With the sound of thunder, two B-1B Lancer bombers flew low and loud over the Rose Parade Tuesday morning, prompting awe from many parade-goers, as the giant aircrafts marked the beginning of the 134th procession down Colorado Boulevard.
Rockwell B-1 Lancer flyover at the Rose Parade! Happy New Year! pic.twitter.com/xNTkYxXTsB
— Chris Guzman
(@christopherguz) January 2, 2023
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The flyover is not a new moment for the annual parade, but in recent years, it’s been performed by the B-2 stealth bomber — the wing-shaped giant.
The change stems from “a safety pause,” officials said, that will allow base personnel to inspect the fleet after a Dec. 10 incident in which a B-2 Spirit was damaged on the runway at Whiteman AFB after successfully completing an emergency landing.
Related: B-2 Stealth Bomber is grounded for Rose Parade
The B-1s are from Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota.
The standdown of the B-2s is significant in that there are fewer than 20 stealth bombers in the entire fleet and the aircraft provides, along with the B-52 Stratofortress, the air leg of the nation’s nuclear triad. The B-2 has been regularly deployed to the Indo-Pacific and more recently to Europe as a show of force. During the standdown the entire fleet will be inspected, 509th Bomb Wing spokeswoman Air Force Master Sgt. Beth Del Vecchio said.
Source: Orange County Register
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