the side project on the Russian woodpecker. I suggested it in the comments, cheers!

[@mustafaemad3614]

Please make a video about Bar Lev Line, costing around $300 million in 1973.

[@Eatrocksboii]

@@mustafaemad3614 here in Newfoundland they’re making a hydro electric facility that has cost over 7 billion dollars so far

[@Attilles]

@dimapez As I understand it GPS can be made to work passively, using the signals from the 4 satellites the device should be able to calculate its location without emitting any signals of its own.

[@mustafaemad3614]

@@Eatrocksboii its not only about the cost, Bar Lev Line has a plot twist to it's story.

[@danieltaylor5231]

31 years is getting up there for a military plane. B-52: That's cute.

[@Predator42ID]

C-130. Dang I look good for my age. M2 Browning, I am immortal.

[@AAaa-pm3rr]

The B-52s are only in service because the USSR fell.

[@bobthebomb1596]

@@AAaa-pm3rr Yes, but they are no going any time soon.

[@AAaa-pm3rr]

@@bobthebomb1596 Actually they are. China is becoming an issue. Also, the Taliban are getting new equipment. They will be retired sooner than you think.

[@robert2935]

@@AAaa-pm3rr

[@olliversdad8447]

Before the B2 was unveiled, jack northrop was given special permission to see the aircraft. When he was wheeled into the hangar. jack Northrop said, “Now I know why god kept me alive for so long “ the B2 wing span is the exact same width as the XB47 flying wing that Jack Northrop built. The X47 was beyond the technology of its time. When the USAir Force declined to purchase his X47, he was ordered to destroy all flying models and jugs. This broke Jack Northrops heart. He then stepped down as head of Northrop aircraft company.

[@joshmckinney3254]

I once had the honor to fly with the ANG 117th Air Refueling Wing during a training operation to refuel a B-2 and I can absolutely confirm this thing is utterly terrifying in the sky. It appeared behind our KC-135 tanker completely without notice, refueled, and vanished seemingly into nothingness as quickly and quietly as it appeared. We saw neither where it came from, nor where it went. It's an enormous aircraft that has a real knack for making itself look and feel an order of magnitude smaller than it is. Not to mention it has the same radar signature as a pigeon with a slight fever.

[@jasonjones6328]

@Richard Hopkins that's not why he didn't hear it. At normal flight speeds you can't hear it coming . I live near where they flew. Only time you heard them was landing and taking off or after one fly by you.

[@atdawnweslept]

@Richard Hopkins It's immensely quieter than any aircraft I've ever heard, and the noise dissipates quickly at relatively short distances.

[@comradeclaus]

You wouldn’t hear it as well inside a flying KC-135 now would you?

[@joshmckinney3254]

@Richard Hopkins I meant "quickly and quietly" as somewhat of a metaphor. I'm sure it sounds like a jet when it's flying. My point stands; the B-2 has a knack for sneaking up on you.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

Well, the radar signature on American "stealth" aircraft is big enough that a Serbian guerrilla's Soviet era anti-aircraft missile could see it and hit it.

[@anoopster]

Great video. However, one point I think you missed is the economic and life-saving benefits of the typical B2 mission. To pull off a sortie with the same results would require an aircraft carrier and a minimum of 30 aircraft for tactical support, bombing, and refueling--that's well over 50 human assets at risk not including those on the carrier. A single B2 from Missouri along with refueling tankers can pull off the same task much much much cheaper and with significantly less human lives at risk and a higher probability of success. Everyone is caught up in the upfront cost but forgets the true costs of conducting military operations.

[@MattH-wg7ou]

Good point, the operating cost of the B2 are exceedingly high as well. But not enough to offset all the costs of what it would take to replace it, as you mention!

[@venera13]

Recommendation: Bathyscaphe Triest. The first crewed vehicle to reach the deepest point in the ocean. It was truly a mega project from development to its deep dive. Include the history from Bathyspheres to the Triest and you have a pretty great story.

[@kylejheard91]

yaaassss

[@ericalbers4867]

*deepest feature in the ocean They missed the absolute deepest point if I recall. That's still untouched. So they reached the Mariana but not the deepest part of the trench. I'll have to double-check this though. Still it's crazy nonetheless.

[@ericalbers4867]

Lol just checked. Yeah that time they didn't but in 2012 James Cameron reached it. Damn that took a long time to accomplish lol.

[@kirksorum2720]

Trieste can be seen at U.S.Naval Undersea Museum @ Keyport, Washington.

[@petert3355]

@@ericalbers4867 The thing that will really spin you out.... More people have walked on the moon than have been to the deepest point in Earth's oceans.

