While it hasn't been confirmed this was the cause, satellite images seem to coincide with theory of the gear collapse/wing down aspect of the incident
Sources said the B-2 experienced a hydraulic failure during a routine training and had its port main landing gear collapse during landing. As a result, the B-2 was sent off the runway with its wing dug into the ground.
While it hasn't been confirmed this was the cause, satellite images seem to coincide with theory of the gear collapse/wing down aspect of the incident.
Satellite images show the exact moment a B2 Spirit stealth bomber, one of the most deadly weapons in the United States' military arsenal and worth $2billion, was damaged after an emergency landing at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri yesterday
The incident involving the B-2 happened around 12.30am and unfolded in a temporary flight restriction six miles in all directions and 8,000ft from the ground up set by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA said that the the restriction would allow 'to provide a safe environment for an accident investigation' and is set to be lifted September 17 at 8pm.
Only 21 B-2 bombers have ever been manufactured, and there are only 20 remaining after one crashed in Guam in 2008.
It is not know yet to what degree the B2 bomber at Whiteman Base sustained damage. The aircraft has been stationed at the base since 1993, according to KMBC.
Three other B-2s from Whiteman were part of a successfully joined operation with the Norwegian government and deployed to Iceland earlier this year.
'A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit experienced and [sic] in-flight malfunction during a routine training mission and was damaged on the runway at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, after an emergency landing,' said Air Force Global Strike Command said to The Drive.
'The incident is under investigation and more information will be provided as it becomes available,' they added.
The B-2 is manufactured with materials that could become highly toxic if exposed to an accident, the outlet reported.
Spanning an imposing 170 feet and capable of unleashing awesome destruction, the B-2 Spirit aircraft are capable of carrying either conventional or nuclear warheads.
While it hasn't been confirmed this was the cause, satellite images seem to coincide with theory of the gear collapse/wing down aspect of the incident
The incident involving the B-2 happened around 12.30am at Whiteman Base's only runway
At the time of the crash no munitions were on board and the two pilots survived the accident. All remaining 20 B2 were kept from flying for almost two months until an investigation was conducted.
It was found that the crash had been caused by heavy rains that affected sensors in charge of calculating speed and altitude.
In August, two B-2s from Whiteman joined other aircraft flying over the North Sea as part of a Bomber Task Force deployment.
FILE PHOTO: A B2 Spirit stealth bomber was damaged after an emergency landing at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri today
A temporary flight restriction six miles in all directions and 8,000ft from the ground up has been issued
'The mission demonstrates the value of our continued presence and relationships,'
'What our collective Airmen accomplish on these missions is vital to our alliance and maintaining agility as we move into the future,' said Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian, U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa commander.
An user on Twitter highlighted that if the B2 had sustained irreparable damage during today's accident, it would leave the Air Force with just 19 remaining aircrafts of the model.
'So that takes us down to 19 of them then...I guess we still have 19 more than everyone else so we're probably doing ok,' they wrote.
The B2 Spirit stealth bomber was designed during the Cold War as the world's first ever 'low-observable or 'stealth' strategic bomber.'
It can deliver both conventional and nuclear ammunition, and brings massive firepower to bear anywhere on the globe through previously impenetrable defenses, according to Military.com.
The B-2 is manufactured with materials that could become highly toxic if exposed to an accident, the outlet reported. (File picture) A B-2 Spirit bomber deployed from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, conducts aerial refueling near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
Because of its small size, it's an strategic weapon to filter and penetrate air defenses.
Many details about the B2 design remain classified and have not been revealed to the public, but it is known that the model has a crew of two pilots.
The B-2 Spirit is the U.S. Air Force's deadliest and most expensive plane - a Cold Warrior's invention which has since been used to bomb the Taliban and ISIS.
Each of the 20 operational B-2s is valued at $2.1 billion, and putting one in the air costs an estimated $135,000 an hour, and cannot function in the rain.
Comment: That's quite a vulnerability to have, and on such an expensive, apparently critical, aircraft.
On board its flight crew of two can stay in the air for 33 hours, at the controls of a plane designed to sneak into Soviet territory unseen to drop nuclear bombs, then return to the U.S. in a single flight.
The B-2s were first designed under the Carter administration, came close to being canceled, and finally took flight for the first time in 1989, just as the Soviet Union they were supposed to fight was collapsing, entering Air Force service in 1997.
Comment: This kind of irony seems to plague US weapon development, although it's surprising to hear that the situation has been this way for nearly 4 decades: US' F-35 jet's gun can't shoot straight plus 873 software 'issues'
They have been used to fight in Kosovo, where they bombed Serbian forces as NATO moved in to counter ethnic cleansing of the Muslim Albanian minority, and in the war on terror, taking out Taliban targets in Afghanistan and most recently ISIS positions in Syria.
All are currently based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, meaning that the one designated to fly over the Mall is flying 1,042miles to D.C. for the spectacle.
If it flies low enough it will be visible from the ground, but it is almost invisible on radar, with its stealth design making it look like a pigeon on radar screens.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Aircrew: 2
Top speed: 628mph
Range: 6,000 nautical miles, and refuels approximately every six hours
Length: 69ft
Wingspan: 172ft
Weight: 158,100lbs
Weapons: B61 and B83 nuclear bombs, MK84 conventional bomb, MK82 and CBU-87 conventional weapons and AGM-129 advanced cruise missile
Comment: It's not a good sign, and it certainly doesn't seem like the bomber would be much match for the latest technology coming out of Russia. Although, the Pentagon did just get another hike in its budget, this time an eyewatering $24 BILLION, so it could waste even more taxpayers money on these kind of projects should it wish: