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Are we going to have an October surprise, an attack on Iran by either the Bush administration or by Israel to stop the regime from becoming a nuclear power? It could happen - and alter the dynamics of the presidential race in the blink of an eye - but only if Israel pulls the trigger. Don't expect the United States to drop bombs anytime soon

The Spirit of Alaska sits quietly next to The Spirit of America (82-1066) and another B-2. Taken at Whiteman AFB, Missouri (Sept. 17, 2008)

Joe Pappalardo got some crisp, high quality military close-ups of the Spirit of Kansas, the $1.2 billion stealth B-2 bomber that crashed in Guam last February. We published other images of the crash scene before.  Head to Popular Mechanics to see the official timeline of the crash. [Popular Mechanics]

Tape of the Crash that happend a few months ago in Guam (B-2)http://gawker.com/tag/clip/?i=5014346&t=first-ever-stealth-bomber-crash-caught-on-tape

Apparently caused by humidity in its sensors.Video

The Air Force says the first crash of a B-2 stealth bomber was caused by moisture in the sensors that forced bad readings. The moisture in 3 of the 24 sensors threw off the preflight data calibrations, which caused the flight control computer to force the aircraft to pitch-up 30 degrees on takeoff. That resulted in a stall and subsequent crash on Feb. 23. The "Spirit of Kansas," plunged to the ground at Andersen Air Force Base on the island of Guam. It was en route to Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, where the 21-plane fleet is based. The...

1. B-2 Spirit stealth heavy bomber (left), B-52 Stratofortress heavy bomber (center), B-1B Lancer supersonic heavy bomber (right) fly in formation on 10 May 2008 for the 75th Anniversary of Barksdale AFB celebration. Large or medium photo via http://chamorrobible.org/gpw/gpw-20051129.htm (photo 12). 2. And here's the B-52 Stratofortress (left) and the B-2 Spirit (right) flying in formation on 10 May 2008. Large or medium or huge photo via http://chamorrobible.org/gpw/gpw-20051129.htm (photo 11). The Photographer United States Air Force Staff Sgt. Samuel E. Rogers, 1st Fighter Wing Public Affairs, Langley Air Force Base

America's entire B-2 stealth bombing fleet, which has played a crucial part in all major conflicts since 1999, has been grounded after one of the jets crashed near a military base in Guam. The crash - the first involving the £610 million plane - was the most expensive single aircraft accident in history. A senior US military source told The Sunday Telegraph that all remaining B-2 stealth bombers were on a "no-fly" order and that there would be no further take-offs until the initial investigation into the crash had been completed. Officials assume the crash was caused by either mechanical...

HAGATNA, Guam - A B-2 stealth bomber plunged to the ground shortly after taking off from an air base in Guam on Saturday, the first time one crashed, but both pilots ejected safely, Air Force officials said. ADVERTISEMENT The aircraft was taking off with three others on their last flight out of Guam after a four-month deployment, part of a continuous U.S. bomber presence in the western Pacific. After the crash, the other three bombers were being kept on Guam, said Maj. Eric Hilliard at Hickham Air Force Base in Hawaii. At least one B-2 bomber had taken off safely...

News just coming out (at least I could not find another report here) http://www.kuam.com/news/26596.aspx

Defense: Democrats are balking at a White House request to fund the refitting of B-2 bombers so they can carry bunker buster bombs. It seems they're not interested in dealing with a real threat. "The drumbeats of war are beating again, this time against Iran, and we have to step in while there is still time," moaned Rep. Jim McDermott, Democrat of Washington, said through a spokesman. "We are not authorizing Bush to use a 30,000-pound bunker buster." Rep. Jim Moran, Democrat of Virginia, said he assumes the target for the bunker busters is Iran. Expect Moran to use his...

