first and the last of the B-2s, The

Flight Journal, Feb 2001 by Pace, Steve

In a ceremony last July at Langley AFB, Virginia, the 21st and final Northrop Grumman B-2A Spirit was named Spirit ofAmerica. Nineteen of the 20 previously delivered B-2s are named after states in which many of the stealth bomber's major components were manufactured. And now, the 21st and final B-2 represents the whole of America and those 31 states that were never named. There simply weren't enough B-2s to go around.

Ironically, the 21st and final B-2 that was delivered for operational service was actually the first one built. It made its first flight on July 17, 1989, and after a thorough flight-test program, was put into "flyable storage." Later, after the Defense Department said there would be no more than 20 new B-2s built, it was decided to completely rebuild B-2 number one to Block 30 standard for later delivery to its user wing: the 509 Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB, Missouri, where it is today. -Steve Pace