First Stealth Bomber Flight Near

The B-2 stealth bomber is set to take its maiden flight within the next two weeks, the Air Force said Friday.

The $530-million-a-copy warplane--the costliest aircraft in history--will undergo taxi tests and its first flight test during a 15-day period beginning Sunday.

The bomber will undergo three trials during the period--slow taxi, fast taxi and flight. No specific date or time has been set for any of the tests, but reporters have been advised to appear at Northrop Corp.’s Palmdale plant each day just in case one occurs.

The flying-wing bomber, which is made of materials designed to absorb or deflect radar, is scheduled to reach about 10,000 feet and fly over Southern California for two hours before landing at Edwards Air Force Base, 35 miles east of Palmdale.