The TimesOctober 26, 2007 Now what would a huge US bomb be aimed at? Gerard Baker Nestled deep in George Bush’s latest $190 billion request to Congress for emergency funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is a tantalising little item that has received scant attention. The US Department of Defence has asked for an additional $88 million to modify B2 stealth bombers so that they can carry a 30,000lb bomb called the massive ordnance penetrator (or MOP, in the disarming acronymic vernacular of the military). The MOP is an advanced form of a “bunker buster”, an air-delivered weapon...

Nestled deep in George Bush’s latest $190 billion request to Congress for emergency funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is a tantalising little item that has received scant attention. The US Department of Defence has asked for an additional $88 million to modify B2 stealth bombers so that they can carry a 30,000lb bomb called the massive ordnance penetrator (or MOP, in the disarming acronymic vernacular of the military). The MOP is an advanced form of a “bunker buster”, an air-delivered weapon with an explosive capacity to destroy targets deep underground. Explaining the request, the Administration says it...

Bomb Iran? U.S. Requests Bunker-Buster Bombs White House Bomber Request Leaves Some Wondering if U.S. Is Preparing Action in Iran By JONATHAN KARL Oct. 24, 2007 — Tucked inside the White House's $196 billion emergency funding request for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is an item that has some people wondering whether the administration is preparing for military action against Iran. The item: $88 million to modify B-2 stealth bombers so they can carry a newly developed 30,000-pound bomb called the massive ordnance penetrator, or, in military-speak, the MOP. The MOP is the the military's largest conventional bomb, a...

Global Security: The Air Force is busy modifying its B-2 stealth bomber fleet so it can carry deep-penetrating bunker-buster bombs, according to recent reports. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, call your office. The Massive Ordnance Penetrator, known as the bunker buster, is a GPS-guided weapon that carries more than 5,300 pounds of conventional explosives inside a 20.5-foot hardened steel shell. Sounds formidable. It is. The Boeing-made bombs, which weigh 30,000 pounds each, are built to bore through dirt, rock and reinforced concrete at supersonic speeds to reach their targets: deep bunkers and tunnels. Once the steel has pierced the outer layers of the...

U.S. Outfitting B-2's with Monster Bunker Buster Bombs - Iran May Be Target NewsMax.com Wires Friday, July 27, 2007 The U.S. is retrofitting its B-2 Stealth bombers with massive bunker-buster bombs - a move that could be a prelude to an attack on Iran and its nuclear facilities. Iran has refused to comply with international demands that it stop its nuclear weapons programs. Experts have noted that a U.S. or Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear program could be difficult due to the large number of installations - some of which are buried deep underground in hardened bunkers.

US Air Force B-2 Stealth Bombers Will Soon Be Fitted With Newly-Developed 15-Tonne Massive Ordnance July 23, 2007 DEBKAfile Reports American military sources say the gigantic new bunker-blaster is designed to hit fortified underground targets such as Iran’s uranium-enrichment facility at Natanz. It will be capable of drilling through many meters of earth or concrete. When it falls from a high altitude, the MOP – composed of 20% explosives, 80% hardened metal - will punch a hole in the toughest protective casing before exploding in depth. It is GPS guided. DEBKAfile’s military sources reveal that Israel’s RAFAEL has upgraded its...

PALMDALE - The U.S. Air Force's B-2 stealth bomber would be able to attack and destroy an expanded set of hardened, deeply buried military targets using a new 30,000 pound-class penetrator weapon that Northrop Grumman has begun integrating on the aircraft. The company is doing the work under a seven-month, $2.5 million contract awarded June 1 by the Air Force's Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio. Northrop Grumman is the Air Force's prime contractor on the B-2, the flagship of the nation's long-range strike arsenal. The new Massive Ordnance Penetrator, which is being developed by The Boeing Company, is...

