A B-2 bomber deployed to Andersen AFB, Guam from the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB, Mo., crashed Saturday morning just after taking off, according to various news reports. An Air Force statement said the two pilots on board ejected safely. The Whiteman bombers have been deployed to Guam since last fall as part of a now-standard rotation to the Pacific region. It is the first crash of a B-2 bomber, which have been in operational use since 1993.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
