Why No Nation Wants to Battle America's B-2 Stealth Bomber
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Dave Majumdar [2]
A pair of United States Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bombers hit terrorist targets in Libya on last Wednesday. The strike killed more than 80 Islamic State terrorists.
“In conjunction with the Libyan Government of National Accord, the U.S. military conducted precision airstrikes Wednesday night destroying two ISIL camps 45 kilometers southwest of Sirte,” outgoing Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement. “The ISIL terrorists targeted included individuals who fled to the remote desert camps from Sirte in order to reorganize, and they posed a security threat to Libya, the region, and U.S. national interests. While we are still evaluating the results of the strikes, the initial assessment indicates they were successful.”
While the Northrop Grumman-built stealth bomber might seem like it would overkill to hit targets inside permissive airspace where there is no air threat or surface-to-air threat, Air Force officials said that there are circumstances that could have made the B-2 ideal for the strike. Nonetheless, the Air Force didn’t necessarily choose the B-2 itself, such assets are usually requested by the combatant commander.
Source URL (retrieved on January 23, 2017):
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/why-no-nation-wants-battle-americas-b-2-stealth-bomber-19151
