The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is renowned for its cutting-edge stealth capabilities, featuring a smooth, flying-wing design and radar-absorbing materials that make it highly effective at evading radar detection. Despite its impressive invisibility to radar, the B-2 is not entirely undetectable. In 2021, a Reddit user stumbled upon a live image of a B-2 bomber in mid-flight on Google Maps, revealing that even the most secretive aircraft can be captured by optical satellites—if you’re looking in the right spot at the right 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 instance of a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber being caught by satellite imagery unexpectedly. In 2022, sharp-eyed users on the internet found another surprising image on Google Maps, this time showing a B-2 that had crashed at Whiteman Air Force Base. The aircraft, known as the Spirit of Georgia, had made an emergency landing in September 2021. Upon landing, it veered off the runway and came to rest in a nearby grassy area.
The damage was extensive, totaling over $10 million. An investigation later determined that the loss of control during the landing was caused by small cracks in the bomber’s hydraulic system and issues with the landing gear springs.