Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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February 23, 2008

US Stealth Bomber Crashes in Guam
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1B55C67:A6F02AD83191E16020489167A27BFBE50531BB26A5003E7B& First crash of B-2,
a $1.2 billion aircraft which uses highly advanced materials and
technology to evade radar U.S. military officers say two air force
pilots are safe after their B-2 Stealth Bomber crashed on the island
of Guam. VOA's Kurt Achin is monitoring the situation from Seoul and
has this report.







B-2 bomber during training exercise near McGuire Airforce Base, N.J.,
March 2001 file photoThe crash occurred Saturday morning local time as
the B-2 Stealth bomber was taking off from Andersen Air Force base on
Guam, a U.S. territory that lies south of Japan.

U.S. Technical Sergeant Tom Czerwinski, of the U.S. Pacific Air Force
Public Affairs office in Hawaii, says no lives were lost.

"The cause of crash is unknown, pending an investigation," he said.
"The pilots had ejected safely - no serious injuries. One is mobile,
one is still in the hospital under observation."

A board of investigators is being assembled to evaluate the incident.
U.S. officials speculate some preliminary information may be available
within 30 days.

This is the first crash of a B-2, a $1.2 billion aircraft which uses
highly advanced materials and technology to evade radar. It was first
deployed in combat in the 1990s Balkan conflict, and later in U.S.-led
actions in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The United States has 21 of the bombers, which it rotates through
theaters around the world, including here in South Korea, where the
United States maintains 28,000 forces to deter potential aggression
from North Korea.

This is the second U.S. Air Force accident in several days. On
Wednesday, a U.S. fighter pilot was killed in a collision during a
combat training exercise over the Gulf of Mexico.


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