JAKARTA - The United States Air Force (USAF) has deployed its entire B-2 Spirit stealth bomber fleet, after a plane caught fire after an emergency landing earlier this month.
The billion-dollar bomber suffered damage on an undisclosed flight on December 10, forcing an emergency landing at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, home to a fleet of 20 USAF aircraft.
The fire broke out on the plane after landing, but was reportedly quickly extinguished by ground crews.
Satellite imagery from the air base taken on Sunday showed the plane that crashed was still blocking the runway.
A spokesman for unit 509th Bomb Wing confirmed the runway was closed, saying the air force did not know how long the fleet would be grounded.
"We don't have an estimate of the current date," said Major Sergeant Beth Del Vecchio, "and yes, the runway is still closed," he continued.
"The recovery team is still working there to minimize further disruptions, but like the security break, we don't have an estimated final date," Del Vecchio added.
"Because the incident is being investigated, we did not release further details of its nature, but we will be able to release it once the official investigation is complete," he continued.
The B-2 bomber was designed and built by Northrop Grumman, first flying in 1989 and started operations in 1997.
The initial plan to build 132 aircraft was reduced to 75 and then only 20, with other prototypes changed to operational status.
New 18 Dec @planet imagery of Whiteman AFB @usairforce appears to show B-2 stealth bomber damaged during 10 Dec emergency landing remains blocking runway https://t.co/rIaCAOBlg4 pic.twitter.com/Wtn6WsEt81
— Joseph Dempsey (@JosephHDempsey) December 19, 2022
One B-2 was destroyed in February 2008 while taking off from Andersen Air Force Base on Pacific island Guam, while both crew members came out safely when the plane stalled and crashed on the runway.
The accident was caused by moisture in the electrical system which caused errors in measuring flight data, causing the plane to rise at an angle of 30 degrees when taking off.
Two years later, another B-2 was badly damaged by a fire on the ground, as well as at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.
A third serious accident occurred at Whiteman Air Force Base in September 2021, when a B-2 made an emergency landing.
The plane's left main undercarriage collapsed after landing, causing it to turn from the runway to the edge of the grass. The error was traced to micro cracks in the unreplaced landing gear spring for more than a decade.
It is known, USAF recently launched a B-2 successor named B-21 Raider who is physically similar, also made by Northrop Grumman.
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