Zephyr Net

"The new surface coating scheme has opened new options for the B-2. The aircraft has a bay outboard of each of the main landing gear that was originally supposed to store contrail-suppression chemicals but was never used. The two bays are about 2.75 meters (9 feet) long and as deep as the wing. USAF officials think that the bays could be used to store a pair of mini cruise missiles each. These missiles could be used for strikes, particularly to suppress air-defense radars, or operate as decoys or jamming platforms. "

http://www.vectorsite.net/avb2.html

we talked about this around a year ago, but it does have some potential uses.

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Fighting for justice with brains of steel

Let your anger be like the monkey which hides inside the piniata.

is the discussion still in the forums? if not, what did i miss?

Ehhh I think nothing more than an Aviation Week article detailing the bays when first announced. Your link is interesting because it is the only written confirmation I've seen that the B-2 has two radar antenaes, most sources seem to gloss over this.

Zephyr

Does anybody know where I can find this artical? I have had no luck with google.

I don't get what the point of contrail suppression is I mean the sucker is going to fly at night. Did they intend day operations? A B-2 at 40,000 feet would be impossible to spot even with a contrail on a moonless night and how often do they fly with the moon out in such a way that it would jeopardize them getting silhouetted against the moon?

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Centurian

You forget the longitude of Siberia and the poles the B-2 was to fly over in the Cold War mission, half the year that's the land of the midnight sun. Also in a full fledged war missions can't wait for the phases of the moon.

Zephyr

Duh you are right. Precisely okay np whoops! lol

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Centurian

Cent, get outside NYC. Out here in the boonies it is NO problem spotting airliners at altitude at night just by looking for contrails.

_________________
Fighting for justice with brains of steel

Let your anger be like the monkey which hides inside the piniata.

Really I would think it next to impossible at night on a moonless night. Crazy. Yeah lol over NYC you can't see crap.

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Centurian

also, idle speculation on my part BUT con-trails ARE made of water droplets, water droplets conduct electricity, RADAR is an electricle signal which picks up water dropletts (check your local TV weather report if you doubt me rofl). just wonderin that's all....

_________________
Fighting for justice with brains of steel

Let your anger be like the monkey which hides inside the piniata.

aparently they are not using the contrail chemical-injection system anymore, but instead use a IR sensor that alerts the pilot of a developing contrail. he must then drop the plane to a lower altitude.

it makes more sense to use the chemical-injection system.

THis is because the contrail suppression was a failure...

And yes Cent its easy to track an aircraft via contrails. either at altitude of from the ground and Zephyr is correct they show a return on radar...

However I do not remember this discussion last year? What segment of the forum was it on? Or perhaps on another one you visit, like ACIG?

Either way, please post a link...

Thanks,

CAG out...

I read that the chemical injection program was scrapped because it was hazerdous. That doesnt make too much sense, why care about then when you are over enemy territory?

I think it was a combo of hazardous to ozone (not really important in nuclear war), but also it just wasn't working enough.

Zephyr