B-2 Spirit Takes Off After Six Months of Idling

A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber. Image credit: U.S. Air Force

Details about the earlier incident involving B-2 Spirit remain limited. The news about the renewed flights of one of the world’s most advanced airplanes was reported by The War Zone.

The first flight following the long-duration pause took place on May 22. The plane took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, which is home to 20 B-2 aircraft.

The grounding of the Spirit bomber fleet was officially canceled by Gen. Thomas Bussier, commander of the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). Flights have been suspended on December 10, 2022.

“We successfully accomplished all necessary actions to safely return to full flight operations with the B-2 fleet. While the B-2 fleet safety pause is officially over, our ability to deliver nuclear deterrence and provide long-range strike was never in doubt,” said the statement from AFGSC.

According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, B-2 pilots utilized the advanced simulators at Whiteman and increased their training repetitions in T-38 trainers during the safety pause. Routine maintenance on the fleet of these aircraft also continued during this time.

B-2 Spirit Takes Off After Six Months of Idling

The B-2 Spirit approaches the boom for refueling. Image credit: U.S. Air Force / Staff Sgt. Scott H. Spitzer

The B-2 involved in the accident made an emergency landing at Whiteman and experienced a fire. A photo later surfaced showing the bomber on its side. In 2021, another aircraft of the same model had a similar incident at Whiteman when it skidded off the runway. The cause of that incident was attributed to worn springs on the left main landing gear assembly. It is currently unknown whether there is any connection between these two incidents.

Following the mishap in December 2022, the damaged B-2 remained on the base’s only runway, rendering it unavailable for use by other aircraft for over a week.

There are also uncertainties regarding the fate of the B-2 involved in last year’s accident. The extent of the aircraft’s damage is unknown, but considering the advanced and specialized nature of these bombers, including their construction and radar-absorbent coatings, even minor damage could be costly to repair.

B-2 Spirit Takes Off After Six Months of Idling

The American stealth bomber B-2 Spirit is returning to the skies after half a year on the ground due to an accident that happened in December 2022.

Samsung Display previews rollable screens and OLEDs that take your blood pressure

What is Shopware and what are the advantages of this CMS?

You may also like