| Whiteman Air Force Base | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NearKnob Noster,Missouri in theUnited States of America | |||||||
 AB-2A Spirit from the509th Bomb Wing flying over Whiteman AFB. | |||||||
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| Site information | |||||||
| Type | US Air Force Base | ||||||
| Owner | Department of Defense | ||||||
| Operator |  United States Air Force | ||||||
| Controlled by | Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) | ||||||
| Condition | Operational | ||||||
| Website | www.whiteman.af.mil | ||||||
| Location | |||||||
  Whiteman  Whiteman  Whiteman | |||||||
| Coordinates | 38°43′49″N93°32′55″W / 38.73028°N 93.54861°W /38.73028; -93.54861 | ||||||
| Site history | |||||||
| Built | 1942 (1942) (as Sedalia Glider Base) | ||||||
| In use | 1942 – present | ||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||
| Current commander | Colonel Keith J. Butler[1] | ||||||
| Garrison | 509th Bomb Wing (Host) | ||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: SZL,ICAO: KSZL,FAA LID: SZL,WMO: 724467 | ||||||
| Elevation | 265.4 metres (871 ft)AMSL | ||||||
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| Source:Federal Aviation Administration[2] | |||||||
Whiteman Air Force Base (IATA:SZL,ICAO:KSZL,FAALID:SZL) is aUnited States Air Force base located just south ofKnob Noster,Missouri,United States. It is operated by theAir Force Global Strike Command, as the base for all 19 operationalB-2 Spirit nuclear-capable stealth bombers, as well as forA-10 Thunderbolt attack aircraft and others. There is also a sizableMissouri Air National Guard presence on base as well.
The base is approximately 60 miles (100 km) east-southeast ofKansas City in rural Johnson County. Originally established as the Sedalia Glider Base, it was later renamed after2nd Lt George Whiteman, a native Missourian who was killed during theattack on Pearl Harbor. The facility covers 5,566 acres (8.7 sq mi; 22.5 km2) and is maintained by the 509th Civil Engineer Squadron.[3] During theCold War, Whiteman played a significant role in the American nuclear triad, with a total of 150Minutemanintercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) built in the vicinity of the base, later dismantled as part of arms reductions.
Following the end of the Cold War era, the base became home to the B-2 bomber force beginning in the 1990s and continues to play a crucial role in the US nuclear deterrent. B-2 bombers have flown non-stop flights from Whiteman for bombing campaigns inYugoslavia,Afghanistan,Iraq,Libya, andIran.
In 1942, theUnited States Army Air Corps selected the site of the present-day base to be the home of Sedalia Glider Base, a training base forWACO glider pilots. In May 1942, construction workers began building a railroad spur for the new air base in an area known to locals as the "Blue Flats" because of the color of the soil. The new railroad line was built by theMissouri Pacific Railroad. The base was officially opened on August 6, 1942. On November 12, 1942, the name was changed to Sedalia Army Air Field.[4]
After the end ofWorld War II, operations at the airfield declined, and many of the buildings were abandoned. In December 1947, the base was put on inactive status.[5]
In August 1951, the base was renamed again, to Sedalia Air Force Base, as it was now part of the United States' newest military service branch, theUnited States Air Force.[4]
In October 1952, the base was turned over to the340th Bombardment Wing. Improvements were made to the 1942 runway, as well as other base facilities, andStrategic Air Command (SAC) scheduled the base to receive squadrons flying theB-47 Stratojet and theKC-97 Stratofreighter. The first B-47 landed at the base in March 1954.[5]
On December 3, 1955, the base was renamed Whiteman Air Force Base in honor of 2nd Lieutenant George A. Whiteman, an Army Air Corps pilot who was killed during theJapanese attack on Pearl Harbor while attempting to take off fromBellows Field. Whiteman was born inLongwood, Missouri, and graduated fromSmith-Cotton High School inSedalia, less than 20 miles from the base that would bear his name.[4]
In 1963, Whiteman AFB transitioned from being a bomber base to a missile base. SAC activated the351st Strategic Missile Wing at Whiteman on February 1. On September 1, having retired its B-47 and KC-97 aircraft, the remnants of the 340th Bombardment Wing were transferred toBergstrom AFB, Texas where it assumed control of theB-52 Stratofortress andKC-135 Stratotanker assets of the inactivating 4130th Strategic Wing.[6]
