The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is renowned for its cutting-edge stealth technology, featuring a distinctive flying-wing design and radar-absorbing materials that make it nearly undetectable to radar systems. Yet, stealth doesn’t mean total invisibility. In 2021, a sharp-eyed Reddit user managed to spot a B-2 mid-flight on a live satellite image from Google Maps. The unexpected sighting offered a lighthearted reminder that even one of the world’s most secretive aircraft can sometimes be caught in plain view—if only for a moment.
The B-2 was discovered on Google Maps
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
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?
The B-2 Spirit is based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, about 20 miles north of the location shown on Google Maps. Between 1987 and 2000, 21 of these bombers were built. They were designed to give the U.S. Air Force a high-tech stealth bomber that could slip past even the most advanced air defense systems.
The B-2 is expected to stay in service until the 2030s
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
This wasn’t the first time a B-2 Spirit appeared on satellite imagery. In 2022, Google Maps captured another striking image—this time showing the aftermath of a crash at Whiteman Air Force Base. The aircraft, known as the Spirit of Georgia, experienced a critical malfunction during an emergency landing in September 2021. After touching down, it veered off the runway and came to rest in a grassy area nearby.
The mishap caused more than $10 million in damages. Investigators later determined that microscopic fractures in the hydraulic system, combined with defective landing gear springs, led the pilot to lose control during the landing—a costly and sobering reminder of the precision and fragility behind one of America’s most advanced aircraft.