[@deadfreightwest5956]

In 1988 I hired on to Boeing and was assigned to an "L" shop, meaning at the time it was Boeing Military Airplanes. We made lots of parts for the B2, and every single one of them was labeled as a "bracket" on the unclassified drawings. I can't look at the B2 without thinking it's made entirely of brackets.

[@Gun5hip]

lmao

[@adctvuk5035]

Ooh be careful you might find the fbi crashing through the ceiling if you say too much

[@deadfreightwest5956]

@@Gun5hip - More fun facts: At the time, the Green River Killer was at large, and on a murdering spree. One night, (I worked graveyard) the phone rang and I answered, "L-3310, how may I help you?" And a woman asked if this was the line for tips on the GRK. I said, no, this wasn't. One time a guard came running into the shop with his pistol drawn. "Did you see it?!" "See what?" "A possum ... it was [..... this ....] big!" "No, sir, I haven't"

[@tehbonehead]

LMAO! I'm a designer who strongly (obsessively) believes in integration... BRACKETS are my mortal enemy! That would have ended me! ☠☠☠🤣

[@rodgerhecht3623]

I installed a lot of brackets on the plane. Always fun.

[@balthazargelos7157]

Please do a video on the electrical grid! That thing is freaking huge!

[@Unmentioned77]

I second this

[@Jsh0w]

I concur.

[@crusadingdistance3391]

I 4th this

[@JohnDoe-tt6bh]

and A giant mess sadly!

[@Lykapodium]

The US electrical grid is the largest machine in the world

[@johnennen9381]

Wow! after reading many of the comments below I really feel old. I worked this program for many years, lived in the AV and at AF Plant 42, site 4, sometimes actually living at the facility. I was a manufacturing engineering type, and supported the build of all 20 AC's. Of the 50+ programs I have worked on in my career, the B2 was the absolute Best! I'm proud to have been associated with it and still get excited every time I see it fly either on TV or in person.

[@chazmichaelmichaels88]

Awesome story! My grandfather got to work on the B2 as well. The Ford factory and a Lancaster, CA location from. 86 to 95. He also worked on the B1. He just turned 91 yesterday.

[@decoservices]

This aircraft is a whole lot larger than people think...truly a mesmerizing sight to see one in the air. Great job on covering this Simon...another stellar segment!

[@mrmacguff1n]

The US: Why yes indeed, we will fly Halfway across the world and back, simply to keep our Pimp Hand Strong

[@mrmacguff1n]

@N Webb well if they don't fuck around like ww2 Japan, hopefully they won't find out

[@MajesticSkywhale]

@@mrmacguff1n imagine a world where putting a stop to the rape and genocide of an entire hemisphere with 2 bomb drops makes idiots think you did genocide too

[@skyden24195]

I've read this several times and I keep thinking 😂

[@lowtdave]

@@MajesticSkywhale that was really well said. People just want to hate The US.

[@butthead6051]

A pimps love is very different from that of a square

[@c.w.frerking]

I actually live just a few miles away from their base in Missouri, I will occasionally see a B-2 do a casual flyover, may not hear it sneak up and it disappears just as fast as you notice it. It's truly awesome seeing one fly over town.

[@24934637]

Considering how old the B2 is now, it really surprises me that I've only ever seen one in flight once. It's not exactly a frequent visitor to UK airshows! It turned up unannounced at RAIT a couple of years ago along with a B1-B

[@poncho6784]

Living not far from their home base in Missouri we get to see these graceful birds of prey fly fairly frequently. A truly amazing feat of engineering.

[@FixedGearFox]

No joke, I have a family friend who flew the B-2 back when it was introduced in the late 90's into the late 2000's. Guy flew missions over Iraq in Iraqi Freedom, as well as Kosovo, and Afghanistan. Nicest guy you'd ever meet, never think he flew one of the most advanced aircraft ever.

[@gabenchrist7331]

Then think about how many people he probably killed

[@p_serdiuk]

@@gabenchrist7331 He would not be responsible for that anyway.

[@FixedGearFox]

@@gabenchrist7331 I do. They were people that deserved it, and I am proud to call him a friend. Do you even know what went on in Kosovo?

[@gabenchrist7331]

@@FixedGearFox it wasn't meant to be offensive just because you said "never think he flew one of the most advanced aircraft ever"

[@ВладимирПеришић]

@@p_serdiuk No, my grandma was responsible.

