Spotlight: Air Force Halts B-2 Training Flights

The Air Force has stopped sending B-2 stealth bombers on training missions after a shaft assembly connecting an engine on one of the aircraft broke in flight. Thirteen bombers, each with a price tag of $2 billion-plus, are based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Air Force engineers were working with the aircraft’s prime contractor, Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman Corp., and a subcontractor to solve the problem. The halt will continue until all aircraft have been inspected.