B-2, also called Spirit, U.S. long-range stealth bomber that first flew in 1989 and was delivered to the U.S. Air Force starting in 1993. Built and maintained by Northrop Grumman Corporation, the B-2 is a “flying wing,” a configuration consisting essentially of a short but very broad wing with no fuselage and tail. This design gives the B-2 a length (69 feet, or 21 metres) only slightly greater than that of a fighter yet gives it a wingspan (172 feet, or 52.4 metres) approaching that of its gigantic predecessor, the B-52 Stratofortress. The bomber uses stealth materials and shapes to make it effectively immune to detection at normal combat ranges.