Northrop Grumman B-2A Spirit
 
America's 21 B-2A stealth bombers are assigned to the 509 Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB, Missouri. In July 2002 I traveled there to fly a chase mission and gain access to the bomber's support facilities.
 

   


Self-portrait in the backseat of a 394 CTS T-38A Talon.
An enlisted technician works on the Spirit of Louisiana in the LO Facility.
The Spirit of Florida over central Missouri.
The Florida orbits waiting for a tanker.
The Spirit of Florida approaches the boom of a Mississippi ANG KC-135R.
With 44 hour missions to their credit B-2 pilots are masters at aerial refueling
Passing gas high above the building thunderheads.
Flying with the 509th Bomb Wing was a rare honor.
The Spirit of Florida weaves her way through the cloudtops.
An unusual sight: a B-2A drops 40 high-drag 500 pounders during daylight.
Another B-2A lets loose 20 500 lb Mk82 iron bombs.
The Spirit of Oklahoma takes on fuel during Northern Edge 2002.
A stealth coating specialist works on the Spirit of Louisiana.
How to patch a stealth coating.
Enlisted technicians fix pits in the exhaust troughs.
The Weapons Loading Trainer (large black object in background).
The Weapons Loading Trainer's high fidelity cockpit.
Weapons specialists load a 5000 lb GPS guided bunker buster.
The penetrator's case intially served as a naval cannon barrel.
A B83-1 (white) and B61-11 nuke shapes on the rotary launch assembly.
A B61-7 nuclear gravity bomb training shape and inert JDAM.
Two B61-11 earth penetrating nukes after being dropped on Alaska by a B-2A.
Each B-2 has a "dock" that provides power, protection and privacy.
"The Beast" in it's lair.
The 394 Combat Training Squadron's T-38A Talons.
Which are kept in immaculate condition.
A student pilot hangs in the virtual reality parachute training rig.