B-2 Spirit Rose Bowl flyover disrupted by rain for the first time in 20 years
January 2, 2026
For the first time in 20 years, rain threatened the traditional Northrop B-2 Spirit flyover of the Rose Bowl Game. The flyover normally happens during the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl pregame, but the first flight was canceled, and the pre-game flight was delayed to halftime.
B-2 Spirit flew over Rose Bowl game at halftime
For decades now, the B-2 has made two flight-timed flyovers, one over the Rose Parade and another over the Rose Bowl. However, the first day of 2026 was also the first day in 20 years that it rained.
Now THAT’S how you end a #RoseBowl halftime show for the ages. pic.twitter.com/7qQalCu04Q
— Rose Bowl Game (@rosebowlgame) January 1, 2026
According to The Sun, the Northrop B-2 Spirit missed its first flight yesterday due to bad weather over the Rose Parade, as the parade marked the 137th installment of the event.
An Air Force 509th Bomb Wing spokeswoman said, “Due to the inclement weather in Pasadena causing a low (cloud) ceiling, the B-2 Spirit could not conduct its scheduled flyover for the Rose Parade.”
As the game started, the rain came down, and attendees thought they would only be able to hear the roar of the aircraft flying overhead, but not see it. But the Air Force chose not to fly through the cloud and rain as the low and dense clouds made it difficult to navigate.
The aircraft finally managed to get a break at halftime and flew over the stadium at around 15:00 after Indiana University had taken a 17-0 halftime lead over Alabama.
A mostly successful end to the uncertain B-2 runup
Until shortly before the flyover, it remained unclear if the flight would happen at all. While around 4,000 Air Force personnel worked to make the pass possible, they couldn’t control the weather.
On December 31st, Pasadena Now reported “As of Tuesday, the mission remained fully on schedule,” while noting it remained weather dependent.
Col. Joshua Wiitala, the 509th Bomb Wing commander and installation commander at Whiteman Air Force Base, had stated in the runup to the event, “If people can see the airplane in the fly by, then we have good enough weather to do it.”
After a soggy start, we ended things like this… pic.twitter.com/rGc8aB1ZFR
— Rose Bowl Game (@rosebowlgame) January 2, 2026
Normally, the B-2 Spirit flies over the parade and then goes on to fly over the stadium to kick off the annual Rose Bowl Game. At least the Air Force managed one of the two planned flights.
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B-21 Raider may eventually take over the Rose Bowl flights
While it may seem like a simple flyover, it takes lots of preparation. Every year, the B-2 pilots wake up on New Year’s Day at around 02:00 Central Time to start the 3-3.5-hour flight from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. It’s more than a 1,600-mile flight to Pasadena.
It is unclear when the Northrop B-2 Spirit will pass the mantle to its smaller, next-generation replacement, the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider.
The Air Force has recently taken delivery of its second flying B-21 Raider and is gearing up to bring the type into service in 2027. Trump recently stated the Air Force has ordered a “pile” of “updated B-2s” in reference to the B-21.
As the B-21 comes into service, the supersonic variable sweep wing B-1 Lancer is first on the chopping block and is expected to fully retire in the early 2030s.
The B-2 will retire as the B-21 becomes available in large enough numbers, although this isn’t expected until sometime in the 2040s. The Air Force received a total of 21 B-2s; two have been lost in mishaps, leaving it with a fleet of 19 Spirits.
Featured Image: US Air Force
