User:Eriklbiehler/sandbox

Around late 1974, the official project to create a “low observable” aircraft had begun. Before this, other projects had attempted to create a “stealth” aircraft, but were not successful. In the 1960’s specialized drones known as Lightning Bugs, or Fireflies, had been created with extra stealth features. The SR-71 Blackbird used stealth to operate its missions. It was not until a project Code named Project Harvey, after a famous comedy about an invisible rabbit, had been approved, that the official creation of a pure stealth aircraft had begun. Two manufacturers, Lockheed and Northrop, learned of the project and quickly began competing with each other for the best model. In 1976 both manufacturers were to compete in an “experiment survivable testbed” or XST, to see which company could create the better design. Lockheed, who had previously worked on the SR-71, had a slight advantage in the field of stealth technology, and ultimately won the XST. Lockheed would use this design to eventually create the F-117 Stealth Fighter; however, Northrop was not finished in the business of stealth aircraft. In 1976, Northrop was contacted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to create a deep-penetrating strike aircraft under the Pentagon’s “Assault Breaker” project. The plan was for Northrop to create a stealth aircraft that could identify potential targets for the Assault Breaker Weapons. In 1977 Northrop had created what was known an experimental model that was considered a disaster. They quickly worked to make up for their mistake and by 1978, had created what was known as Tacit Blue. Tacit Blue was first flown in 1982 and continued to be tested for three years before finally being put into storage after the DARPA had decided to go with a non-stealthy model made by Boeing. DARPA had decided that it wanted to distinctly separate models of stealth aircraft. One would be Lockheed’s F-117 and the other would be a larger, long range bomber

In Popular Culture
Since it was first displayed to the public on November 22, 1988, the B-2 Spirit has found a home in many aspects of popular culture. This includes movies, television, magazines, video games, and more.

Movies
The b-2 Spirit has been seen in several different movies. It was featured in the movies Cloverfield, Armageddon, Iron Man 2, Independence Day, and many more. . In addition to fictional movies, the b-2 spirit has had several documentaries made about it including the film: The B-2 Spirit: America's Deadliest Weapon. . Documentaries often provide a very factual perspective on what the B-2 is like. Movies tend to show off the bomber as Hollywood sees it, glamorous and flashy.

Television
The B-2 Bomber has been featured in several different T.V. Shows. Generally, when seen on T.V., the B-2 is presented in a more educational fashion. Shows often go over mechanical aspects of the bomber or give examples of missions in which the B-2 Spirit has taken part in. The show Modern Marvels, had an entire episode devoted to showing off and describing aspects of the B-2 Spirit. . Discovery, in their show Future Weapons, has dedicated an episode to the B-2 spirit. .

Video Games
The B-2 Spirit has recently found a place in popular video game franchises. In the Call of Duty franchise, The B-2 is a possible kill streak in the online multiplayer mode of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Call of Duty: Ghosts. In these games, the player must accumulate a certain number of “kills” before they can call in the B-2. Once called, the bomber makes a pass over the map in the direction designated by the player, and kills any opponent within range. The B-2 also has the advantage of being undetectable on enemy radars, so it is more difficult for them to get out of the blast range. . The bomber also makes an appearance in the Ace Combat franchise. Throughout several missions, across several of the series games, the B-2 makes an appearance. While the bomber is usable by the player, it is usually seen as a non-player controlled plane. .

Magazines
Magazines are another place where the B-2 has been featured in the past couple of years. Air and Space Smithsonian did an article on the B-2 in which they interviewed a pilot and described different aspects of the plane. This article offered a first hand view of what it is like to be a pilot of the B-2, mentioning that less than one hundred people have ever been able to pilot it. .