A B-2 stealth bomber malfunctioned while in the air on December 10. At Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, the aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing. It caught fire as soon as it hit the ground. The entire fleet was then grounded by the Air Force shortly after.
According to the Air Force Times, a military spokesperson confirmed that all 20 of the bombers have been grounded. There is currently a search to see if any other planes have safety flaws. The Air Force won’t give any additional information regarding what the investigators are looking for or the type of flaw that led to the malfunction in early December.
The Air Force declined to provide details about what, specifically, the safety inspections are looking to find. https://t.co/wjwA2Wzwpo
— Military Times (@MilitaryTimes) December 19, 2022
There were no alleged injuries as a result of the incident. The most nuclear-capable aircraft in the navy, the B-2 bombers have been in use since the 1990s. According to Master Sgt. Beth Del Vecchio of the 509th Bomb Wing, the Air Force is “currently analyzing what went wrong and how we can prevent future risk.”
A B-2 bomber flyover was planned by the Air Force for the 2023 Rose Bowl game and the 2023 Rose Parade. However, the military branch decided to switch to the B-1 Lancer in light of previous occurrences.
The B-21 stealth bomber, a new aircraft, is set to be released next year, and the news of the problem has just been made public.