[@midlifeduck7040]

I remember back in 1994 when my father was stationed on Terceira Island Azores. The B-2 bomber landed on the island. They had some insane security. Even as a 12 year old living there with my family the security details still were incredible strict. You couldn't stop and look at the planes without the threat of being arrested and being held until the planes had left the island and had completed whatever they were doing. This was my 1st experience with US Government Military Police. Those guys don't fuck around. They are given orders and they follow them. Whether you're 12 and a civilian or in your 30's and military personnel. Which Terceira Island Lajes Field Azores was once considered the gas station of the atlantic ocean. Might be worth a geographics video.

[@brettiup]

Simon, there was actually a second B-2 crash. Major Vic Deakins tried to steal the two nuclear weapons in the payload during a training exercise in Utah . Thankfully, their devious plan was thwarted by Captain (and co-pilot) Riley Hale and park ranger Terry Carmichael.

[@mikeyoung9810]

"Broken Arrow". John Travolta and Christian Slater.

[@adamyo9003]

Is this a Broken Arrow reference? I like it. Haha

[@michaelshortland8863]

?????

[@adctvuk5035]

Don't forget that captain hale went mad and tried killing deakins apparently

[@wardaddyindustries4348]

Great movie haven't seen it in years.

[@rykerhasyounow]

I like how we account all that spent revenue to one aircraft. The tech that came out of its RnD has probably been used in every next gen military aircraft since.

[@moisttowlette123]

The X-15 was and absolute rocket because... Well... It was. It also was not a fighter jet. It was an experimental high altitude/high speed aircraft meant to do testing at hypersonic speeds. In fact, this aircraft was very important to the US space program, with multiple pilots receiving their astronaut wings. Definitely worth a mega/side projects video of its own

[@trevisagie]

please do the "Rockwell B-1 lancer" next.

[@skyden24195]

Please, Yes! Da B-ONE!

[@adamloverin231]

Oh hell yes. The B-1b is a sexy beast.

[@HBC423]

The best looking plane

[@farshadmn4273]

Was Just thinking about B1 VS B2

[@skyden24195]

@@farshadmn4273 😄

[@RepublicanMartian]

I'm from Palmdale and I can tell you that seeing these things doing touch and goes is a sight to behold. I remember my dad taking my sister and I to see a Spirit fly low over a stretch of road one day. It was awe inspiring.

[@johntotten4872]

I watched a doc on the YB 49 (Flying Wing) that was very interesting. The wing would fly but all the adjustments needed all the time made it damn near impossible to keep it up safely. Fast forward to computers being so much smaller and more powerful they are capable of making the calculations needed to keep it up in the air. Thanks Simon for the videos as I stumbled on your channel a few days ago (Subbed to several of your other ones as well) and have been binge watching the content and loving every second of it.

[@dv4310]

“Grace and elegance that contrasts with well...the absolute hell it’s capable of unleashing”... I don’t know why you have to bring my girlfriend into this, but ok....

[@dankuser8303]

Damn

[@ameybirulkar7503]

LOL.

[@nethascotx24]

Damn bro

[@om617yota8]

Dated a girl like that too.

[@Jakob_The_Stoic_Norseman]

That's rough buddy

[@battlesheep2552]

When I was a kid, I went to an airshow that's held every year in my home town and we had a rare treat: a B2 Spirit was being transferred at the time and it made a detour to pass over the airshow. What I remembered is how silent it was: you couldn't hear anything from it until it was right on top of you

[@MrYTGuy1]

My mom had couple of these stationed at her base. She was high enough rank that I was allowed to see them up close. It was like seeing the bat jet IRL

[@thunderbird1921]

Crazy how modern stealth jets like the F-22 and F-35 look almost normal now.

[@nephos100]

'General Mom'?

[@kingtachalla6181]

You're mom got ran thru lmao Barrack bunny

[@perpetualjon]

I worked on the B-2 during it's short production run back in the 90's. I remember a part of the movie Terminator 2 where the backstory about how Skynet is first formed was recounted: "... All stealth bombers are upgraded with Cyberdyne computers becoming fully unmanned. Afterwards, they fly with a perfect operational record. The Skynet funding bill is passed..." It may have been an unintentional association, but the fact that most B-2 missions are flown from US bases, it becomes a grueling long flight that would actually be a perfect sort of mission for an unmanned aircraft. So, it was a lucky guess for the people writing the screenplay of Terminator 2. I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this concept (turning any new stealth bombers into unmanned aircraft that is).

[@fedoramoviereviews7603]

Thank you for covering this magnificent gem. I know it was my comment specifically that inspired you to do so. You're welcome.

[@darinostrom4787]

Ah, so you're the one. I was wondering.

