Whiteman Air Force Base - Wikipedia

US Air Force base near Knob Noster, Missouri, United States

Whiteman Air Force Base
Near Knob Noster, Missouri in the United States of America
A B-2A Spirit from the 509th Bomb Wing flying over Whiteman AFB.
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
WhitemanShow map of North AmericaWhitemanShow map of the United StatesWhitemanShow map of Missouri
Coordinates	38°43′49″N 93°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
Currentcommander	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
Runways Direction Length and surface 01/19 3,779.5 metres (12,400 ft) Concrete
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[2]

Whiteman Air Force Base (IATA: SZL, ICAO: KSZL, FAA LID: SZL) is a United States Air Force base located just south of Knob Noster, Missouri, United States. It is operated by the Air Force Global Strike Command, as the base for all 19 operational B-2 Spirit nuclear-capable stealth bombers, as well as for A-10 Thunderbolt attack aircraft and others. There is also a sizable Missouri Air National Guard presence on base as well.

The base is approximately 60 miles (100 km) east-southeast of Kansas City in rural Johnson County. Originally established as the Sedalia Glider Base, it was later renamed after 2nd Lt George Whiteman, a native Missourian who was killed during the attack 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 the Cold War, Whiteman played a significant role in the American nuclear triad, with a total of 150 Minuteman intercontinental 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 in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Iran.

History

[edit]

World War II

[edit]

In 1942, the United States Army Air Corps selected the site of the present-day base to be the home of Sedalia Glider Base, a training base for WACO 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 the Missouri 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 of World 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]

340th Bomb Wing

[edit]

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, the United States Air Force.[4]

In October 1952, the base was turned over to the 340th Bombardment Wing. Improvements were made to the 1942 runway, as well as other base facilities, and Strategic Air Command (SAC) scheduled the base to receive squadrons flying the B-47 Stratojet and the KC-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 the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor while attempting to take off from Bellows Field. Whiteman was born in Longwood, Missouri, and graduated from Smith-Cotton High School in Sedalia, less than 20 miles from the base that would bear his name.[4]

ICBM era

[edit]

In 1963, Whiteman AFB transitioned from being a bomber base to a missile base. SAC activated the 351st 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 to Bergstrom AFB, Texas where it assumed control of the B-52 Stratofortress and KC-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 the LGM-30 Minuteman weapons system, an ICBM 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 megaton W56 thermonuclear warheads.[4][7] Beginning in the late 1960s, 10 of the 150 active missiles had their warheads swapped with Emergency 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.

B-2 era

[edit]

At the 1986 Reykjavik Summit between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and the new Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to a drawdown of nuclear arms via two treaties: the INF Treaty and START 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 representing Missouri's 4th district, announced that Whiteman AFB would be the home of the USAF's new Advanced Technology Bomber, which would eventually be called the B-2 Spirit.[9]

On November 30, 1988, SAC announced that the 509th Bomb Wing would divest its FB-111 and KC-135 aircraft, relocate from its then-home station of Pease AFB, New Hampshire which was being realigned as an Air National Guard base pursuant to BRAC, 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, the 442nd Fighter Wing of the Air Force Reserve Command relocated to Whiteman AFB with their A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft to become a tenant command at Whiteman AFB following the BRAC-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 the Iran–Israel war, seven stealth bombers from the airbase were sent to strike Iranian nuclear program sites. The bombers completed their mission, dropping GBU-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]

In December 2025, a Chinese national was arrested for taking photographs of B-2 aircraft as well as the base's perimeter fencing.[14] In January 2026, Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins commenced the process to shut down a business adjacent to the base,[15] reported to be affiliated with Guo Wengui, a former Chinese intelligence agent.[16]

Based units

[edit]

Units marked 'GSU' are geographically separate units that are based at Whiteman, but are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.

