The USAF’s B-2 stealth bomber has resumed service following a coat of paint and a complete overhaul from Northrop Grumman.
The Spirit of Pennsylvania is the latest B-2 bomber to complete the comprehensive overhaul process known as programmed depot maintenance (PDM), which is carried out every seven years in Palmdale.
It is the first B-2 to be painted with the insignia of the newly formed Global Strike Command.
The PDM, which takes around 13 months, includes a complete restoration of the bomber’s composite airframe to a like-new condition.
It also involves inspections, service and flight testing of all of the aircraft’s major mechanical and electrical systems.
To date, each of the air force’s 20 B-2 aircraft has completed at least one PDM cycle.
The B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is the only aircraft that combines long range, large payload and precision weapons in a single platform.
It can fly more than 6,000nm unrefuelled, and more than 10,000nm with just one aerial refuelling.
