A striking moment during the arrival of US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska is going viral on social media. As the two leaders walked down a red carpet towards the stage, a B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber, flanked by US fighter jets, thundered above Putin’s head - a dramatic display of America’s military might ahead of their high-stakes talks on the Ukraine conflict.
The B-2 is designed to penetrate advanced air defences and deliver precision strikes against fortified targets, as demonstrated in June, when US forces used it to bombard Iranian nuclear sites.
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In the 22-second viral video, Trump and Putin are seen walking down a red carpet towards the stage at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage when a B-2 bomber roared overhead. Putin looks up as the aircraft thundered across the sky.
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It seemed intended as a show of American power and military dominance ahead of the talks with Russia, itself a nuclear power.
The US B-2 is the most expensive military aircraft ever built, with each unit costing about $2.1 billion. Built by Northrop Grumman, the bomber incorporates cutting-edge stealth technology. Its production run began in the late 1980s but was curtailed after the fall of the Soviet Union. Following the Pentagon’s scaled-back acquisition program, only 21 aircraft were ultimately produced.