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Highly Detailed Shot of B-2 Spirit Could Get Some Russian Spy All Worked Up

The American military in general, and the U.S. Air Force in particular, do not shy away from constantly releasing images of their machines and activities, for both friends and foes to enjoy. We’re pretty confident though that none of those images make it into the public space without being thoroughgoingly scrutinized to avoid any secrets from being spilled overboard.
Detailed shot of B-2 Spirit 23 photos
Photo: USAF/Airman 1st Class Michael Killian
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So, if you’re a Russian spy that happened to stumble upon this image here and you got all excited at the prospect of learning at least some of America’s secrets, you probably got all worked up for nothing. But that doesn’t make the image less spectacular.

What you’re looking at is one of the three pillars of America’s bomber force, the B-2 Spirit. This particular one flies out of Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, and during this particular mission, which took place at the end of June (the pic was recently released by the USAF), it linked up with a KC-135 Stratotanker flying out of MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, for a refueling mission.

As it usually happens during such missions, someone on board the Stratotanker snapped a pic of the bomber, one that, with just the smallest amount of zoom, paints a very detailed picture of the B-2, down to the markings it wears all over.

The markings are mostly there to instruct maintenance personnel where to step and what areas to avoid while moving on the plane for whatever reason. The engine intakes are also clearly visible in the pic, and so are some small and unrevealing parts of the cockpit where normally the two pilots sit.

When captured on film over Oklahoma, the plane was not hooked to the refueling boom, so the connector high up on the fuselage is visible as well, while the boom is conveniently obscuring some parts of the plane.
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Editor's note: Gallery shows other Spirits.

About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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