Inside the Stealth Bomber: The B-2 Story by William B. Scott

Publishers Weekly

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)

Library Journal

There is no question that the author has all the qualifications to assess complex aircraft like the B-2 Stealth bomber. A skilled aviation reporter for some of the most respected publications in the field, he has a fine feel for the challenge and excitement of advanced aeronautical projects. His book is a fascinating analysis of the bomber's early development, with special emphasis on the test flying of the B-2. There are extensive interviews with the pilots themselves. But there is little analysis of the technology, or of the pressing issues of cost-effectiveness that have followed the program. For general readers interested in aviation.-- Roger Bilstein, Univ. of Houston-Clear Lake

Booknews

Scott delivers a detailed account of every phase in the bomber's development from 1978 to the present, as well as a revealing discussion on the technological capabilities and flight characteristics that make the B-2 unique among military aircraft. With 33 b&w photographs plus a 12-page color insert. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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