Team erects B-2 shelters at deployed location Published Jan. 10, 2003 By Airman 1st Class Martha Whipple 49th Fighter Wing Public Affairs HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFPN) -- Twenty members of the 49th Materiel Maintenance Squadron here spent more than 70 days at a deployed location working 12-hour shifts to erect portable shelters for B-2 Spirit bombers.The Air Force now has two transportable hangar systems that will allow the B-2 to deploy overseas. Moving the B-2s to forward locations will significantly shorten combat missions, which have been as long as 44 hours from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., said Lt. Col. Myron Majors, 49th MMS commander."This was the first time these shelters were constructed for operational use," he said. "We hand-picked a team with a core of troops who had experience in B-2 shelter construction during the test and evaluation phase. Their experience along with a lot of ingenuity and hard work paid off as they finished the two shelters about three weeks ahead of the original schedule despite a number of modifications required in the field."The shelters, each spreading about two football fields in length, will provide the environment needed to maintain the stealth characteristics of the B-2 at a forward location.The shelters can withstand extreme temperatures, snow and winds. The shelters also feature a clamshell retractable door and state-of-the-art heating, ventilation and air condition and control systems. The total package costs about $2.5 million and can be transported in 29 C-130 Hercules flights. (Courtesy of Air Combat Command News Service)