Pentagon seeks to reassure after Air Force grounds entire B-2 bomber fleet

The Pentagon on Tuesday insisted it has “a variety of capabilities at its disposal” after the Air Force last week grounded its entire fleet of B-2 stealth bombers. 

The aircrafts’ grounding, which came after an emergency landing and fire on Dec. 10 at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, is significant because the stealth bomber, along with the B-52 Stratofortress, makes up the air arm of the U.S. nuclear triad. 

Several B-2s from the fleet, which includes fewer than 20 planes, have recently been deployed to Europe as well as the Indo-Pacific in a show of force.  

“The Department of Defense, to include the Air Force, has a variety of capabilities at its disposal, particularly when it comes to our strategic bomber fleet,” Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters.

He pointed to the B-52 fleet, which he said provides a “redundant capability” to the B-2, adding that he’s “confident that we continue to maintain the bomber capability that we need to deter adversaries and if necessary, engage in combat.”

He later said that the grounding does not make the U.S. vulnerable in any way. 

“On any given day at any given time, there is going to be aircraft, ships, forces on the ground available to confront any threat that we may have wherever it may pop up. So no vulnerabilities at this time,” he said. 

The Air Force first ordered a B-2 stand-down to inspect the entire fleet after “an in-flight malfunction during routine operations” caused an emergency landing and subsequent fire on the runway at Whiteman Air Force Base, according to a statement last week from the 509th Bomb Wing. 

The incident caused the base’s runway to close and the Air Force to pull B-2s from performing flyovers at the 2023 Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game, to be replaced by the B-1 Lancer. 

“Our number one concern is the safety and security of our personnel and fleet. We deeply regret having to make this decision so close to the event, but we are committed to returning to Pasadena in 2024,” 509^th Bomb Wing commander Air Force Col. Daniel Diehl said in a separate statement.  

The B-2, first used in 1989, is set to be replaced by the B-21 Raider, introduced earlier this month and scheduled to take its first flight next year. 

The aging aircraft previously suffered an emergency landing in September 2021, also at Whiteman, after the hydraulics system failed and its landing gear collapsed.  

“It’s important to remember that these aircraft, whether it’s B-2s, B-52s, F-22, F-35, these are high-tech advanced aircraft that are operating at very high levels of performance,” Ryder said. 

“Not to minimize the situation anytime there’s a stand-down, but things are going to break and we’re going to fix them and we’re going to get them back in the air,” he added.  

–Updated on Dec. 22 at 10:14 a.m.