From the angle and intensity of the reflection, the size and location of an object can be determined. Radar systems work by sending out pulses through the air that reflect off aerial objects and bounce back to the transmitter. Its 'flying wing' design is among a number of features that makes it near impossible to detect by anti-aircraft defence systems. With a total wing span of 172 feet, and weighing under 340,000 pounds, the B-2 is a veritable marvel of stealth engineering. The B-2 Spirit: A marvel of stealth engineering Operating out of the Whiteman Air Force Base since 1993, the B-2's first taste of operational experience came during the 1999 Kosovo War. That isn't to say that the B-2 has not seen any combat. However, after its first flight in 1989, the B-2 has never entered Russian airspace since. The B-2 was developed in the 1980s in order to carry and deploy nuclear bombs deep into Soviet territory during the Cold War, in the event of military escalation. Its sleek design is reminiscent of the B-35 bomber originally developed by James Northrop in the 1940s. With a sticker price of $2 billion, the B-2 Spirit bomber is the most advanced bomber in the US airforce.

The aircraft departed the Missouri base on Tuesday and arrived on Diego Garcia following a 29-hour sortie. Yesterday, the US military's Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) confirmed that three B-2 stealth bombers from the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri had been deployed to the Naval Support Facility on the remote island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The B-2's engines are also hidden in its aft section and leave no trace of a heat signature further enabling it to go undetected.

Cockpit b2 bomber