CORRECTED:U.S. Air Force B-2 bomber crashes

Sat Feb 23, 2008 12:51am EST
 
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Corrects kilometer range of B-2 in 4th paragraph

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. B-2 stealth bomber crashed at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam just after taking off but the two pilots on board ejected safely, the U.S. Air Force said late on Friday.

"They have been evaluated by medical authorities and are in good condition," the Air Force said in a statement.

An Air Force spokeswoman did not have details about bomber's mission in Guam. The aircraft, which cost almost $1.2 billion each, is based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.

The B-2 bomber can evade most radar signals making it difficult for defensive systems to detect, track and attack. It has a range of 6,000 nautical miles without refueling, according to the Air Force.

The B-2 bombers have been used for missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Serbia.

(Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky, editing by Sandra Maler)

 

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