The airspace and the area around Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri are closed after the emergency landing of a B-2 Spirit strategic bomber.
Official information about the incident is sparse. The crew of the bomber performing a training flight reported to the ground about an emergency situation on board and requested an emergency landing. During the landing, the plane was damaged, the press service of the US Air Force reported. The accident occurred on September 14 at 12.30 local time (20.30 Moscow time). There was no fire, there were also no injuries, the incident is being investigated.
Since the incident, the airspace over Whiteman Air Base has been closed to flights at an altitude of up to 2500 meters within a radius of 10 kilometers. Ground access to the base is also blocked.
Most of the design of the B-2 is classified, but it is known that its airframe is made of materials that can become extremely toxic if damaged. So special precautions make sense, writes The Drive.
Whiteman is the only airfield in the United States where B-2 bombers are based. This aircraft is extremely expensive and fastidious in maintenance, the necessary ground equipment is available only in Missouri and at the Guam Air Base in the Pacific Ocean.
The B-2 is the most expensive aircraft in history, the cost of one bomber, taking into account the costs of its development, exceeds $ 2.1 billion. Of the 21 aircraft built, 20 are in service. In 2008, Spirit crashed immediately after takeoff in Guam. Two years later, another B-2 was seriously damaged there after a fire in the engine compartment, but was restored. The aircraft was under repair for almost four years, the cost of the work exceeded $ 105 million.
Anton Valagin
