Posted on 09/21/2008 9:26:45 PM PDT by Stoat
Stealthy ... Brit Jon with B2 bomber
13th bomb squadron ... badge of the elite Grim Reapers
Squadron Leader Jon Killerby pilots the £1billion state-of-the-art Stealth Spirit B2 bomber.
The former Tornado ace, 34, is based with the 13th Bomb Squadron in Missouri, US.
His flying overalls sport the squadron’s badge of a skeleton wielding a scythe above a B2 with the words “Grim Reapers” beneath.
Jon, on a two-year exchange with the US Air Force, is only the second British pilot trusted with the amazing “flying wing” aircraft.
Awesome ... Stealth bomber
It is invisible to radar and can carry 40,000lbs of satellite-guided bombs. There are just 20 in service.
He said of the bomber: “It loves to be flown and I love flying it. It is the most amazing thing.
“For the first ten years of its life it was so classified that it was not even acknowledged to exist — so to be invited to fly it was an honour.”
Jon, who lives near the B2 base with wife Marie, is on standby to fly the bomber on operational missions if the Pentagon or Nato think its unique qualities are needed. With the support of airborne tankers, the bomber can fly round the world in one go and stay in the sky for two days.
It has been used in Iraq and Afghanistan to destroy enemy command and communications centres with pin-point accuracy.
Jon was flying ground-attack Tornados of 14 Squadron at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland when he was picked for the elite Stealth Spirit programme.
He said: “The B2 can attack dozens of targets at once with a precision that is measured in metres. About four Tornados could fit under it when it is parked. The payload is ten times that of a single Tornado, making it a truly awesome aircraft.
“But is very quiet and simple to handle. It’s easy to forget you are flying a bomber.
“And it is very easy on fuel due to its advanced design.”
13th Bomb Squadron Association
B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber Air Force Technology
Factsheets B-2 Spirit B-2 Spirit
Along with the B-52 and B-1B, the B-2 provides the penetrating flexibility and effectiveness inherent in manned bombers. Its low-observable, or "stealth," characteristics give it the unique ability to penetrate an enemy's most sophisticated defenses and threaten its most valued, and heavily defended, targets. Its capability to penetrate air defenses and threaten effective retaliation provides a strong, effective deterrent and combat force well into the 21st century.
YouTube - B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber
B-2 Spirit - United States Nuclear Forces
Boeing Integrated Defense Systems - B-2 Spirit - B-2 Spirit Home
The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber
Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems - B-2 Spirit Bomber
The U.S. Air Force's B-2 stealth bomber is the flagship of the nation's long-range strike arsenal, and one of the most survivable aircraft in the world. Its unique capabilities, including its stealth characteristics, allow it to penetrate the most sophisticated defenses and hold at risk high value, heavily defended enemy targets. The B-2 has demonstrated its capabilities in several combat scenarios, most recently during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
//RAF pilot is one hell of a guy (Recruited by USAF to fly B2 Spirit Stealth bomber)//
Way Cool!!
A guy could do a lot worse for himself than that!
Way Cool!!
A guy could do a lot worse for himself than that!
Indeed a VERY sought-after appointment he's gotten.....and hopefully he will not be too put off by the Missouri heat...probably a bit of a change from Scotland :-)
Perhaps it could explain some of the 'sightings' of years past?
"For the first ten years of its life it was so classified that it was not even acknowledged to exist...."
LMAO!
Hopefully they will all volunteer to go to Iran to serve as 'human shields' around the nuke sites there as a 'protest' against this horrible outsourcing :-)
(it's all George Bush's fault)
"snicker"
25 years ago when my nephew was the carrier landing training officer for F-4s at Virgina Beach he had 3 British pilots in his squadron.
-ccm
-ccm
Agreed....they are dearer than gold.
“Rockin” in the Free World.
“Rockin” in the Free World.
BS. The world's deadliest aircraft should be able to fight it's way to and from a target, which the B-2 can't.
It is invisible to radar
More BS. An aircraft that is "invisible to radar" shouldn't require SEAD escort from EA-6Bs to jam the very RADARs this white elephant is supposed to be invisible to.
Not only has John Kay drunk the zoomie kool-aid, he's had it administered via an IV.
Please tell me you forgot the </sarcasm> tag.
What if I said “The amount that I could care is immeasurable”.
My apologies. I did forget the sarcasm at the end.
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