American stealth bombers will soon be equipped to drop the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), the gigantic deep-bunker-blasting bomb currently being developed by the Yanks. Northrop Grumman announced the relatively cheap $2.5m stealth-bomber refit contract yesterday. An undisclosed number of the US Air Force's 22 B-2 "Spirit" bombers will each be able to carry a brace of 15-tonne MOPs in around seven months' time. The US Air Force says the B-2's stealth characteristics give it "the unique ability to penetrate an enemy's most sophisticated defenses and threaten his most valued, and heavily defended, targets". The MOP mega-bomb, second heaviest conventional weapon...

The U.S. Air Force's B-2 stealth bomber would be able to attack and destroy an expanded set of hardened, deeply buried military targets using a new 30,000 pound-class penetrator weapon that Northrop Grumman has begun integrating on the aircraft. The company is doing the work under a seven-month, $2.5 million contract awarded June 1 by the Air Force's Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio. Northrop Grumman is the Air Force's prime contractor on the B-2, the flagship of the nation's long-range strike arsenal. The new Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), which is being developed by The Boeing Company, is a...

PALMDALE - Northrop Grumman employees have begun work on a $171 million contract to develop and demonstrate a new extremely high frequency satellite communications system that eventually would enable B-2 stealth bombers to send and receive battlefield information up to 100 times faster than now. Expected to last more than five years and to be done in three phases, the first system design and development phase consists primarily of engineering work that will be based in Palmdale, with flight testing likely to be at Edwards Air Force Base\. "This SDD contract provides significant momentum for the work Northrop Grumman and...

My son was able to attend the Air and Sea show today in Ft. Lauderdale FL. The link is to the Flikr slideshow containing his pictures.

WASHINGTON - While no longer the dominant economic force in the Antelope Valley, the area's aerospace industry is still a vital part of the economy. Leaders of the Antelope Valley Board of Trade heard largely positive reports from representatives of the major aerospace companies during their annual visit to the nation's capital this week. In visits to the Washington offices of The Boeing Co., Northrop Grumman Corp. and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. - they received updates on the companies' ongoing work at Palmdale's Air Force Plant 42 and Edwards Air Force Base and prospects for its continuance. One new topic...

PALMDALE - Northrop Grumman Corp. will begin formal development of a new satellite communications system for the B-2 stealth bomber under Air Force approval, which was announced Wednesday. The new system ultimately will allow the bomber to send and receive battlefield information up to 100 times faster than today. The upgrades will be installed at the company's facility at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, where the bombers were built and where major maintenance and modification work continues. The system will use extremely high frequency, or EHF, satellite communication. The current system uses ultra high frequency, or UHF. "Upgrading the...

China obtained secret stealth technology used on B-2 bomber engines from a Hawaii-based spy ring in a compromise U.S. officials say will allow Beijing to copy or counter a key weapon in the Pentagon's new strategy against China. Details of the classified defense technology related to the B-2's engine exhaust system and its ability to avoid detection by infrared sensors were sold to Chinese officials by former defense contractor Noshir S. Gowadia, an Indian-born citizen charged with spying in a federal indictment released by prosecutors in Hawaii.

Saw a B2 Spirit while visiting Staten Island today.. It was a beautiful sight to see. Very quiet -- you wouldn't know it was over you until it was too late.. I've been waiting to see one for quite a while, and finally got a chance to. My son pointed out a plane to me, and I looked up expecting to see a passenger jet but instead saw the B2... :-)

I saw a B2 flying low over the Boston suburbs this afternoon. No, no pharmaceuticals were involved and I am well rested. Anyone else see it ? Was there an air show nearby ?

Just hours after Iran opened a new plant capable of making plutonium “for peaceful purposes”, U.S. President George Bush assured his Iranian counterpart that any B-2 bombers that appear over Tehran in the near future would also serve peaceful purposes. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad cut the ribbon on the new heavy-water nuclear plant Saturday as part of a month-long Iranian tribute to the effectiveness of the United Nations. Mr. Bush hailed Iran’s “transparent diplomacy” and said, “I called President Ahmadinejad today to congratulate him, and I told him that if he happens to notice one of them Stealth bombers going over...

