Flight crew reported a fire in the cockpit moments before the fly-by-wire system failed and they punched out. Note that the Stealth Bomber, like all tail-less "flying wing" aircraft, is inherently unstable and without the control system operating will crash pretty rapidly.
The Air Farce has also opened up a bit. Apparently their first "No comment" on what a Stealth Bomber was doing at Guam was just reflexive Air Force response to any question from reporters. Turns out there were four of the suckers at Guam taking turns buzzing North Korean and Chinese "fishing boats" (i.e., "on patrol") to keep the North Koreans and Chinese on notice that we had the assets to respond to an invasion of North Korea or Taiwan. The one that crashed was on its way back to Whiteman in Missouri to apparently rotate out with another one.
So now the entire fleet, all twenty of them, are grounded until they figure out what caused the fire, and six B-52 bombers have taken over the "buzz the fishing boats" patrols. Well, not officially grounded -- if someone decided to attack Taiwan or South Korea they'd fly -- but they ain't goin' nowhere otherwise. But sooner or later they'll have to fly again because those B2 pilots have to keep enough hours in seat to stay certified. Will the millitary require them to fly the B2 before the problem is found and fixed? Of course. We're talking about the Air Force, after all, which has had planes like the F-104 that were so fundamentally unsafe that 50% of the planes fell out of the sky. It'll fly again, safe or no. That's just how it works -- and how it has always worked. If you're interested in signing up for the military, remember that. If you want "safe", stay home like the bedwetters of the 101st Fighting Pansy Republican Blogger Corps.
-- Badtux the Military Penguin
i doubt that there will be any b2 jockeys looking to transfer to rotary wing or osprey squadrons.
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