‘Half the size of a refrigerator door’: Trump says B-2 pilots had to hit small target from 50,000 ft; ‘They hit it every single time’
Amid critics questioning the impact of US’s Operation Midnight Hammer on Iran’s nuclear sites, President Donald Trump praised the B-2 bombers and said he invited the B-2 pilots to the White House. In an interview on Fox News, he described how difficult it was for the B-2 pilots to fly 36 hours in a little space on a big plane mostly occupied by bombs. “They hit a target the size of a circle — a little target, they say, half the size of a refrigerator door, from 50,000 feet up in the air going at a rapid speed,” Trump said. “They hit it every single time, and then they knocked out two other sites aside from that.”For some of the pilots, the mission was possibly the first time that they flew the B-2 in combat and dropped bombs. This was the first time GBU-57 bunker buster bombs were used. Each B-2 is flown by a two-person crew. The cockpit has room for a toilet and space behind the plane’s seats where a pilot can stretch out on a cot or a camping pad and take a brief nap. Both pilots are required to be in their seats during takeoff, landing, aerial re-fuelings and for the duration of their time over enemy territory.The planes are also equipped with small heaters to warm food, but many B-2 pilots prefer simple meals like sandwiches on long missions. While the identity of the B-2 pilots involved in this operation has not been revealed, former pilots who went to combat on B-2, and other experts shared their experience. Generally, before the mission, the qualified pilots are trained on a long-duration simulator to help them plan their sleep cycles. But they are not told anything about the operation beforehand — not even when it could take place.