[@Humbertusmarius]

One interesting fact is that Northrop engineers visited German aircraft designer Reimar Horten at his ranch in Argentina during the early 1980's. His work on flying wings goes back to the early 1930's, he and his brother Walter flew the world's first all-wing jet aircraft in Germany shortly before the end of World War II. I met Horten's son at the Oshkosh Airventure show in 2019, where he told me about his father's secret involvement in the B-2 project.

[@peterson7082]

?

[@fartvader84yearsago8]

B-2: *costs 1.3 billion dollars Jeff Bezos: Yeah, i want like 10 please

[@OrigamiNerd123]

$2.1B*

[@kyejt-r]

11:28 I like how soothing cute sounding music is playing as the video shows the plane dropping an ungodly amount of bombs from its fuselage......

[@isaactjones]

The revolutionary flying wing. It's a marvel of modern day stealth technology.

[@lucasarnold298]

It totally is I love the B2 spirit it is such a great stealth plane. The design and functionality is just so cool

[@unocualqu1era]

The revolutionary flying wing isn't something that the B2 should take credit for. Look up the Horten Ho 229, which wasn't even the first flying wing either, just one of the most famous early ones. B2 is the culmination of many decades of flying wing designs and it's certainly not the first stealth plane either, so I'd say evolutionary is a lot more fitting than revolutionary for this plane Don't get me wrong it's a great plane but in many ways it was a derivative of something else

[@noctisumbra2749]

@@unocualqu1era The Horten Ho 229 was old news when it came out, if you really want to look at flying wings look at Jack Northrop's YB-35, N-9M and his earlier flying wing work.

[@unocualqu1era]

@@noctisumbra2749 Yeah that's why I said it wasn't the first, seems like flying wings were designed and built as early as the 1920's. My point is the B2 is a derivative of something else in almost everyway, but somehow it always gets a lot of credit for being a stealthy flying wing despite just being an evolution/refinement of earlier work

[@noctisumbra2749]

@@unocualqu1era Right but I'm damn tired of people giving Horton credit for Northrop's life work especially when he build two nearly visually identical aircraft with props that both flew before the Germans even started their program.

[@Eatrocksboii]

Recommendation: muskrat falls. Located in Newfoundland, Canada. Our annual provincial budget is only 2 billion dollars and this project was projected at 2 billion and they’ve spent more then 7 billion so far. It’s going to be a hydro electric facility and ugh it’s just been going so bad. We love you Simon! You rock xo

[@sandybarnes887]

Yeah. I hope it works out. We need that power with Holyrood aging so much

[@Eatrocksboii]

@@sandybarnes887 so awesome to see another newfie fan of Simon!!

[@sandybarnes887]

@@Eatrocksboii I'm a huge fan of the cocaine fueled (allegedly) mega channel producing wonder boi with the blaze. All 11 of em. It's great to see another resident of the Rock

[@eeik5150]

The B2 has the radar signature of a bumblebee. Good luck picking that up.

[@mrmacguff1n]

12:30 Eyyy, it's St Louis. Gotta love the Arch

[@Thesnakerox]

I got to see one of these things fly at an air show in my town a long while back. I'd seen numerous pictures before, but it looked almost like an alien vehicle from a distant galaxy in person, and compared to all the other aircraft that flew before and after it, it was pretty much silent.

[@LickTheShaft]

About 10 years ago I was driving home from work, a few days before a local airshow, on a backroad, and the weather was nice so I had the sunroof open. Suddenly there was a huge shadow above me. I look up and see a B-2 just a few thousand (or so it looked like) feet above me, completely silent and just passing over. I've been in awe ever since.

[@aburetik4866]

B2 is an decades old crap. The Chinese H20 stealth bomber is way better.

[@gregedwards1087]

Silent? Must have been the glider variant.

[@gregedwards1087]

@@aburetik4866, H20, made of water and is disguised as a cloud.

[@ActuallyJamie]

You hear the B2 LONG before you even see it

[@michaelpelzek8882]

@@aburetik4866 where is your Chinese stealth plane? I hear alot about china but see nothing.

[@roberthenry9319]

Another truly awesome video. Nobody on the internet comes close to informing us about amazing and marvelous things as beautifully well as Simon does. Just think about the planning, studying and editing that goes into making these videos. Absolutely remarkable. Each video, no matter the topic, is a treasure.

[@emmamontgomery448]

One of the things that happens when it goes into stealth mode is that certain antennas retract into the fuselage for a smooth surface,just thought I’d share that👍

[@russchadwell]

X-15 a "fighter jet"? Wow! They really are extending the life of some of these ol birds, and apparently changing some of their missions!

