“As close to seeing a UFO as it gets”.
On Aug. 27, 2019, just before 1AM Local Time, two B-2A Stealth Bombers belonging to the 509th Bomb Wing, from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, arrived into RAF Fairford, UK.
Flying under the call signs DEATH11 (89-0168 “Spirit of New York”) and 12 (89-0129 “Spirit of Georgia”) the two B-2s precedeed DEATH13 (82-1071 “Spirit of Mississippi”) by around 20 minutes.
The following video shows the arrival of DEATH 11 and 12 with radio comms. It was filmed by our friend Ben Ramsay of UK Aviation Movies (make sure you follow this awesome YT channel!). Along with the approach and landing, the taxi scene is really fantastic.
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As already explained commenting previous deployments to RAF Fairford (as those in 2017 or 2015), B-2s don’t operate away from Whiteman AFB, in Missouri, too often: in fact, they are able to hit their targets with very long round-trip missions from their homebase in CONUS (Continental U.S.) as demonstrated by their periodic trans-Atlantic training missions, extended nuclear deterrence sorties in the Korean Peninsula, as well as during real conflicts, such as the Libya Air War in 2011, Allied Force in Serbia in 1999 or the more recent air strike on ISIS in Libya.
The length of the B-2 Spirits stay in UK is not known. It seems that they are not taking part of the annual Ample Strike exercise but they were deployed to RAF Fairford on their own exercise.
Whatever, the sight of a stealth bomber coming to land in the darkness is pretty awesome.
