B2s v ISIS
 

For anyone not familiar with the eclectic mix of stuff that appears in Popular Mechanics, here's an interesting piece about how two B2s mounted an attack on ISIS in Libya - involving 32-hour sorties for the four pilots.
To Libya and Back: Inside a Stealth Bomber Strike Against ISIS

airsound

I think I can safely say that never, when working, have such thoughts passed through my mind.

Wow!

Wouldn't he have been better subbed from the mission with all that stuff going around in his head.

Not to mention his then being quoted perpetrating the thousand-year-old "righteous Christianity v's evil Islam" dogma.

Basil and CS, if you read the link:

This was by Major General Scott Vander Hamm, assistant deputy chief of staff of operations at the Air Force headquarters and a former B-2 pilot.

I must confess to not seeing the dogma quote above, unless it was implied by

Saw a documentary on the B2 crews and their training, and a one sim mission on the conversion course is of 24h duration, precisely to prepare for such real time missions.

I bet they didn't see that coming.....

Basil,

I am glad you never had need to consider such things while in the Military.

I was not so fortunate as my perspective formed by my service during interesting times gave me pause on a couple of times to consider very quickly what the morally right thing to do was....issue the order or not.

In clear cut situations, I as you did not have any such concerns....it was always in the situations that were not clear as One wished the question on what the right thing to do might be.

When the bad guys are shooting at you....no thought is really required...it is when you know they are almost without any doubt bad guys but they are not shooting at you and have no visible weapon that forces One to take pause.

That produces some doubt that One has to deal with....if you have a conscience.

Just because the Man tells you it is right....does not mean it invariably is.

The Man's view is a long way from where it goes on and he does not have to live with the outcomes of his orders.....the folks doing the killing does.

I would submit the view from 40,000 feet at night is a lot different than mere Yards in the bright sunlight.

Great article, thanks for sharing it. :ok:

You would think they would have put those new fangled auto throttles on the B-2 to help reduce fatigue on those long legs. I don't believe they were ever installed.

Similarly, a third crewmember was at one time planned and there is a third ejection hatch but only two ejection seats.

Re my #2, it goes almost without saying that I would not wish to question the thoughts or reactions of, nor denigrate, a combatant.
It was just that I felt that those philosophical considerations would have been dealt with pre-mission.

And Basil, as I pointed out, the comment was not made by current aircrew at all but by a VSO in the CoC.