[@mattbutcher8419]

Recommendation: a U boat or perhaps a dreadnought battleship

[@ericmason349]

Post 9/11 a B-2 performed overflights of Ground Zero when Dick Cheney was at the memorial service. It did loops over Long Island Sound at a low level and was VERY IMPRESSIVE.

[@rovercoupe7104]

The X-15 was a rocket-powered aeroplane, not a fighter jet.

[@robertreynolds1044]

I was born in Whiteman air force base in '61,don't remember it at all, left when I was a yearling. My dad was the base projectionist and the story was he took me to work before home, the movie, "Psycho". I'm Bicycle Bob and I approved this message. I'm looking for an O'Dell, not sure if first or last name of my Dad's best friend, a black man whose name I proudly carry.

[@robertgrenader858]

Jack Northrop's dream was to build a flying wing aircraft for the USAF; he died in February of 1981. In the months before his death, he was brought back in to be allowed to hold a scale model of the then incredibly secret B-2. He got to see the validation of his life's dream.

[@Eatrocksboii]

Simon!! Me and my boyfriend are from Newfoundland in Canada. We watch you every single day, and night. All your channels! :) I swear if you look up our little island it’s pot of gold of inspiration for your channels. When it comes to mega projects you should do a video on muskrat falls!! Its a hydro electric facility that has cost over 7 billion dollars so far and our annual provincial budget is only 2 billion. It’s a billion dollar project that’s sucking money from Newfoundland’s pockets and it’s one of the biggest if not the biggest project in Canada and North America. Maybe not biggest but very expensive. It’s been very mishandled. Anyways we love you!! Hope to see a Newfoundland video soon and if you ever wanna come visit hit us up!! ❤️

[@sanghoonlee5171]

When I saw this aircraft, I understood why some people clamed to have seen a triangular UFO. It looks out of this world.

[@totallynotwill519]

As somebody who lives about 20 miles from "their base in Missouri" it's not uncommon to see one from time to time around Kansas City. Actually just saw one yesterday in a holding pattern as it was waiting to do the flyover for the playoffs at arrowhead stadium.

[@paddyneill1964]

I see them fly over The Lake of the Ozarks area every once in awhile. I mainly see A-10’s 😎. I’m from Independence.

[@paddyneill1964]

GO CHIEFS !!!!

[@dreadnoughtprime6301]

'MURICAAAAAAA!!! Love the vids, Simon. I dont know if it counts as a megaproject, but can a video be made about the T28/T95 Superheavy Tank Destroyer?

[@paktahn]

it isnt a tank destroyer it is an assault gun it was developed for use in breaching the siegfried line in europe during ww2 mainly to be used against hardened bunkers

[@dreadnoughtprime6301]

@@paktahn I know, but more people are familiar with the term I used. You dont have to like it, but I didn't ask you to. Thanks, internet "know-it-all".

[@stalkbroker9463]

@@paktahn What's your point? A mere technicality or preference of terminology? Either way, it was never used in the war as it had been intended, and thus it could have been used for anything. Played War Thunder EVER?

[@dreadnoughtprime6301]

@@stalkbroker9463 Agreed. Also, im aware it was designated as a GMC, but had so much freaking armor with that 305mm thick plate on its front that the "gun motor carriage" designation was oddly inappropriate considering there was nothing else like it in the US arsenal at the time.

[@krystalbrooks6869]

The AGM-129 is another government black program out of Edward's. The AGM-129 we use to call the post hole digger. The AGM-129 can be fitted for nuclear or conventional. This stealth low level (ground terrain) "bomb" sat in the second hanger from base ops at Edward's. The reason we nickname the AGM-129 the post hole digger is because this bomb as a conventional bomb makes a hole so huge, in the picture you see a small man standing outside the enormous hole in the ground. This bomb is a city leveler or at least a small town.

[@farmerlarbear2244]

My aviation flex is growing up with a stepdad who was a concrete contractor at Plant 42/Skunkworks for 20+ yrs thru the 70’s-80’s. And my real dads house was less than a mile from Skunkworks with a 100% (at the time)clear straight shot at the Skunk hangers and the runways. I saw all the awesome stuff up very very close. In the air and on the ground. I just found some B2 pics my mom took from directly beneath at a couple thousand feet a few weeks . Sooo freaking cool.

[@nb31b]

“B-1 Raider”... even included artist rendering showed actual “B-21” designation... was the writer half asleep during this one? lol

[@angelarch5352]

:D ya, B-21 is the correct number. C'mon guys, the actual B-1 is still in service right now and it's been flying for decades, lol:)

[@Odin029]

I saw a B-2 at an airshow and it's really cool in person. When it's flying right at you, you can barely see it. Even from fairly close it looks like a very thin black line in the sky if you can see it at all. When it banked, we all got a great look at that cool shape.

