Why US has deployed its $2 billion worth B-2 Spirit bombers in South China Sea

Amid the coronavirus pandemic in May last year, the United States conducted a military exercise airdropping troops as part of a mock drill to take over Andersen Air Force Base in Guam in the Pacific.

The drill was no run of the mill exercise as the United States wanted to showcase its military prowess in the region with China clearly the main force in the area. Troops practised how to seize back the airfield from an "invading" force.

Among the several aircraft on show were the B-2 Spirit bombers.

China has deployed bombers on several occasions across the South China Sea, the US military put its heaviest bomber in operation which reportedly costs $2 billion and is widely believed to the most expensive military plane ever built.

The Northrop B-2 Spirit stealth bomber has undertaken operations in several countries starting out in 1999 during the Kosovo war. It used its sophisticated GPS satellite-guided JDAM smart bombs for the first time in Kosovo which was a first for any Air Force anywhere in the world.

The B-2 Spirit bomber had dropped at least five JDAM missiles on the Chinese embassy killing several staffers apart from bombing several areas in Yugoslavia.

The B-2 has been a veteran of several war operations from Iraq to Afghanistan. In fact, according to reports, due to its strategic bombing campaign top US military officials had considered using the B-2 as an alternative to kill Osama Bin Laden and wipe out the house he lived in  Abbottabad, Pakistan in 2011.

However, the Obama administration believed it needed proof of Bin Laden's death which could never be provided by a B-2 bombing campaign as it would have wiped out any trace of the most wanted terrorist in America.

The Northrop B-2 Spirit is no stranger to the Pacific. It has undertaken dummy bombing campaigns in South Korea way back in 2013 as part of South Korean–United States military exercises when it flew over the Korean peninsula for the first time.

North Korea was quick to protest against the use of the B-2 Spirit mainly due to its destructive power and accuracy. 

The B-2 has sophisticated mechanics which it exploits to swoop down on targets without being detected. The bombers superior sensors and infra-red camouflage features makes it a potent weapon of war which can be quickly deployed.

The US reportedly has 21 of these mega bombers which it can call to action at any given time.

The bombers infra-red tracking system and sophisticated radars makes enemy targets easy to detect and at the same time it helps it to evade anti-aircraft fire.

The bombers rest in especially built hangers.

The US had used two B-2 bombers in precision-guided bombing operation against Islamic State targets in 2017.

According to reports, the Pentagon has deployed six B-52s at Diego Garcia beyond the reach of Iran's ballistic missiles in an attempt to protect its valuable asset.

The move came just days after the US carried out strikes in Iraq's airport killing Iran's Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani. The bombers stationed in San Deigo can still take up operations in Iran.

China has this year stepped up military operations and exercises around Taiwan, according to US and Taiwanese military analysts. PLA Air Force jets, including at least one bomber and a fighter, briefly entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone on June 22, before being warned off by the Taiwanese air force, the island's military said. It was the eighth such encounter in two weeks.

Taiwan launched its annual Han Kuang defense exercise on July 13 with an emphasis on joint operations between land, sea and air forces to defend the island from attack, according to the island's military.

The exercise also involved an expanded role for reservists as the military strives to boost its firepower/