About 1,000 people turned out last month at the Northrop Grumman Corp. plant in Palmdale to mark the 30th anniversary of the first flight of the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. The aerospace and defense giant built all the U.S. Air Force’s B-2 bombers in Palmdale and continues to do maintenance on the planes there. Richard Sullivan, B-2 program manager, said in an email to the Business Journal that each aircraft undergoes a complete wingtip-to-wingtip overhaul and servicing of major components and installation of major hardware/software modifications and upgrades. “With the facilities, equipment and expertise already in place, it made sense to continue our B-2 programmed depot maintenance at Palmdale,” Sullivan said. Sullivan was among the speakers at the event, along with Major Gen. James Dawkins, commander of the 8th Air Force, who flew missions in the aircraft in Afghanistan, and other representatives from Northrop. On hand was the Spirit of Missouri, the first bomber delivered to the Air Force in 1993. The B-2 fleet is stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Northrop, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., received the B-2 contract in 1981 and rolled out the 69-foot bat-winged plane for its first public viewing in Palmdale in 1988. The first flight was July 17, 1989 with Northrop test pilot Bruce Hinds and U.S. Air Force Col. Richard Couch at the controls. Both pilots attended the event in Palmdale. Spirit and its stealth technology had origins during the Cold War to defeat the radars of the Soviet Union. This could be done with stealth aircraft whose “flying wing” profile was more difficult to detect with radar. Thirty years after that first flight, thousands of Northrop employees continue to keep the most lethal long-range strike aircraft flying for the nation’s military defense, Sullivan said in the email. “Northrop Grumman recognizes these milestones can only be reached with the dedication of our employees and the support of the Palmdale community to build and maintain the B-2 Spirit,” he added.