[@marsgal42]

The whole point of "classified", in other words. This magnificent airplane is useful because it's hard to detect. If the wrong people found out how hard is hard, they might be able to do something about it.

[@simonm1447]

Stealth aircraft are usually flown with radar reflectors if they are not used in a military mission, to prevent the enemy from detecting the real RCS. But even if the RCS would be known, stealth still gives a big advantage. You can build a radar with a low frequency which can detect it, but for shooting it down you need a fire control radar which don't work on a low frequency, and it can't really follow the aircraft on the higher frequency needed for fire control.

[@marsgal42]

@@simonm1447 Makes sense. I'm sure civilian ATC would be much happier with a plane they can actually see on primary radar.

[@simonm1447]

@@marsgal42 at least in EU the civil ATC is not using primary radar, but secondary radar. So the military aircraft have to activate their transponders to be seen by the ATC. The military is using primary radar for airspace observation here.

[@colormedubious4747]

@@marsgal42 Civilian ATC radars don't really see aircraft. They see transponders.

[@marsgal42]

@@colormedubious4747 I’m aware of the difference between primary and secondary radar. Both of which are used by Canadian ATC.

[@Mikeonyoutuification]

I saw a B-2 fly overhead at an airshow. It was like a spaceship. I could just barely see it coming in at first, because of its low profile. It wasn't that loud as it flew overhead, thanks to the engines being on top of the aircraft.

[@thedyingmeme6]

I love the Spirit. The one at Dayton Air Force Museum is GORGEOUS.

[@danschreimann215]

I grew up only like 10 miles from whiteman af base where the b2 is stationed. Those things are so impressive to see, they are loud as fuck when they're directly overhead but they get quiet pretty quickly when they get out a little further from you

[@billove42]

My first job straight out of college was for Boeing (Boeing Military Airplanes) in 1986 as an Avionics Test Engineer. I had to get a security clearance before they would tell me what I'd be working on - ended up being the B2 project. I was the first person in a team of 4 to go down to Northrop (Pico Rivera) for a year to integrate Boeing's Avionics subsystem with Northrop's system. The thing about having stealth nuclear bombers is that it adds the human factor. You can tell the bad guy that the bombers are on their way and the negotiations need to be completed within X hours so we can tell the pilots to turn back. Much harder to do that when you launch ICBMs.

[@AtheistOrphan]

Shows correctly labelled image of B-21, refers to it as a B-1.

[@sagesheahan6732]

Wow. He thought of Minnesota. Thanks! From: a Minnesotan.

[@lucasarnold298]

Me seeing there is a new megaprojects video: OMG :)

[@MrSabumaru]

Me seeing a new Simon video ...woohooo :)

[@TheKalaxis]

I'm a simple man. I see a MegaProjects video, I click play.

[@spaceman081447]

@Megaprojects At 11:27, ". . . US X-15 fighter jet . . ." The X-15 is not a fighter; it's an experimental aircraft. The "X" stands for "experimental." It's also not a "jet." It's a completely rocket-powered aircraft.

[@imitaridevivere1281]

Greetings Simon, I got a mega project for your channel, and this one might be very relevant soon - the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico AO was the biggest radio telescope in the world, until FAST (Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope) was finished in 2016. It’s still home to the world’s most powerful (sensitive) ground-based radar. As early as last week a main cable broke, putting the structural integrity of the facility at risk. Before that, on August 10th, an auxiliary cable broke as well. I can serve as a fact-checking source for this episode, but I, by no means whatsoever will represent the Arecibo Observatory or its managing entities. I just like your channel a lot and I think the Arecibo Observatory should represent part your collection of science videos.

[@jaymzx0]

I second this suggestion! Looking at what it still does, you wouldn't think it was made in the early 1960s.

[@ericalbers4867]

I lived in Kansas City must of my life and saw it all the time. Airshows had them and anytime the Chiefs played they would fly over the stadium. Sometimes during Royals games too. You almost can't see it until it's pretty much on top of you and they're very quiet (in jet terms), though you can still hear it if your outside. It does have, as part of it's "stealth up" more that quiets the engines significantly. Though at a sacrifice of thrust. At night you couldn't see them at all, even when they were flying really low, all you can see are running lights if they had them on. Overseas I saw quite a few also. Of course there I got to see them in their full glory. Normally you knew when ordinance was on its way. Most bombers and support aircraft are loud. I could fall asleep to the sounds of the one god's call with they need help, the A-10. This beast though.. nothing. Just sudden and complete destruction. Imagine being outside with a beer just relaxing, and suddenly 10 city blocks are obliterated with no warning.