United States Air Force

[edit]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) Eighth Air Force 509th Bomb Wing (Host Wing)[17] Headquarters 509th Bomb Wing 509th Operations Group[18] 13th Bomb Squadron – B-2A Spirit, T-38A Talon 393rd Bomb Squadron – B-2A Spirit 509th Operations Support Squadron 509th Maintenance Group[19] 509th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron 509th Maintenance Operations Flight 509th Maintenance Squadron 509th Munitions Squadron 509th Medical Group[20] 509th Mission Support Group[21] 509th Civil Engineering Squadron 509th Communications Squadron 509th Contracting Squadron 509th Force Support Squadron 509th Logistics Readiness Squadron 509th Security Forces Squadron Air Combat Command (ACC) Twelfth Air Force 432nd Wing / 432nd Air Expeditionary Wing 25th Attack Group 20th Attack Squadron (GSU) – MQ-9A Reaper[22] US Air Force Warfare Center 53rd Wing 53rd Test and Evaluation Group 72nd Test and Evaluation Squadron (GSU) – B-2A Spirit[23] 57th Wing US Air Force Weapons School 325th Weapons Squadron (GSU) – B-2A Spirit[23] Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) Tenth Air Force 442nd Fighter Wing[24] Headquarters 442nd Fighter Wing 442nd Operations Group 303rd Fighter Squadron – A-10C Thunderbolt II 442nd Operations Support Flight 442nd Maintenance Group 442nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron 442nd Maintenance Operations Flight 442nd Maintenance Squadron 442nd Mission Support Group 442nd Civil Engineer Squadron 442nd Communications Flight 442nd Force Support Squadron 442nd Logistics Readiness Squadron 442nd Security Forces Squadron 442nd Medical Squadron

Air National Guard (ANG) Missouri Air National Guard 131st Bomb Wing[25] Headquarters 131st Bomb Wing 131st Operations Group 110th Bomb Squadron – B-2A Spirit 131st Operations Support Flight 131st Maintenance Group 131st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron 131st Maintenance Squadron 131st Maintenance Operations Flight 131st Medical Group 131st Mission Support Group 131st Civil Engineer Squadron 131st Communications Flight 131st Contracting Squadron 131st Force Support Squadron 131st Logistics Readiness Squadron 231st Civil Engineer Flight 239th Combat Communications Squadron United States Army [edit] Missouri Army National Guard 35th Infantry Division 35th Combat Aviation Brigade 135th Aviation Regiment[23] 1st Battalion (GSU) – AH-64 Apache United States Navy [edit] Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) Coastal Riverine Force Coastal Riverine Group One Coastal Riverine Squadron 11 (GSU)[17]

References

[edit]

1. ^ "New commander takes reins of 509th Bomb Wing". www.whiteman.af.mil. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
2. ^ "Airport Diagram – Whiteman AFB (KSZL)" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. October 10, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
3. ^ "About Whiteman AFB". www.whiteman.af.mil. Archived from the original on April 3, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
4. ^ a b c d e f "Whiteman Air Force Base". August 12, 2010. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
5. ^ a b Larson, George A. (2018). Whiteman Air Force Base. Arcadia Publishing. p. 29. ISBN 9781467128124.
6. ^ "340th Bomb Wing - SAC - Whitman AFB, B-47, B-52". Archived from the original on December 5, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
7. ^ "The Minuteman IA & IB Missiles". National Park Service. Archived from the original on July 19, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
8. ^ Space and Missile Center: Space and Missile Systems Organization History (Volume 2), 1 Jul 1967 – 30 Jun 1969
9. ^ "B-2 Spirit". October 19, 2019. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
10. ^ Mailes, Yancy (December 16, 2013). "The B-2 comes to Missouri". Air Force Glocal Strike Command. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
11. ^ Insinna, Valerie (April 29, 2019). "Here's how B-2 bomber pilots pull off grueling 33-hour flights". Defense News. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
12. ^ "US Air Force Grounds Entire B-2 Nuclear Bomber Fleet After December 10 Accident - Reports". December 20, 2022. Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
13. ^ a b "See the B-2 bombers involved in US strike on Iran return to Missouri Air Force base". AP News. June 22, 2025. Archived from the original on June 23, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
14. ^ Swartz, Gabe (January 7, 2026). "Chinese national charged with unlawfully photographing Whiteman Air Force Base". KCTV5. Archived from the original on January 8, 2026. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
15. ^ "Secretary Hoskins Takes Administrative Action Against Noncompliant Entity Near Whiteman Air Force Base". Missouri Secretary of State. January 22, 2026. Archived from the original on January 24, 2026. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
16. ^ Khomenko, Vladyslav (February 6, 2026). "USA Shut Down Business Linked to China Near B-2 Bomber Base". Militarnyi. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
17. ^ a b Hunt, Heidi (March 15, 2013). "Naval reservists train in America's heartland > > Display". Whiteman AFB. US Air Force. Archived from the original on November 9, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
18. ^ "509th Operations Group". Whiteman Air Force Base. United States Air Force. Archived from the original on April 3, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
19. ^ "509th Maintenance Group". Whiteman Air Force Base. United States Air Force. Archived from the original on April 3, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
20. ^ "509th Medical Group". Air Force Medical Service. US Air Force. Archived from the original on March 31, 2025. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
21. ^ "509th Mission Support Group". Whiteman Air Force Base. US Air Force. Archived from the original on April 3, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
22. ^ Pine, Lt. Col. Louis (August 25, 2017). "Evolution of airpower > Whiteman Air Force Base > Display". Whiteman AFB. US Air Force. Archived from the original on July 6, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
23. ^ a b c "Units". Whiteman Air Force Base. US Air Force. Archived from the original on November 13, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
24. ^ "Units". 442d Fighter Wing. US Air Force. Archived from the original on May 23, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
25. ^ "Units". 131st Bomb Wing. US Air Force. Archived from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.

