Thanks to the high lift-to-drag ratio of the wing layout and its weak sensitivity to crosswinds, the B2 takes off relatively smoothly and quickly, but once off the ground, it is not an easy aircraft to maneuver in the air.

Especially because there is no vertical tail, the B2 can only produce yaw torque by controlling the fork of the outermost two pairs of control surfaces, and the handling efficiency and stability of the yaw axis are very poor.

As a result, both pilots were engrossed in their own maneuvering tasks throughout the climb, and there was no communication other than the necessary commands.

It wasn't until the Spirit of Kansas entered cruising altitude that Colonel Statham breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the mission briefing on the left side of the cockpit.

"Brigadier General, our specific task is ......"

Malot, who was next to him, didn't speak, still staring intently ahead, holding the joystick with one hand, and just handed the document to Statham in the passenger seat with the other.

In fact, although Air Force Commodore and even higher-ranking Air Force commanders will theoretically retain their flight qualifications and landlines, the number of training flight hours in peacetime is far less than that of the backbone flight at the rank of lieutenant.

After finishing dropping the bomb, Statham closed the magazine as fast as he could, and then breathed a sigh of relief:

Based on past experience, except for the old adversary, the Territorial Defense Force, and the MiG-25 that came and went like electricity in Operation Desert Storm, no enemy can effectively resist under the electronic suppression of the EA6B.

Hearing the question of his subordinates, Malott also felt a little big, and after thinking for a while, he shook his head:

"I don't know, just do what you ask."

"Roger."

"Just like half a century ago......"

Since the area is home to foreign agencies and media, the coalition has never used weapons in the area before, and there is no anomaly in the GPS signal here.

"Brigadier General, this target is specifically ......"

This is the most vulnerable moment for stealth aircraft, especially when the fire control radar deployed in the side position can capture the continuous echo signal with relative ease.

Meanwhile.

On the Kansas Spirit of Kansas, after hearing the call from an electronic warfare plane, the two pilots finally relaxed after some of the tension along the way.

At 23:45, six bombs "pinpointedly" hit the roof of the tallest building in the area, the Falkens Hotel.

There is only such a simple content as "how to fly and where to bomb", and there is no mention of what exactly is the target to be bombed.

Malott's mind is a little messed up now, and he didn't complain about the interest of the congressional master with his subordinates:

"This flight is going to last 30 hours, you can rest first, we will take turns to take care of the flight......"

From the cockpit, a flash of fire can be seen about a few kilometers away, presumably Echo 01 firing an AGM88 anti-radiation missile at the source.

"It's too late to say that now, and it's not something you and I can decide."

As a result, Statham was still confused after taking it apart and reading it from beginning to end.

Malott stared out of the cockpit, and although the ground was relatively dark due to the light control, he could still see a sparkling river in the moonlight.

However, the other three detonated almost simultaneously after penetrating the entire slab.

"Bomb dropping."

15 hours later.

In fact, according to Chang Haonan's calculations on the map, when jamming is turned on in mode 1, the bomb against the jamming device itself will be "transferred" to an open field a few kilometers away.

Not to mention that if it is a battle loss, the continuous loss of stealth aircraft is also a huge blow to the deterrent power that the army has re-established with great difficulty.

Malott just asked casually, not really having to let Statham see anything, and when he heard the latter say this, he nodded.

Yes, even in this mission brief, the contents are still incomplete.

With the command given, Colonel Statham flicked the lever switch on the left-hand panel, and the four large magazine doors in the belly of the aircraft opened.

An EA6B electronic warfare plane that had just taken off from the Roosevelt found the "mysterious target" that needed cover at an altitude of 8,500 meters according to the scheduled flight plan.

"Let's get a tactical plane with pods nearby to confirm it later."

As a professional soldier, Statham didn't have the idea of asking the end of the question, but now he was smoothly diverted:

"If I were to say that it would not be a wise decision for the Air Force to retire all EF111s the year before last, it is impossible to fully cope with the air defense pressure by relying on the F16CJ alone, and it is not a long-term solution to let the Navy or the Marine Corps provide us with electronic warfare cover......"

But by this time, Mallot had already maneuvered the plane to begin to climb, and the cockpit of the flying wing layout had almost no downward visibility, so Statham did not observe the effect of the bomb.

At least the psychological burden will be lighter......

