Whoa!"shouts maj. Steve "Tex" Addi-son, banking our Northrop T-38A Talon sharply as a B-2A stealth bomber closes in from 300 feet. The Spirit of Florida, as this B-2A is known, pulls alongside us like a remora on a manta ray, allowing me to snap a few photos before it rolls quickly about its axis and meanders out of sight. "You know, I never noticed its beak," says Addison, referring to the bomber's curious nose. Me neither, but then I don't have 2,100 hours in a Talon like Addison. Instead, I've spent years pestering the Pentagon to grant me just one day with the men and women who keep the U.S. fleet of B-2As battle-ready. Starting today, I have three. With the bomber now reaching full operational capacity―complete with stealth coatings, advanced flight control software, radar, and new weapons―the curtain is slowly being drawn back. On behalf of TEST PAGES, I am given unprecedented access to the inner sanctum of the B-2A's roost, Whiteman Air-force Base in Missouri.
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