The B-2 stealth bombers that attacked Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility site include microwaves, restrooms, and typically a refrigerator for snacks to make the pilots’ lives more comfortable during the 37-hour flight from Missouri to Iran and then back to the US.
According to NY POST sources, the fleet of cutting-edge American bombers, which were first built to deliver nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union, departed from Whiteman Air Force Base north of Kansas City on Friday for an 18-hour flight around the globe, refueling multiple times while in flight.
The high-tech bombers’ cockpits are equipped with microwave ovens and tiny refrigerators to keep their crews nourished and attentive throughout such lengthy flights.
B-2 stealth bombers amenities
Additionally, the B-2 Spirit features a toilet, much as any other aircraft designed for lengthy flights. Additionally, there is space for one pilot to relax and lie down while the other pilot controls the batwing jet.
Each B-2 costs over $2 billion, and the US Air Force currently owns 19 of them after sacrificing one during a mishap in 2008. The B-2 was first used in service in 1997.
With only two pilots and a wingspan of 172 feet, the B-2 depends on technology to assist it finish long-haul trips.
The seven B-2 bombers that were sent out for operation “Midnight Hammer” hovered in almost total radio silence all night long, with their two-man crews sleeping alternately, The Telegraph reported.
‘Longest B-2 bomber operation’
The strike on Fordow lasted 37 hours, the longest B-2 bomber operation since the first American attack of Afghanistan after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
According to The Atlantic, pilots operating these kinds of aircraft are prepared to withstand lengthy, taxing trips, and previous crews have even brought mattresses or even camping pads.
The B-2s were approaching Iran when a flotilla of fighter jets and support aircraft arrived to meet them.
In a statement, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Daniel Caine praised the B-2s for linking up “with escort and support aircraft in a complex, tightly timed maneuver requiring exact synchronization across multiple platforms in a narrow piece of airspace, all done with minimal communications.”
A lead B-2 bomber unleashed two GBU-57 “bunker buster” missiles on the “first of several aim points at Fordow” at 6:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, starting the 25-minute mission inside Iran, according to Caine.