A Reddit user captured a live Google Maps satellite image showing a B-2 Spirit bomber in flight

The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is renowned for its cutting-edge stealth capabilities, featuring a distinctive flying-wing silhouette and radar-absorbing surfaces that reduce its detectability. Yet, “stealth” doesn’t render it completely invisible. In 2021, a Reddit user captured a live Google Maps satellite image showing a B-2 in flight, offering a striking—and somewhat humorous—reminder that even the most advanced aircraft can occasionally be spotted in broad daylight.

The B-2 was discovered on Google Maps

B-2 Spirit in flight. — B-2 Spirit on a test flight over the California desert. (Photo Credits: Bettmann / Getty Images).

In late December 2021, a Reddit user going by Hippowned revealed their discovery of a B-2 Spirit image on Google Maps. The blurred photograph, captured by Google’s satellite cameras, shows the stealth bomber flying over a field about 50 miles east of Kansas City, Missouri.

The images are no longer on Google Maps

Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit flying over a field — Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit caught by Google Maps flying over a field near Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo Credit: Google Maps)

The exact coordinates were 39°01’18.5”,-93°35’40.5”. The bright blue, green, and red colors appeared because of how the satellite cameras worked—they first took separate photos and then merged them to create a sharp, detailed image.

Sadly, these images are no longer available on Google Maps. Now, all that remains is an empty field.

What is the B-2 Spirit?

Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit in flight — Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit flying over Edwards Air Force Base, California, 2003. (Photo Credit: U.S. Air Force / Getty Images)

The B-2 Spirit is stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, roughly 20 miles north of where it was spotted on Google Maps. A total of 21 bombers were constructed between 1987 and 2000, each engineered to provide the U.S. Air Force with a next-generation stealth bomber capable of evading even the most sophisticated air defense networks.

The B-2 is expected to stay in service until the 2030s

B-2 stealth bomber dropping a laser guided missile. — A B-2 stealth bomber dropping a laser guided missile on a training run. (Photo Credits: USAF / Getty Images).

The B-2 entered service in 1997 and saw its first combat action in 1999 during the Kosovo War, later participating in operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. It is expected to be retired in the early 2030s, with the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider set to take its place.

This wasn’t the only B-2 caught by Google Maps

Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit parked on the tarmac — Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit parked at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, 2005. (Photo Credit: Bennie J. Davis / USAF / Getty Images)

This wasn’t the first instance of a B-2 Spirit appearing in satellite imagery. In 2022, Google Maps captured a striking image showing the aftermath of a crash at Whiteman Air Force Base. The aircraft, nicknamed the Spirit of Georgia, suffered a serious malfunction during an emergency landing in September 2021. After touching down, it skidded off the runway and came to rest in an adjacent grassy area.

The incident resulted in over $10 million in damages. Investigators later traced the cause to tiny fractures in the hydraulic system combined with defective landing gear springs, which led the pilot to lose control during landing—an expensive illustration of the precision and vigilance required to safely operate one of the U.S. Air Force’s most advanced aircraft.