Here’s a clip showing a B-2 as it drops inert “dummy” bombs on a range in Kansas recently.
The footage below was filmed by Brady Kendrick during the aerial gunnery demonstrations Smoky Hill Bombing Range Open House on Aug. 3, 2019.
A B-2 Spirit belonging to the 110th Bomb Squadron belonging to the 131st Bomb Wing – the only Air National Guard unit to operate and maintain B-2s out of Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, using the radio callsign “Misty-11”, can be seen as it drops five BDU-50 500-lb practice bombs over the range, the largest in the Air National Guard, in central Kansas.
A B-2 bomber can accommodate up to 80x GBU-38 500-pound INS/GPS-guided JDAMs (Joint Direct Attack Munitions). BDU-50 practice bombs replicate the ballistic performance of the 500-lb bombs that use the Mk82 bomb body; they can also be fitted with a guidance unit and tail kit assy for LGB (Laser Guided Bomb) training.
Generally speaking, practice bombs such as the BDU-50 are used for training purposes since some attack profiles used to drop inert weapons on targets under visual conditions are quite similar to those used to deliver LGBs or JDAMs. Therefore, pilots have to be proficient with low-cost inert bombs before they can practice with more expensive and realistic weapons…
Anyway, enjoy a rare sight of a Spirit opening its weapons bay at low altitude to drop a few bomblets over the range during a sort-of airshow. Pretty interesting.
By the way, here’s an interesting infographic about the B-2 at 30:
Miss all the hype for the 30th anniversary of the #B2‘s 1st flight?
Check out @AirmanMagazine‘s coverage “The B-2 at 30: Improving with Age” https://t.co/Osw67RKOjz #30neverlookedsogood #B2flyingsince89 pic.twitter.com/1EWpKRK16A
— US Strategic Command (@US_Stratcom) August 10, 2019
