"Taking off from Whiteman and landing at Diego Garcia was one of the longest combat sorties the B-2 has ever taken. In fact, given its ability to fly as many as 6,000 nautical miles without need to refuel, the B-2 flew from Missouri all the way to an island off the coast of India called Diego Garcia – before launching bombing missions over Afghanistan. The aircraft, which entered service in the 1980s, has flown missions over Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan. The B-2 can reach altitudes of 50,000 feet and carry 40,000 pounds of payload, including both conventional and nuclear weapons. The Air Force currently operates 20 B-2 bombers, with the majority of them based at Whiteman AFB in Missouri.
This involved taking the best of what is available and giving it to the aircrew," Mickelson said. "The B-2 represents a huge leap in technology from our legacy platforms such as the B-52 and the B-1 bomber. Also, the crew is trained to deal with the rigors of a 40-hour mission. The B-2 has a two-man crew with only two ejection seats. "SAR provides the pilots with a realistic display of the ground that they are able to use for targeting," Mickelson said. The glass cockpit includes various digital displays, including one showing Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) information which paints a rendering or picture of the ground below. We are presented with what is commonly referred to as glass cockpit," Mickelson said. The B-2 is engineered with avionics, radar and communications technologies designed to identify and destroy enemy targets from high altitudes above hostile territory. "It is really an awesome bombing platform and it is just a marvel of technology." While we look forward to modernization, nobody should come away with the thought that the B-2 isn't ready to deal with the threats that are out there today," he said. "It is a testament to the engineering team that here we are in 2016 and the B-2 is still able to do its job just as well today as it did in the 80s. In a special interview designed to offer a rare look into the technologies and elements of the B-2, Mickelson explained that the platform has held up and remained very effective – given that it was designed and built during the 80s.Īlongside his current role, Mickelson is also a B-2 pilot with experience flying missions and planning stealth bomber attacks, such as the bombing missions over Libya in 2011. Kent Mickelson, director of operations for 394th combat training squadron, told Scout Warrior in an interview.
#Interior b2 bomber cockpit bed upgrade#
Air Force pilots of the 1980s-era stealthy B-2 Spirit bomber plan to upgrade and fly the aircraft on attack missions against enemy air defenses well into the 2050s, service officials said.
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