FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
A 37-hour non-stop mission, 14 elite pilots and 21 aircraft costing $2.1 billion each, this is how the US used its most sophisticated weapon to strike Tehran's nuclear targets
It is the most sophisticated and technologically advanced aircraft in the world, and also the most expensive, costing a whopping $2.1 billion per unit, so only 21 have been produced. But despite being a masterpiece of military engineering, the B-2 Spirit is ultimately an aircraft and requires a crew to fly.
Each of these stealth bombers is operated by two pilots. Operation Midnight Hammer, which took place between the night of Saturday and Sunday and targeted nuclear targets at Fordow and Natanz in Iran, involved 14 pilots, the same number as the GBU-57 bombs that were dropped.
The most delicate phase, dropping bombs on targets, took less than 30 minutes, but the entire mission lasted a full 37 hours of non-stop flight. The B-2s usually take off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, in the heart of the US, to strike targets thousands of kilometers away.
The longest mission in the history of these aircraft was 44 hours, in October 2001, over Afghanistan. Extreme operations entrusted only to an ultra-selective team of pilots, in 30 years, fewer than 600 US servicemen have flown in a B-2.
Their training is mainly done in simulators, as each hour of flight costs $65,000, and using real aircraft for training would be prohibitively expensive. Before departing for real operations, attention to sleep and nutrition is essential, analyzed in detail by the 509th Bomb Wing's doctors.
Food is prepared according to individual preferences, from turkey sandwiches without cheese and spices, to jerky, snacks and sunflower seeds to maintain concentration. The aim is to avoid bathroom stops, which do exist, but are very unpleasant.
Sleeping is done in shifts, for one to two hours at a time, on a camping mattress placed in a narrow corridor near the bombs. The cockpit has only two seats, on the right the commander who manages weapons and communications, on the left the main pilot.
The same structure will be retained by the B-2's successor, the new B-21 Raider stealth bomber, which will enter service within 15 years. Until then, Spirit will continue to be an absolute legend of the skies. /Adapted from "Pamphlet" by "Corriere Della Sera"
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