[@SilvanaDil]

China: We don't know how to copy it. Waaaaah!

[@BrianEckert00]

You should make a Side Projects about all the different non-nuclear bombs and missiles you mentioned in this. Or a Geographics on Dresden and the massive fire bombing during WWII

[@CptBojanglez]

My grandfather made the engines for these planes when he worked for General Electric in Cincinnati Ohio.

[@brianb-p6586]

The low-visibility grey colour is described as if it is special stealth feature of the B-2, but in fact it is just normal modern military practice. There is a US standard for this (MIL-STD-2161A, _Paint Schemes And Exterior Markings For US Navy And Marine Corps Aircraft_ ); this this specific standard may not apply to the Air Force, the practice is similar. NATO even requires that aircraft from member countries participating in joint operations use low-visibility grey.

[@BrandonKent136]

"X-15 Fighter Jet"... it is neither of those. it is not a fighter, or a jet

[@scottsackett4665]

Dude, can we get video on the A-12 Avenger next? I recently saw the mock up at the Fort Worth Aviation museum.

[@megaprojects9649]

Not next, takes a while to make these, but I’ll totally look into that :)

[@spychopath]

The X-15 was never a fighter.... nor was it a jet, it was a rocket powered hypersonic test bed.

[@mindtouchone]

I saw one of these doing a low and slow flyover at an air show. What remains in my mind is how quiet it was as it approached .

[@demilembias2527]

I guarantee someone caught a glimpse of this thing being tested and completely believed they had seen a UFO. I honestly would too lol.

[@SRFriso94]

11:25 Just a quick correction: The X-15 was not a fighter, nor was it a jet. It was an experimental plane, all three of which belonged to NASA, and was used for studying the upper atmosphere in the early 1960s, when it was cheaper and easier to send a manned plane than it was to send a satellite. It was launched from under the wing of a B-52 bomber, would fire its single rocket engine for about two minutes until it was anywhere between 80 and 100 km above the Earth, and then glide back to Edwards AFB. One of the more notable pilots of the X-15 program was one Neil Armstrong, and it nearly got him killed when his plane skipped off the atmosphere. Possibly a fun one for Sideprojects.

[@neilbalch]

The US GAO is the Government Accountability Office, not the General Accounting Office, right?

[@ericpmoss]

IIRC it switched from the latter name to the former.

[@gianpaolovillani6321]

The B2 Spirit is a beautiful bomber, I want it to remain operational for many more decades, it must never be replaced unnecessarily.

[@fr89k]

"It has cooking facilities on board" - Yeah, a microwave...

[@fr89k]

@Frank Silvers But I wouldn't call it "cooking facilities" if it's just a microwave...

[@fr89k]

@Frank Silvers Technically a TucTuc is also a car. Still, I wouldn't talk about cars if I specifically only mean a TucTuc...

[@fr89k]

@Frank Silvers Which I am not. Yes, a microwave is a cooking facility. It's still very misleading to talk about cooking facilities if you mean just only and nothing else than a microwave. If I sold you a "cooking facility" for a few thousand dollars and at the end I only give you a microwave, you would feel very cheated, because the expectation of what you get would have been very different... As I said: It is like selling you a car and then you get a TucTuc. That is technically correct. Still the expectation that goes with the word "car" is a different one... And as the week now starts again and I have more important things to do than having this super pointless discussion here, I'll be out here now...

[@TheOriginalNCDV]

This plane makes me feel really old. I remember as a teenager when it was first revealed.

[@jllucci]

A.K.A. Jack Northrop's Revenge

[@iloverush123]

Jack Northrop felt he was slighted when they cancelled the YB-49 along with flying wing development, and retired shortly thereafter. When he was allowed to view the (highly classified) drawings and models of the upcoming B-2, he was reported to have said "I know why God has kept me alive the last 25 years". I think a lot of people don't give him credit he deserves for what he contributed to aviation, this plane included.

[@davidncw4613]

"Dark Knight of the Sky" nice, very nice!

[@garrettmastantuono8043]

This makes me wonder what the hell happened to the Comanche.

[@GleichUmDieEcke]

Toborrow from the CuriousDroid video, it got scalped.

[@_NoDrinkTheBleach]

I remember the first time I saw a B2 in flight, I thought it was the most alien looking tech I'd ever seen. The F117 was an odd bird, too. But the B2 was a different animal altogether.

[@nomoremr.niceguy4778]

Hey Simon, you guys left out that to help the crews rotate naps on super long missions our boys figured out a way to stick a Walmart lawn chair in the cabin. Light, cheap, comfy. They figured out a way to tie it in so it worked like a cot. The press had fun blabbing about the 20 dollar bed in the billion dollar bomber for the 40 hour flights. Necessity is truly the mother of invention.

