In December 2022, a nuclear bomber had to make an unplanned landing at Whiteman Base and was engulfed in flames. The US Air Force immediately ordered all aircraft and drones stationed at the base to be grounded.
There was no indication as to when the B-2A Spirit flights would resume, but a recent sighting of one bomber in Hawaii provided some information. The B-2 Spirit fleet remained grounded, but individual planes were permitted to take off based on Global Strike Command’s decision.
The new picture was supposedly captured at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, which shares the runway with Hickam military base. The photo was taken on April 7th, 2023, just four days before the Global Thunder exercise by the US Strategic Command (STRATCOM). The B-2A Spirit bombers did not participate in the exercise. Initially, there was no information about why the B-2A Spirit was in Honolulu, but Global Strike Command has clarified that the nuclear bomber was on a mission before the US Air Force suspended flights.
The mission included a layover in Hawaii, where the bomber would remain until the resumption of flights. To sum up, the incident at Whiteman Base occurred on December 10th, 2022, during routine operations by the 509th Bomber Wing.
After an emergency landing due to a malfunction, a fire broke out. Despite the US Air Force’s authorization of A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft two weeks after the incident, B-2A Spirit flights had been suspended for four months. The bomber’s restoration is predicted to take several years.