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.
The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.