Inside the B-2 Bomber: How Pilots Endured a 37-Hour Mission to Strike Iran

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is built to strike deep into enemy territory—but it also has the features to keep its pilots going for missions that last nearly two full days.

On June 22, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine revealed that seven B-2 bombers took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and flew non-stop across the Atlantic to carry out precision airstrikes on two of Iran’s key nuclear facilities.

The operation, code-named Night Hammer, lasted a staggering 37 hours round-trip, marking the longest B-2 mission since the post-9/11 strikes in Afghanistan. The bombers were refueled midair several times and never landed outside U.S. territory.

Each B-2 Spirit costs roughly $2 billion and represents the cutting edge of American stealth technology. With a distinctive flying-wing design, radar-absorbing coating, and composite materials, it’s engineered to be virtually invisible to enemy detection systems. But despite its sophisticated combat capabilities, it's the human factors inside the cockpit that enable such long-duration missions.

The B-2’s cockpit is relatively compact, built for two pilots, but it’s equipped with essentials for long-haul endurance. According to The New York Post, pilots have access to a mini fridge and a microwave—crucial for staying nourished and alert over back-to-back 18-hour legs. There’s also a toilet and enough room for one pilot to lie down and rest while the other flies.

Much of the workload is reduced by the aircraft’s highly automated systems. “The B-2 flies very smoothly and its autopilot capabilities are extremely effective,” one pilot told reporters in 2019. Some younger pilots, he noted, have even admitted to briefly forgetting they were flying because the systems were so reliable.

Two key display systems keep pilots informed. The Vertical Situation Display (VSD) provides vital flight data—altitude, speed, pitch, and attack angle—while the Horizontal Situation Display (HSD) maps the route and tracks nearby aircraft, both friendly and hostile, along with radar information.

To prepare for ultra-long flights, B-2 pilots receive specialized endurance training. According to The Atlantic, some pilots even bring compact camping gear, like sleeping pads or folding cots, to catch brief naps when not at the controls.

The B-2 can cruise at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (15 km) and has an operational range of over 6,800 miles (11,000 km), which extends to more than 12,000 miles (19,000 km) with a single aerial refueling. It's also the only U.S. aircraft capable of deploying the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), a nearly 30,000-pound bunker-buster used in the recent attacks on Iran’s fortified nuclear sites.

Today, only 19 B-2 Spirits remain in active service, following the loss of one in a crash in 2008.

(Reporting by New York Post and Business Insider)

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