What is it to pilot a B-2 bomber for days? Here is what the pilots say.

Seven American stealth bombers Flied approximately 37 hours to bomb Iran’s nuclear sites during the weekend. The Pentagon called the Hammer operation at midnight The bombings run the longest flight in B-2 in decade.

The longest record Bombardier B-2 Flight belongs to Melvin Deaile and Brian “Jethro” Neal, two Air Force retirement pilots who, in October 2001, stole a flight of 44 hours, executing one of the first bombing missions in Afghanistan following the tragic of terrorist attacks on September 11.

They shared what it is to carry out these bombing missions And sail in the stressful air ravages necessary to fly the B-2 on only a few hours of sleep and a little dried beef.

The longest flight of b-2 bombers

The attacks of September 11, 2001 took place while the duo was in the midst of an annual training exercise on nuclear capacities, Neal told Business Insider.

In the midst of the confused reports of diverted planes, Neal first thought that they were part of the training. But soon it was clear, and his unit prepared mission options for senior officials from the Bush administration in Washington wishing to respond with force.

Neal and Deaile were part of a handful of B-2 crews that went to Afghanistan that week, said Deaile.

The pair knew the B-2 spirit fairly well; However, they only piloted the plane a few times a month to help preserve expensive aircraft and alleviate maintenance problems. They spent most of their time training on the T-38 training aircraftA less expensive option to maintain live flight skills.

While they sometimes stole their B-2 bomber to practice long-haul flights, they had never piloted it for a war operation until a evening in early October, when the pair took off in the morning hours from the morning from Whiteman Air Force Base In Missouri, where all B-2s are housed, heading west in Afghanistan.

Before taking off for the mission, the airmen responsible for providing the pilots with equipment adapted to the mission had bought a bed of a reflected bed at the back of the bomber, a fair enough to lie down, said Neal, recalling the ad hoc sleep arrangements in the 2 billion stealth aircraft With a laugh.

“When the ladder appears and you enter the cockpit, there is a flat place on the ground which is a little more than 6 feet long,” said Neal about the sleeping area. “And so I think that during the two days that I was in this small space, I spent about five hours in this total cot.”

Five hours do not sleep much for a 44 -hour flight. Pilots are often provided a stimulating By flight surgeons to help stay awake, said Neal. He refused to take his stimulant, known familiarly as a “Go pill”, but Deaile did.

“You are young, and you do something you are formed, and there is a little excitement and a lot of adrenaline,” recalls Neal. The two in turn trying to take naps, although the pre-mission nerves prevented either from resting a lot. In addition, flying west towards Afghanistan meant that the sun was lifted all day. “You don’t want to sleep when the sun looks in your eyes,” said Neal.

Steal a b-2 bomber

Compared to aircraft such as the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the F-22 Raptor Hunting planes, which have both stolen throughout his career, piloting a suicide bomber like the B-2, it’s like driving a semi-camon after spending years in a sports car, he explained. Deaile already had an experience as a bomber, working with B-52 strategic bombers before joining the B-2 community, but the mind is a very different plane.

A humming B-2 in the air requires only one pilot to remain vigilant, which means that the second can rest. But land, take off, drop bombs and refuel requires the two crew members.

The supply of a B-2, a requirement for these long flights, in particular with a heavy payload, is not an easy task.

The crews of oil tankers must be specifically certified to supply different aircraft, including the B-2, to take into account the unique characteristics of each platform. The trying nerve test usually lasts about 30 minutes each time, and it is as difficult for bombers pilots as on those of the oil tanker.

THE Northrop Grumman built B-2 is unique not only for its unusual design with flying wing, but also because it is stealthy, with elegant design and coverings to escape the radar. The plane surface is an important contributor to its low observability. Even small stripes on the surface, such as that caused by a wandering supply boom, can affect its stealth, said Deaile.

“It is very intensive,” he said about the refueling process, adding that he and Neal received seven different reimbursements from the oilmen during the long mission of two days. Neal estimated that they needed a total of 750,000 pounds of JP-8 fuel. The objective was to take as much fuel as possible, because so many flight time were spent above the ocean.

“You are at the service station hundreds of kilometers an hour,” said Neal, describing navigation in the refueling as a tense training, especially since the design of the B-2 generates an elevator that strangely repels the oil tanker during supplies.

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The supply and last minute order of the seat are how Neal and Deaile ended up with the record for the longest flight B-2.

Deaile and Neal dropped a dozen bombs from their B-2 before leaving Afghan airspace. But just when the pilots resumed their breath, a word arrived unexpectedly by ordering them in Afghanistan to deploy their four remaining bombs, the last remaining of their total 16 Munition of direct joint attack Stock, each bomb weighing 2,000 pounds. The JDDDs, as they are known, are unused bombs that have been equipped with a GPS guide kit.

To come back, however, they still needed fuel. An oil tanker was sent to his bomber, named The Spirit of America, only for Neal and Deaile to learn that the oil crew had never stockings of B-2 before. They were forced to wait for an nearby B-2 certified oil crew could be found and took place.

At this stage of the mission, no pilot consumed a lot of food, preferring to focus on water consumption because they did not burn many calories. A rear cooler was filled with snacks, said Neal, probably jerky beef and grapes, perhaps a sandwich.

After abandoning their final bombs, the pilots became south for Diego Garcia, who houses a small air base in the Indian Ocean. Knowing that they would finish on the island, Neal had excited equipment that we do not see commonly in a B -2 bomber – his fishing rod.

Another crew resumed the Spirit of America on Diego Garcia, and Neal and Deaile jumped on a military transport aircraft in Missouri.

“It was a little more comfortable than the way we got there,” said Deaile.

In a BI email, Air Force public affairs have refused to say if the same Spirit of America plane participated in the Iranian mission, citing operational security problems.

Looking at the recent B-2 Bomber mission in Iran, Deaile shared that he was most impressed by the maintenance and management of the fleet. The entire B-2 fleet is less than two dozen planes, which means that the Iranian mission, including the planes used as a lure, required a large part of the American fleet to fly for days without any apparent panic.

“The Air Force has set up a third of its fleet of bombers in one night to make this mission precisely,” said Deaile. “It’s incredible.”