The transition of Whiteman AFB from a bomber base to missile base required massive military construction projects. 867,000 cubic yards of earth and rock were excavated to make room for underground launch facilities and 15 launch control centers. 168,000 yards of concrete, 25,355 tons of reinforcing steel, and 15,120 tons of structural steel were used in the effort, and a vast underground intersite cable network was installed.[4]
The 351st employed theLGM-30 Minuteman weapons system, anICBM capable of hitting targets up to 4300 miles away. In the mid-1960s, the Minuteman I missiles were replaced in favor of the Minuteman II, an ICBM with increased range and an improved guidance system. They were tipped with 1.2 megatonW56 thermonuclear warheads.[4][7] Beginning in the late 1960s, 10 of the 150 active missiles had their warheads swapped withEmergency Rocket Communications System (ERCS) transmitters, which would ensure communication with surviving American strategic forces in the event of a nuclear war.[8]
In the 1980s, Whiteman AFB became the first missile base to field an all-female Minuteman missile crew, as well as the first male and female Minuteman crew.[4] The 351st Missile Wing and its three squadrons of Minuteman II ICBMs were inactivated on July 31, 1995 as a result of planned phaseout of the Minuteman II.
At the 1986Reykjavik Summit between U.S. PresidentRonald Reagan and the new Soviet General SecretaryMikhail Gorbachev, the United States and theSoviet Union agreed to a drawdown of nuclear arms via two treaties: theINF Treaty andSTART I. This would lead to the eventual phase-out of the Minuteman II systems at Whiteman, and put the future of the base in question. On January 5, 1987,Ike Skelton, a Congressman representingMissouri's 4th district, announced that Whiteman AFB would be the home of the USAF's new Advanced Technology Bomber, which would eventually be called theB-2 Spirit.[9]
On November 30, 1988, SAC announced that the509th Bomb Wing would divest itsFB-111 andKC-135 aircraft, relocate from its then-home station ofPease AFB, New Hampshire which was being realigned as anAir National Guard base pursuant toBRAC, and become the nation's first operational B-2 bomber unit. On December 17, 1993, Whiteman AFB's first B-2 touched down on the installation's runway.[10] 21 B-2s would eventually be produced, 19 of which are still operational. All 19 are based at Whiteman AFB.[11]
On April 1, 1994, the442nd Fighter Wing of theAir Force Reserve Command relocated to Whiteman AFB with theirA-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft to become a tenant command at Whiteman AFB following theBRAC-directed closure of their former home station,Richards-Gebaur AFB, Missouri.[citation needed]
On December 10, 2022, a B-2 suffered an in-flight malfunction and made an emergency landing, with an onboard fire being extinguished by base firefighting personnel; there were initially no other details released, and the Air Force has thus far declined to state what caused the accident. The aircraft was subsequently declared a total loss as a consequence of the duration and costs of potential repairs, and was retired from service. The nineteen remaining B-2 aircraft were temporarily grounded and checked for safety defects.[12][needs update]
In June 2025, during theIran–Israel war, seven stealth bombers from the airbase were sent to strike Iranian nuclear program sites. The bombers completed their mission, droppingGBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator 'bunker-buster' bombs and successfully returned to the airbase, having travelled to Iran and back.[13] The operation was called "Operation Midnight Hammer" by the Americans.[13]
Units marked 'GSU' are geographically separate units that are based at Whiteman, but are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.
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Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC)
Air Combat Command (ACC)
Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC)
| Air National Guard (ANG)
United States Army[edit]
United States Navy[edit]Navy Expeditionary Combat Command(NECC)
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