Preparations are well under way for the Valley's premier aviation event - the Edwards Air Force Base Open House and Air Show. The free two-day event is set for Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 28 and 29, at the base that has been home to flight testing nearly every aircraft in the Air Force inventory - past, present and future. That heritage is reflected in the event's theme - "The Edwards' Edge: Making History, Reaching New Heights." This year's festivities also will honor the 60th anniversary of the Air Force, one of the first official events to do so. Headlining the...

8/8/2006 - ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam (AFPN) -- At first glance, he looks like any other Air Force pilot: olive-green flight suit, polished boots and a bluish-gray flight cap with rank insignia prominently displayed. On closer inspection, you realize the little differences. His shoulder boards don't feature bars or leaves, but instead a combination of blue and gray stripes. When you hear him speak, his distinct accent tells you this is no ordinary Air Force pilot. Royal Air Force Squadron Leader David Arthurton is a pilot with the 13th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, flying the B-2 Spirit bomber with the...

PALMDALE - Command of Air Force Plant 42 passed to a new leader Wednesday, as Lt. Col. Ronald Ortiz ended his three-year tenure and Lt. Col. Ronald Hirtle took over. The morning ceremony took place outside a hangar, against a backdrop of aircraft that claim Air Force Plant 42 as their birthplace: F-117 stealth fighter, B-2 stealth bomber, U-2 and the experimental X-37 spacecraft demonstrator. "If you look around at these airplanes, they speak for themselves. This is where the cutting edge of the Air Force is born," said Col. James A. Godsey , deputy director of the Engineering Directorate,...

Only about seven of the U.S. Air Force's 21 B-2 bombers are ready to go at any time, and now, a combination of robots, sprayers and quality control are trying to double the readiness rate. But for a long time, the B-2 has been known as a "Hanger Queen" (an aircraft that spends too much time in the hanger for maintenance or repairs). Two years ago, the U.S. Air Force introduced the use of robots to reduce the maintenance efforts required to keep their B-2 bombers flying. The B-2 uses a stealth (anti-radar) system that depends a lot on a...

PALMDALE: Northrop Grumman Corporation has completed an upgrade of the U.S. Air Force's B-2 stealth bomber that allows the aircraft to deliver five times its previous capacity of independently targeted, “smart'' (GPS-guided) weapons. Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor for the B-2, which remains the only long-range, large payload aircraft that can penetrate deep into protected airspace. Combined with superior airspace control provided by the F-22 Raptor and global mobility provided by tanker aircraft, the B-2 ensures an effective U.S. response to threats anywhere in the world. The SBRA upgrade program enhances the B-2's ability to respond to current and...

WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Air Force officials announced March 16 that the 131st Fighter Wing at Lambert International Airport in St. Louis will join the elite B-2 mission at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. The announcement means the 131st Fighter Wing's Airmen will team up with the world's only B-2 long-range stealth bomber mission located at Whiteman AFB. The move will pair the 131st's Guard unit air crew, maintainers and support staff with the current active-duty B-2 unit. The 131st was selected from Air National Guard units nationwide to support the B-2s. "I am pleased that the U.S. Air Force found...

El Segundo CA (SPX) Feb 02, 2006 Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Air Force have successfully demonstrated the integration of a munition on the B-2 stealth bomber that incorporates an improved, penetrating warhead with an upgraded guidance kit. "The demonstration represents another example of our commitment to maintain the B-2's flexibility to employ a variety of advanced weapons," said Mike Galaway, director of B-2 product development and delivery at Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector. "We also want to ensure that the nation's No. 1 long-range strike asset remains the most versatile and lethal bomber in the inventory."

