SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. - An aircrew flew a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., over the airfield as part of an aerial demonstrations for the 2010 Airpower Over the Midwest Airshow, Sept. 11-12, 2010, at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.
More than 180,000 people attended the two-day airshow, officials said.
According to its Air Force fact sheet, the B-2 Spirit is a multi-role bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions and is owned and operated by Air Combat Command.
"A dramatic leap forward in technology, the bomber represents a major milestone in the U.S. bomber modernization program," the fact sheet states. "The B-2 brings massive firepower to bear, in a short time, anywhere on the globe through previously impenetrable defenses."
The first B-2 was publicly displayed on Nov. 22, 1988, when it was rolled out of its hangar at Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, Calif. Its first flight was July 17, 1989. The B-2 Combined Test Force, Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., is responsible for flight testing the engineering, manufacturing and development aircraft on the B-2.
Whiteman AFB, Mo., is the only operational base for the B-2. The first aircraft, Spirit of Missouri, was delivered Dec. 17, 1993. Depot maintenance responsibility for the B-2 is performed by Air Force contractor support and is managed at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center at Tinker AFB, Okla.