U.S. Air Force photo by Airman First Class Parker J. McCauley, 18JUN2019.
During the middle of June, 2019, 509th Maintenance Squadron ‘low-observable maintenance’ Airmen began work to restore Whiteman Air Force Base’s (in Missouri) T-38 gate guard named Spirit of Heartland.
USAF photo by Airman First Class Parker J. McCauley, 18JUN2019.
USAF photo by Airman First Class Parker J. McCauley, 18JUN2019.
USAF photo by Airman First Class Parker J. McCauley, 06AUG2019.
The T-38 is one of several 509th Bomb Wing static displays on base which also includes the B-29 Superfortress, B-47 Stratojet, B-52 Stratofortress and the FB-111A Aardvark.
USAF photo by Airman First Class Parker J. McCauley, 06AUG2019.
In May 2018, the B-29 The Great Artiste was restored. According to the official report “…the original aircraft was lost during a crash landing at Goose Bay Air Base, in Labrador, Canada, in 1949. So, another B-29 was painted as a replica for static display. The static display was eventually moved to Whiteman AFB from Pease AFB when the New Hampshire base closed in 1991.”
USAF photo by Airman Michaela Slanchik, 10AUG2017.
In August 2017, a reduced scale B-2 Spirit was donated by Northrop-Grumman. The B-2 replica weighs 600 pounds and is 22 feet in length compared to the actual B-2’s true length of 172 feet. It is one of 50 donated by Northrop Grumman.
USAF photo by Senior Airman Joel Pfiester, 13SEP2016.
In September 2016, the FB-111A gate guard underwent corrosion prevention painting, some calling it operation Dark Vark.
In 2015, the Missouri Air National Guard 131st Bomb Wing moved to Whiteman AFB, and brought their F-4, F-15 and F-100 gate guards with them. Missouri Air National Guard video by Technical Sergeant Elise Rich, June 2015:
Guam: 1/1 SCALE F-4 PHANTOM-2 MODEL
Wyoming Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sergeant Charles Delano.
Down in the mud, shot-up, Wyoming SLUF