NEW YORK, November 4: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested an Indian-American engineer for selling secrets of its high profile B-2 bombers to “foreign countries.” Noshir S. Gowadia, 61, who had designed the propulsion system on the radar-evading B-2 stealth bomber when he worked as design engineer for Northrop Corporation from November 1968 to April 1986, was arrested by the FBI from his home in Maui, Hawaii, last week. Originally from Mumbai, Gowadia is now in the Federal Detention Centre at Honolulu. He was living in Haiiku, Hawaii, for past six years. The offense is punishable by a...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - An engineer who worked on the development of the US B-2 bomber has been arrested in Hawaii for allegedly passing secret technology related to the radar-evading plane to three foreign governments, the FBI said. Noshir Gowadia was accused of "willfully communicating national defense information to a person not entitled to receive it," the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. A Pentagon spokesman said he was unaware of the details of the FBI investigation and so could not comment on the extent of the damage that may have been caused. "Our modern weapons sytems use advance...

HONOLULU - An engineer who calls himself the father of the technology that protects the B-2 stealth bomber from heat-seeking missiles has been arrested and accused of selling U.S. military secrets involving the aircraft to a foreign country, the FBI said. Noshir S. Gowadia, 61, of Haiku was arrested Wednesday. According to the FBI, Gowadia in 2002 faxed a document detailing infrared technology classified top secret by the Air Force to a foreign official. He also provided classified information to two other countries, the FBI said. The government would not identify the countries or disclose how much he allegedly received....

EDWARDS AFB - Aviation buffs, grab your cameras. The Edwards Air Force Base Open House and Air Show returns today for a two-day run after a two-year absence. Gates open today and Sunday at 7 a.m., with the flying set to run from 10 a.m. to about 4:30 p.m. each day. Parking and admission are free. Among the featured aerial acts are the newest addition to the Air Force arsenal, the F/A-22 Raptor and the B-2 stealth bomber. In keeping with tradition, Chuck Yeager will open the air show, this year flying a P-51 Mustang similar to the one he...

July 2005: USAF B-2 Spirit with vapor cloud and two USAF F-15E Strike Eagles fly in formation over the Pacific Ocean. Andersen Air Force Base, Territory of Guam, USA PhotographerTechnical Sgt. Cecilio M. Ricardo, 36th Communication Squadron, 36th Air Expeditionary Wing, United States Air ForceSourceshttp://www.af.mil/weekinphotos/050708-01.htmlhttp://www.af.mil/media/photodb/photos/060707-F-3961R-003.jpgB-2 Stealth version of "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean"http://linkfilter.net/?id=94946

EDWARDS AFB - After taking a year off, the Edwards Air Force Base Open House and Air Show returns with a bang - and a boom and a roar - on Oct. 22 and 23. The free event will feature seldom-seen aircraft in the air and on the ground as the base pulls out all the stops to showcase military and civilian aviation. "It's looking real good," said Edwards spokesman John Haire of the tentative show lineup, expected to feature more flying than in recent years. Making its aerial debut at Edwards will be the unmanned Predator, used in combat...

German Spiegel points to a stealth bomber uncovered on Google Maps. Spiegel writes, “As you know it’s prohibited to get close to military bases, let alone photograph them. Usually satellite images which are made public online are retouched to blur scenerey which might compromise security. At least that’s what you assume in times of terror. However, the googling tourist stumbles upon a stealth bomber on a military airport in California.

PASADENA - The Rose Parade float that almost wasn't came through in fine fashion Saturday, not only representing the Antelope Valley as it made its way down the famed Colorado Boulevard parade route, but by also grabbing the Princess Trophy for most beautiful small float, under 35 feet. Float organizers speculated that perhaps it had something to do with the luck and charisma of a few of its riders who had already won a coveted prize in their own field: aerospace designer Burt Rutan and pilot-astronauts Michael Melvill and Brian Binnie of SpaceShipOne fame. "We're just ecstatic," said Mary Rainwater,...

