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Issue 386: B-2 Spirit, Sustainability & Space
Craig Murray’s been shooting for Australian Aviation for 23 years, but this issue sent us his finest work. A labour of love, Murray’s been on the ground at RAAF Base Amberley as the US Air Force sent five of its B-2s to Queensland to train with RAAF F-35s. “I’ve seen some amazing jets since catching the aviation bug as a kid, and the Northrop B-2 Spirit is certainly a highlight,” he told me as we wrapped up the issue. “This is easily the coolest set I’ve ever had the privilege to send through for publication.”
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So let’s get the grownup stuff out the way: the visit of five of the US’ most prestigious aircraft is a significant development in itself, particularly as the relations between the US and China are, at the time of writing, strained. While it’s not unheard of for the odd one to pop over, they’ve never touched down in these numbers before.
But to hell with the serious stuff: look at them. The UFO-like Spirit is a mind-boggling feat of engineering know-how that arrived in the eighties to dazzle a Cold War, Spielberg-obsessed America. Welcome to Earth, for those of you who get the reference.
In conflict, it’s prolific. Did you know, for example, that during the Kosovo War, it flew less than 1 per cent of NATO missions but was responsible for destroying one third of all targets? Or that each aircraft costs around $2 billion (US), making it the most expensive piece of metal sent into the air? Our new journalist, Liam McAneny, profiles it in full and analyses what its arrival means for Australia, the US, and China.
Elsewhere in issue 386, Hannah Dowling asks just how sustainable sustainability is — underneath the rhetoric, can aviation clean up its act? Bella Richards interviews Australia’s first space commander, Air Vice Marshall Catherine Roberts, who discusses her transition from the sky to the stars. And Eric Allen delivers part three of his blockbuster investigation into the de Havilland
DH.86 in Australian operations. And, of course, there’s our regulars: traffic, warbirds, and the register.
Enjoy the issue,
Adam
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Opinion: Making Satellite Launches More Sustainable
David Waterhouse, Managing Director, Hypersonix
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Comment: Why tech will fuel aviation’s recovery
Jason Pearce, Chief Technology Officer, IFS Asia Pacific, Japan, Middle East, And Africa
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Comment: How aviation can reduce carbon emissions
By Graham Webb, Chief Sustainability Officer, Pratt & Whitney
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Comment: The new generation of RAAF air defence
John Fry, General Manager, Kongsberg Defence Australia
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Comment: Handling the standstill of Covid-19
Matt Hall, Aerobatic Pilot And Chief Executive Officer, Matt Hall Racing
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Comment: Cargo drones and airfields
Liesl Haris, Director Of Business Operations Australia, Dronamics
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