Inside the Stealth Bomber: The B-2 Story

By the senior engineering editor for Aviation Week & Space Technology , this informative book takes readers behind the scenes as it traces the tightly classified B-2 Advanced Technology Bomber Program from conception to drawing board, from construction to taxi-testing and finally to its 1989 maiden flight in California. Scott explains the bat-winged Stealth's ability to evade detection, describing how the bomber is essentially a revival of Jack Northrup's original Flying Wing design and the prototype YB-49 that was canceled by the Air Force soon after WW II. The author predicts that congressional debate over the need for, cost and viability of the B-2 will continue indefinitely and he complains about the wasteful oversight procedures imposed on the program. The book provides a rare look at America's weapons-acquisition system, which, according to Scott, works just fine. Photos. (June)