[@mikecowen6507]

Maybe, Simon *does* know better... I'm still 90% convinced his frequent mangling of facts/pronunciations is a gimmick to game the YT algorithms because, good or bad, like or dislike, it shows engagement, and gets us commenting like rabid wolves. So, yeah, maybe *WE* are getting played to stuff his pockets... The Emperor's New Clothes...

[@toddnolastname4485]

Naw. It was just poor training in that fake English city. Russia was failing, so they didn't have the budget to hire the good teachers they had before.

[@FSEVENMAN]

That is by far your best thumbnail pick ever. well done mate.

[@jeffreystewart6786]

I had the opportunity to tour one of the hangers in Whiteland Air Force Base where the B2s live. It's surreal standing in the cockpit of one of them.

[@chrishewitt8287]

The Horten Ho 229 was obviously a big inspiration on the design as well.

[@regalplays7135]

No, not really. Jack Northrop had been working on flying wing aircraft back in 1941, 3 years before the Horton would even begin development

[@seanmarshall5463]

I remember a low altitude flyby from a B-2 at an air show in Ohio. It did several low speed passes at an altitude of 250feet and I kid you not, it was only slightly louder than a jet flying at cruising altitude. Absolutely everything about this aircraft is stealthy.

[@bobthompson4319]

Its not hard to imagine what stealth up mode does. It likely does things like stop all radio emissions like radar radio and any other radio emissions. It also might have a system to cool the exhaust that has a short amount of a coolant or something similar or is very expensive to maintain to use all the time or reduces range and uses more fuel in a fuel rich burn for cooler exhaust. It will also pull in anything sticking out you can see this from refueling like when its connection point drops inside of it. The f-35 and the f-22 have this. They all also have things that make a larger RCS so when they do things like visit other country's near enemy's the enemy cant figure out exactly what it looks like to a radar.

[@oxcart4172]

How about a megaprojects episode on how the American 'defence' industry gets to charge whatever the hell they want and how much goes 'missing' into politician's pockets?

[@crashburn3292]

I saw the B2 fly over my town several times in June 1988. I suppose it was doing practice bombing runs. I heard a military jet, which always turns my head to the sky and I freaked seeing that shape. I've always wondered how many other people saw it and thought they were seeing alien aircraft...

[@NothernNate]

I think Ukraine could find good use with 10 of these to fight Putin with. Bwahaha!

[@zachhoward2940]

Have you considered making a video on the US Interstate Highway system? The cost of the endeavor was tremendous and resulted in an incredible increase in the US economy. I am a civil engineering graduate student and I would like to learn about this. Others would enjoy this as well due to the scale of the project. From what I understand, it is the most expensive endeavor in human history. Have a great day!

[@jesusdiscipledon1499]

Mega projects: The 2020 US presidential election

[@kaltaron1284]

Reminds me that I built a model of the F-117 as a child. I've also built a Kamow Ka-50, love the double rotors. Unfortunately a cousin of mine grabbed the model when he was young. I didn''t kill him and together with my father we were able to mostly restore it. Ive' also got a F-14 Tomcat, F-16 Fighting Falcon and Tornado. I then switched to Warhammer. I don't want to know how much that stuff is worth now...

[@Seventeen_Syllables]

One of my defining memories is of the time I hiked up Black Mountain, on the northern edge of San Diego, and looked south toward MCAS Miramar. The air show was going on and a B2 made a flyby. Black Mountain is not very big by mountain standards, but I was able to look down towards the B2 as it flew with San Diego on one side and La Jolla on the other. Now - well let's just say small world.

[@jasonjones6328]

This guy talks like the Soviets were not a threat.

[@u2mister17]

I think he believes the money would be better spent buying votes.

[@wiryantirta]

9:50 I’m a product designer and we use continuous control curvature all the time hahaha. Even your everyday cad program can do this now. Interesting trivia: same CC technique is also why it’s difficult to precisely tell on the edges of iphones where straight ends and radius starts. *its not just a fixed quarter circle radius*

[@santinoalvarado963]

As a kid I saw one flying over the New Mexico sky, and dreamed of one day getting to fly one. Unfortunately my vision is crap, and my grades were bad, so that dream will never come true, but the plane captivates me to this day. It's an amazing sight to behold, and the only pilot I've met who had flown one speaks to the wonderment of it.

[@Space_Debris]

Standing-up against the bully got us a stepping-stone. The proof of the bully's dumb luck happened at that moment.