Released: Apr 28, 1998
The ceremony is open to the public with gates opening at 8:00 a.m.
The Spirit of Mississippi, the 19th B-2 stealth bomber to be named, will be on display immediately following the ceremony. This is an opportunity to see the highly advanced aircraft up close. Visitors can view the Spirit of Mississippi, talk with crew members, enjoy music performed by the U.S. Air Force Heartland of America Band, and take home autographed posters of the B-2.
Scheduled to preside over the activity are Gen. Richard E. Hawley, commander of Air Combat Command, and Kent Kresa, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Northrop Grumman Corp. Col. Robert A. Barron, commander of the 172nd Airlift Wing at the Air National Guard Base at Thompson Field, Jackson, Mississippi, will host the event.
Also invited to attend the ceremony are all members of Mississippi's congressional delegation and Mississippi's governor. The B-2 stealth bomber, based at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., is capable of delivering conventional and nuclear munitions anywhere on the globe. Its combination of low observability, large payload capacity, near-precision munitions and long range give it a unique ability to penetrate sophisticated defenses and threaten an enemy's war-making capability.
The B-2 Spirit is an integral part of the U.S. Air Force's bomber force, which also includes the B-1B Lancer and the B-52H Stratofortress. (Courtesy of ACC News Service)
RELATED SITES
* B-1B Lancer
* B-2 Spirit
* B-52 Stratofortress
* Air Combat Command
* Air National Guard
* Gen. Richard E. Hawley
* Langley Air Force Base, Va.
* Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.