Summary: On April 15, 2024, nearly two-thirds of the United States Air Force's fleet of Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit bombers participated in a historic display at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.
-This event, involving twelve stealth bombers, marked the largest "elephant walk" for the B-2 Spirits, highlighting their strategic importance as part of the nuclear triad.
-This exercise, known as Spirit Vigilance, underscored the unique capabilities of the B-2, which combines stealth, payload, and long-range strike capabilities.
Nearly two-thirds of the entire United States Air Force's fleet of Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit bombers took part in a show of force like no other on Monday, April 15, 2024. A dozen of the stealth bombers assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing lined up on the runway at Whiteman Air Force Base (AFB), Missouri, and executed a mass fly-off to cap off the annual Spirit Vigilance exercise.
It was the largest "elephant walk" – the term for the close formation of aircraft that taxi en masse prior to takeoff – involving the long-range strategic B-2 Spirits to date.
"This is a reminder that the B-2 Spirit bomber is the visible leg of nuclear triad," Col. Geoffrey Steeves, 509th Operations Group commander, had previously said of Spirit Vigilance. "Simply put, the B-2 is the world's most strategic aircraft. It is the only aircraft on the planet that combines stealth, payload, and long-range strike. We are charged with delivering the nation’s most powerful weapons for our most important missions."
While the B-2 regularly makes the rounds at high-profile events, including a flyover of the Rose Bowl college football matchup in California, it is rare to see more than a single of the flying wings. The previous record for mass fly-offs of B-2s occurred during the Spirit Vigilance 2022 exercise and involved eight bombers.
That display of power included about 40% of the total Spirit fleet. With eight bombers on the runway at roughly $2 Billion a piece, it drew approximately $16 billion in stealth bombers to a single location. On April 15 – somewhat fitting in that it was "Tax Day" – the price tag for the show of force had a $24 billion price tag. Yet, as a reminder to America's adversaries, these are truly "priceless moments."
It also was meant to serve as a reminder of the capabilities of the B-2 Spirit, which had been grounded for the first half of 2023, following an accident that closed Whiteman's runway. Though the Air Force maintained that the bombers could be employed if absolutely necessary in response to a major crisis the Spirit's wings were clipped for almost six months.
Putting 60% in the air in a single fly-off made it clear the Spirit is back in the sky.
The first elephant walks occurred during the Second World War when large fleets of allied bombers massed for attacks – and observers on the ground noted that as the aircraft lined up, it resembled the nose-to-tail formations of elephants walking to a watering hole.
Today, the U.S. Air Force employs elephant walks to show the capability of a unit as well as the teamwork that is required to conduct such an operation. It also can help pilots prepare for the launching of fully armed aircraft in a mass event if needed.
The elephant walk involving the dozen B-2 Spirits also came just days after the U.S. Air Force demonstrated its formidable air power at Kadena Air Base, Japan, by performing a strategic lineup of diverse military planes including F-15 Eagles, F-16 Fighting Falcons, F-22 Raptors, and F-35 Lighting IIs fighters, as well as RC-135, P-8, E-3, and RC-135 aircraft.
"This gathering of air power comes as we welcome our new rotational units, bringing F-16Cs and F-22As to the Keystone of the Pacific, while also saying arigatou and farewell to our F-35As and Air National Guard F-15Cs," Kadena Air Base announced via a statement.
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image Credit: U.S. Air Force.
Stealth Elephant Walk: The Air Force Sent 60 Percent of Its B-2 Bombers Into the Sky
10
0
19.04.2024
Summary: On April 15, 2024, nearly two-thirds of the United States Air Force's fleet of Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit bombers participated in a historic display at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.
-This event, involving twelve stealth bombers, marked the largest "elephant walk" for the B-2 Spirits, highlighting their strategic importance as part of the nuclear triad.
-This exercise, known as Spirit Vigilance, underscored the unique capabilities of the B-2, which combines stealth, payload, and long-range strike capabilities.
Nearly two-thirds of the entire United States Air Force's fleet of Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit bombers took part in a show of force like no other on Monday, April 15, 2024. A dozen of the stealth bombers assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing lined up on the runway at Whiteman Air Force Base (AFB), Missouri, and executed a mass fly-off to cap off the annual Spirit Vigilance exercise.
It was the largest "elephant walk" – the term for the close formation of aircraft that taxi en masse prior to takeoff – involving the long-range strategic B-2 Spirits to date.
"This is a........
© The National Interest
visit website
login
who are we?
contact us
qosheapp
Toi Staff
Gideon Levy
Belen Fernandez
Andrew Mitrovica
Mort Laitner
Rami G Khouri
Ali Fathollah-Nejad
Nikkei Editorial
