STORY: :: File
The U.S. Air Force's B-2 stealth bomber played a key role in strikes against Iran's nuclear sites on Saturday.
The U.S. military said seven of the bombers were used in “Operation Midnight Hammer”…
:: Whiteman Air Force Base
…to fly for 18 hours from an air force base in Missouri to Iran to drop precision-guided munitions on three nuclear sites.
The cutting-edge design of the B-2 includes features that make it stealthy, and reduce infrared, radar and acoustic signatures.
But the flying wing’s success ultimately hinges on human performance, and intercontinental, multi-day flights demand extraordinary endurance from its two-person crew.
Diet is carefully considered, and pilots go through sleep studies in advance of missions to see what wakes them up and helps them sleep.
Reuters spoke with one retired B-2 pilot who said his go-to meal for the multi-day flights was turkey sandwiches, without cheese.
The blander the better, he said.
Some pilots also sneak in sunflower seeds to stay alert between meals.
The B-2's cockpit includes a small area behind the seats, where pilots can lie down on a cot.
While the B-2 can fly 6,000 nautical miles on a full tank, most missions require multiple mid-air refuelings.
It’s one of the most dangerous aspects of these missions.
Refueling is done blind.
Pilots can't see the boom extending from a tanker full of gas attaching to the B-2 16 feet behind their heads.
Instead, they rely on visual cues from the tanker's lights and memorized reference points.
While updates to the B-2's software since its 1989 debut have improved responsiveness to pilot commands, flying in tight formation at high altitude remains a challenge.
And the process becomes increasingly difficult as pilot fatigue sets in.
The B-2 costs about $65,000 per hour to operate.
Over the coming decades, the Air Force says it plans to replace the B-2 and B-1 fleets with at least 100 B-21 Raiders.
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