External links

[edit]

• Whiteman AFB official site
• Historic American Engineering Record documentation, filed under Knob Noster, Johnson County, MO:
  • HAER No. MO-86, "Whiteman Air Force Base, Bomber Alert Facility S-6", 29 photos, 6 measured drawings, 24 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
  • HAER No. MO-87, "Whiteman Air Force Base, Oscar O-1 Minuteman Missile Alert Facility", 46 photos, 4 measured drawings, 31 data pages, 3 photo caption pages
  • HAER No. MO-88, "Whiteman Air Force Base, Minuteman Missile Launch Facility Trainer T-12", 25 photos, 3 measured drawings, 22 data pages, 2 photo caption pages

v t e United States Air Force
Leadership	Department of the Air Force Secretary of the Air Force Under Secretary of the Air Force Air Staff Chief of Staff Vice Chief of Staff Director of Staff Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Four-star generals Three-star generals 1940–1959 2000–2009 2010–2019 2020–present House Armed Services Committee House Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces Senate Committee on Armed Services Senate Subcommittee on Airland Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
Structure	Commands Reserve Air National Guard Field Operating Agencies Installations Direct reporting units District of Washington Operational Test and Evaluation Center USAF Academy Major commands ACC AETC AFGSC AFMC AFRC AFSOC AMC PACAF USAFE–AFAFRICA Numbered Air Forces First Second Third Fourth Fifth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Expeditionary Fifteenth Sixteenth Eighteenth Nineteenth Twentieth Twenty-Second Wings ANG Groups ANG Squadrons ANG Security Forces Civilian auxiliary: Civil Air Patrol
Personnel and training	Personnel Rank officers cadets enlisted Specialty Code Aeronautical ratings Judge Advocate General's Corps RED HORSE Security Forces Medical Service Chief of Chaplains Chief Scientist Training: Air Force Academy Officer Training School Reserve Officer Training Corps Basic Training Airman Leadership School SERE Fitness Assessment
Uniforms and equipment	Awards and decorations Badges Equipment Aircraft Uniforms
History and traditions	History Aeronautical Division / Aviation Section / Division of Military Aeronautics / Army Air Service / Army Air Corps / Army Air Forces "The U.S. Air Force" Air Force Band Airman's Creed Core Values Flag Symbol Memorial National Museum Women Airforce Service Pilots Air Force One / Air Force Two / Air Force Three Honor Guard Thunderbirds Service numbers Air & Space Forces Association
Category

v t e Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC)
Bases	Barksdale Dyess Ellsworth F. E. Warren Kirtland Malmstrom Minot Whiteman
Units	Air Forces Eighth (Strategic) Twentieth (Strategic) Wings Air Base 377th Bomb 2d 5th 7th 28th 509th Missile 90th 91st 341st Nuclear Systems 498th Groups Helicopter 582d Operations 2d 5th 7th 28th 90th 91st 341st 509th Squadrons Bomb 9th 11th 13th 20th 23rd 28th 34th 37th 69th 93rd 96th 343d 393rd Combat Training 394th Flight test 576th Missile 10th 12th 319th 320th 321st 490th 740th 741st 742d Helicopter 37th 40th 54th Strategic Operations 625th Training 436th
Weaponsystems	Bombers B-1B Lancer B-2 Spirit B-52H Stratofortress Command E-6B Mercury Helicopters UH-1N Iroquois MH-139 Missiles LGM-30G Minuteman III
Leadership	Kowalski Klotz Wilson Rand Ray Cotton Bussiere

v t e Military installations in Missouri
Army	Fort Leonard Wood
Air Force	Base Whiteman
National Guard	Barracks Jefferson Barracks

Authority control databases
International	VIAF WorldCat
National	United States Israel
Other	Yale LUX