The 509th Bomb Wing is a strategic bombardment wing of the United States Air Force, headquartered at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. Established in 1946, the wing’s primary mission involves employing and maintaining B-2 Spirit stealth bombers for global rapid-strike missions. The unit holds historical significance due to its association with the Manhattan Project and the world’s first detonation of an atomic bomb during Operation Crossroads in 1946. Today, it serves as one of the three operational Bomb Wings within the Air Force Global Strike Command.