PALMDALE - Leaders of an Antelope Valley Float Association booster committee that is working to get a Valley aerospace-themed float into the Tournament of Roses Parade say they have reorganized the group and that a controversial committee officer has left the project. Mary Rainwater, president of the Float Association, and Bill Graham, a real estate sales agent, said Wednesday that the group's former vice president is no longer affiliated with the effort. Sandy Douglass has "absolutely no participation," Rainwater said. Antelope Valley Press reports disclosed Douglass had a number of criminal convictions for offenses that involved bad checks and other...

THESE IS HOW OUR MILITARY WAS DECIMATED UNDER (COMMANDER IN CHIEF)CLINTON, SUPPORTED 100% BY JOHN KERRY (THESE VOTES HE DID SHOW UP FOR). THEIR TERRIBLE JUDGMENT IS WHY OUR MILITARY IS STRETCHED NOW...ALL DUE TO THE DEMOCRAT PARTY LEADERSHIP (I USE THE TERM LOOSELY). Send to all...people need to know what they're voting for. 709,000 REGULAR (ACTIVE DUTY) PERSONNEL. 293,000 RESERVE TROOPS. EIGHT STANDING ARMY DIVISIONS! 20 AIR FORCE AND NAVY AIR WINGS WITH 2,000 COMBAT AIRCRAFT 232 STRATEGIC BOMBERS. 9 STRATEGIC BALLISTIC MISSILE SUBMARINES WITH 3,114 NUCLEAR WARHEADS ON 232 MISSILES. 500 ICBMs WITH 1,950 WARHEADS. FOUR AIRCRAFT CARRIERS...

PALMDALE - Northrop Grumman Corp. will continue to upgrade the B-2 stealth bomber radar system, courtesy of a $388 million contract awarded by the Air Force for the second phase of the multi-year modernization program. The program, based at Northrop's facility at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, will provide the nation's fleet of B-2 bombers with sophisticated new radar systems. The B-2 work force in Palmdale, which numbers between 60 and 70 employees, is not expected to see an increase with this contract, said Northrop spokesman Jim Hart. The team may grow slightly in future years as flight testing...

"John Kerry first ran for the Senate on a platform that included canceling the B-2 bomber, and he has repeatedly voted against it in Congress. His assertion that Missouri "won't have to worry" about the B-2 bombers at Whiteman Air Force Base has no credibility, given his votes against the B-2 and his vote against funding for troops at war." -Danny Diaz, Bush-Cheney '04 Spokesman Kerry Proposed The Cancellation Of The B-2 Bomber In 1984 And Voted Against Funding The B-2 Bomber At Least 17 Times, In 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996. Whiteman AFB, Home Of B-2...

The Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base has long been known for providing the weaponry for future conflicts, but recently it has been called on to assist in ongoing conflicts as well. "We are also sort of the 911 of your Air Force," Maj. Gen. Doug Pearson, the center's commander, told members of the California City Economic Development Corp. on Thursday night. When things go wrong, "someone will call me," he said. The most recent example came during the early days of the war in Iraq when the Air Force was having difficulties with some of...

Yesterday there was mention that several US Air Force Stealth Aircraft were going to overfly the Rose Bowl. Today I searched for photos of this event, finding several. HOWEVER, in my humble opinion (grin ;-) I think the below photo is the best of the few I found of the stealth overfly event. Please visit Yahoo!News - Sports Photos - AP to freep/vote for this photo to number one status ... Yahoo login required though :-( Stealth fighters and a bomber fly over the stadium during opening ceremonies at the start of the Michigan-USC showdown in the 90th Rose Bowl...

For the first time in aviation history, three Air Force Stealth aircraft are scheduled to fly in formation at the 115th Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year's Day, Air Force officials said today. A second flyover by the B-2 Spirit, F-117A Nighthawk and F/A-22 Raptor is scheduled before the Rose Bowl game later in the day. Plans call for the F-117A Nighthawk and F/A-22 Raptor to be flown from Edwards Air Force Base and the B-2 Spirit from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. The F/A-22 Raptor is the newest dual-engine stealth, long-range air-to-air and air-to-ground fighter, with supersonic,...