Offensive Weapons Carried by Northrop Grumman B-2A Spirit

Although originally designed strictly for the nuclear mission, the B-2 Spirit can also carry a wide range of conventional weapons. Since the external carriage of weapons would be inconsistent with stealth, all of the weapons are carried internally in two bomb bays in which munitions are stored either on a rotary launcher or on two bomb racks. The B-2 can carry up to 60,000 pounds of ordnance.

The B-2A is certified to carry the following weapons:

• B83 free-fall nuclear bomb. Selectable yield of 1-2 MT. This waapon was retired in November 2022.
  
• B61-11 penetrating nuclear weapon. Has a needle-nosed casing and is designed to bury itself up to 50 feet in the ground before exploding.
  
• Mk 82 high explosive bomb.
  
• Mk 36 high explosive bomb
  
• Mk 84 high explosive bomb, 2000 pounds each.
  
• GATS/GAM (GPS-Aided Targeting System/GPS-Aided Munitions. This is a new class of weapon which was introduced when the TASSM was cancelled, and is designed as an interim system that would serve until the JDAM was ready. The system involves an existing bomb which is fitted with a set of moveable fins and a guidance system consisting of GPS receivers. Before release, the weapon control system is programmed with the flightpath that the aircraft's weapons control system predict will lead to the target. The guidance system will then use GPS to remove random errors and unpredictable factors such as shifting winds. The gliding bomb is a 2000-lb Mk 84. It has a glide range of nearly 15 miles downrange or 8 miles downrange and crossrange when released from an altitude of 40,000 feet. A grooved aerodynamic jacket is strapped to the bomb to keep it falling at a constant angle. A circular error probability of less than 20 feet can supposedly be achieved. Up to 16 of these weapons can be carried. When fitted to the 2000-lb Mk 84 bomb, the system is known as GAM-84. The system can also be attached to the BLU-113 4695-lb hard-target penetrator, becoming the GAM-113.
  
• Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM). This is a low-cost guidance kit that can be attached to existing 1000-pound bombs such as the Mk 83 or BLU-110 or to 2000-pound bombs such as the Mk 84 or BLU-109. The JDAM kit is designated GBU-31 when attached to 2000-lb bombs and GBU-32 when attached to 1000-lb bombs. Variants include the GBU-31(V)1/B which is installed on standard Mk-84 bombs, and the GBU-31(V)3/B which includes a BLU-109 penetrator warhead. The kit includes a set of guidance fins that can be attached to the rear of the bomb, plus some strakes that provide lift. The bomb is guided by an inertial navigation system which steers the bomb to a predetermined target given to a GPS receiver. The system is not quite as accurate as laser-guided bombs, but the the system can be used in all weather conditions, since there is no need for target designation or visual acquisition. In addition, there is no need to remain in the target area to guide the bomb to impact via data link. In the original configuration, the B-2 could carry up to 16 Mk 84/BLU-109 JDAMs. An upgrade program in 2004 raised the maximum capacity to 80 JDAMs.
  
• Raytheon AGM-154 Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW). This is a winged missile which can glide up to 40 miles and can carry either a unitary warhead or a set of cluster bombs. The A version has a warhead consisting of 145 BLU-97/B bomblets which have a shaped charged to defeat armor, a fragmenting case for material destruction and a zirconium ring for incendiary damage. The B version carries six BLU-108/B submunitions, where each is designed to release four projectiles that use an infrared sensor to detect their target. Upon detonating, a shaped charge is created by the explosion, enabling each to penetrate reinforced armor. It is guided by a combined GPS/INS and is capable of day or night and adverse weather operations. Variants include the AGM-154A/BLU-97 Combined Effects bomblet and BLU-107SFW submunitions for area and armored targets.
  
• AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM). This is a precision and stealthy cruise missile, weighing about 2000 pounds that is currently under development. The system is guided by an autonomous system, probably a combination of GPS/INS midcourse control with an imaging infrarred terminal seeker. The vehicle is powered by a Teledyne J402 engine. The range is classified. It was started in FY 1996 as a replacement for the Tri-Service Standoff Attack Missile (TSSAM) that was cancelled due to technical problems and escalating costs.

  The CBU-78 Combined Effect Munition can be carried by the B-2A. It is a cluster bomb. It can be used in conjunction with the Wind Corrected Munitions Despensor, which can make the CEM a precision guided weapon, designated CBU-103.

  The B-2 can carry the 30,000 lb Massive Ordnance Penetrator, which is designed to attack reinforced bunkers. Up to 2 MOPs could be carried in the internal bomb bays.

Sources:

1. B-2 "Stealth Bomber", Bill Sweetman and Robert F. Dorr, World Air Power Journal, Vol 31, Winter 1997.
   
   
2. Air Combat Command's Bomber Force, Don Logan, Combat Aircraft Vol 2, No 2, May-June 1999.
   
   
3. Air Intel, by Tom Kaminski, April 1999, Combat Aircraft Vol 2, No 1.
   
   
4. JDAM--The Future of Bombing, Lon Nordeen, Air Forces Monthly, No. 136, July.
   
   
5. Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_B-2_Spirit
   
   
6. E-mail from Vahe Demirjian on cancellation of B83 free-fall bomb