On June 21, two groups of B-2 Spirit Bombers took off from the Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. In the first group, an unknown number of B-2s flew west over the Pacific Ocean, supposedly headed toward the strategic airbase in Guam, while another group of seven B-2s flew east to bomb Iranian nuclear sites.

The second group of seven B-2s successfully bombed the two Iranian nuclear sites – Fordo and Natanz – dropping 14 GBU-57 MOP bunker buster bombs, and returned to their home base after flying non-stop for 37 hours.

However, there is still not much information available about the first group of B-2s, which was intended as a feint to confuse the Iranians. Now, it turns out that at least one of the B-2s in this group made an emergency landing at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, which is co-located with Hickam Air Force Base, in Hawaii.

The stealth bomber is still stuck there after five days.

The Perfect Ruse

On June 21, as the Iran-Israel War raged on, news flashed that a group of B-2s was flying west from the Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Reuters quoted two unnamed U.S. officials, stating that the U.S. is relocating B-2 bombers to the Pacific island of Guam, a key U.S. military outpost in the Pacific.

The flight tracking data showed at least two separate flights of B-2 Spirit bombers, using the call signs Mytee 11 and Mytee 21, departing the Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. The stealth bombers were joined by aerial refueling tankers.

By the next morning, news broke that the US had bombed Iranian nuclear sites using the B-2 Spirits. It turns out that as the first group flew west over the Pacific Ocean, another group flew east over the Atlantic Ocean. While the flight of the first group, which was only meant as a ruse, was widely reported by OSINT channels, the second group flew in complete radio silence.

In fact, the USAF has utilized OSINT, which is typically a challenge for military planners, to its advantage. As OSINT channels widely reported the flight of B-2s along with refueling tankers towards the Pacific island of Guam, it allowed the second group of B-2s to fly away from the piercing eyes of aircraft trackers.

Emergency Landing At Hawaii

David Martin (@Sir_DavidMartin), a former pilot, has posted a short video clip of the B-2 bomber stuck at the Honolulu International Airport.

The jet diverted to Honolulu under the callsign MYTEE 14.

There is no information available on the nature of the emergency or the expected duration of the repair process for the stealth bomber.

“We will not comment on movement, deployment, or posturing of forces,” Charles Hoffman, Chief of Media Operations at Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC), told TWZ when asked about the B-2 in Hawaii. “Air Force Global Strike Command maintains the capability to provide global strike anywhere, at the time of the President of the United States’ choosing. Our forces are always ready to work alone or fully integrate with our many allies and partners. We continue to work toward delivering the promise of peace through strength.”

B-2s Troubled History

Notably, B-2 bombers require heavy maintenance. The aircraft is in the twilight of its career, and most of the USAF B-2 fleet is around three decades old. The B-21 Raider will replace the stealth bomber.

Additionally, the USAF has only 19 of these bombers, also known as the ‘Ghosts of the Sky,’ remaining in its inventory. Only 21 of these expensive bombers (each costing around US$2.1 billion) were ever built, and two of them have already been lost in accidents.

Also, this is not the first time a B-2 bomber has made an emergency landing in Hawaii.

In April 2023, another B-2 bomber made an emergency landing at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. It ended up staying there for several weeks, as the entire fleet of B-2s was grounded at the time after a B-2 had crash-landed at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri in December 2022.

In that incident, a B-2 Spirit experienced an in-flight malfunction during routine operations, forcing an emergency landing at Whiteman Air Force Base. The aircraft ran off the runway and caught fire, which was quickly extinguished.

However, the aircraft repairs were deemed too expensive, and in May last year, the USAF decided to divest the burnt B-2 Spirit.

A similar incident occurred in 2021, after which the affected B-2 aircraft was transported to Northrop Grumman’s facility in Palmdale, California, for extensive repairs.

Although the US Air Force did not reveal the repair cost for that particular case, an initial assessment suggested it would be at least US$10.1 million.

Before that, a B-2, known as the “Spirit of Kansas,” was lost in 2008. The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from the Andersen Air Force Base. Both pilots ejected safely, but the aircraft was a total loss.

The cost of the loss was estimated at a jaw-dropping $1.4 billion. This incident not only marked the first operational loss of a B-2 Spirit bomber but also stood out as the most expensive airplane crash in USAF history. Following the crash, the B-2 fleet was grounded for 53 days.

Investigations into the incident uncovered a critical flaw in the aircraft’s Flight Control System (FCS), which relied on data from Port Transducer Units (PTUs) to make flight decisions.

The B-2 Spirit bombers, integral to America’s nuclear deterrent triad, are renowned for their advanced stealth capabilities and operational versatility. The complexity of B-2 aircraft, characterized by their advanced composite structures and sensitive exterior coatings, contributes to the high costs associated with maintenance and repairs.

Even minor mishaps often result in major expenses and logistical challenges.