"AV12, Echo 02 reports a P-band radar signal source, the frequency band is difficult to interfere with, but is preparing for destructive air defense suppression, and another C-band signal source has been completely jammed by us and is not threatening."

Three of the bombs, which were a little further away from the location of the false target, identified a problem with the course and turned off the fuse before hitting.

"Whew-"

"Open the magazine."

According to the flight plan, they will make a 180° turn and embark on the return journey in about two minutes.

It was a landmark of this mission.

This model did not perform well overall in this operation, with a single-digit percentage of hits, but at least it was able to force the opponent to shut down and shift positions.

Otherwise it is difficult to explain why, less than a month after the first combat tests, they were sent to the second mission in a hurry.

Since the Army and the Air Force are essentially the same thing, this pot is naturally thrown on the head of the Navy.

Although Statham didn't ask, perhaps to divert his attention, or perhaps to be worried about the same thing, Mallot changed his mind and took the initiative to mention the previous F117.

"But don't worry, the previous Nighthawk accident was because the idiots of the naval aviation took the initiative to reduce the mission frequency of the EA6B, so that the other party's radar seized the opportunity, this time the Joint Staff Committee specially coordinated the 2nd Electronic Warfare Squadron of the Marine Corps, they will take off 4 EA6Bs, and provide cover in two batches after we enter the airspace of the theater of operations, even if the early warning radar happens to be able to see us, the missile will not be launched."

"It's okay, everything went well."

"Can you see what's on the ground?"

After all, the B2 is not a tactical aircraft like the F117, and if there is anything wrong with this kind of baby bump, which has just been in service for two years and has only 21 aircraft in total, it will be a huge loss even for the US military with deep pockets.

At 23:43, Brigadier General Bonn Malot, commander of the 8th Air Force of the Air Force, and Colonel Sampney Statham, commander of the 509th Bomber Wing, jointly pressed the bomb drop button, and 6 GBU31 aerial bombs whizzed down from the pylons in the magazine and flew according to the target set by the program.

Of course, the B2 aircraft is also equipped with a radar warning receiver, but as a stealth aircraft, this kind of equipment is really of little significance, because it is impossible to tell whether the radar waves have really detected themselves.

Apparently, it was long ago sent to the vicinity of the GPS jamming device that came into play.

In order to achieve extreme stealth, the B2 bomber was not equipped with a visible sight that could be used for earth observation (dropping nuclear bombs did not rely very much on accuracy), and the original JDAM did not have a two-way data link, so the bombing effect could only be seen by the naked eye.

There is little difference between two aircraft and one aircraft for accompanying electronic cover, so the other Prowler, which took off earlier, has already gone to the operational airspace in advance to carry out anti-aircraft suppression operations against possible threats.

Over the Adriatic Sea.

At this time, JDAM was not widely equipped with the later extended-range gliding kits, so the flight range and maneuverability were limited, and there were strict restrictions on throwing altitude and speed.

Brigadier General Mallot gently pushed the joystick and at the same time retracted the throttle valve and piloted the plane into a shallow dive descent altitude.

Actually, the brigadier is, of course, clear.

Of course, they will soon find out.

Statham shook his head:

Especially if you lost a stealth bomber just a few days ago, you should be more careful.

But he himself felt that this mission was really outrageous, and he was afraid that he would not be able to end up with anything good after he finished it, and for Colonel Statham, who had a bright future, the less he knew, the better.

Under the control of the navigation system, the wings in the tail of the bomb began to move, trying to direct the direction of flight towards the set target.

By the time he asked the question, Statham's mind had already flashed through possibilities, from chemical weapons to dirty bombs.

Even if you want to take a second test, you should start preparing at least a few days in advance.

They were required to fly for more than 30 hours, refueling twice in the air over the North Atlantic, with the ultimate goal of dropping six 2,000-pound guided bombs on a seemingly unremarkable coordinate......

This is especially true in the strategic bomber forces.

April 17, 23:40 local time.

The Spirit of Kansas began to enter the preset bombing course.

"Echo 01, AV12 received, we are about to descend to 5000 altitude."

But by all means, he forgot that the JDAM of this era did not have an extended-range glide kit, and it was simply impossible to make a big enough course change.

The six bombs that were quietly approaching their targets in the night sky suddenly began to receive new GPS coordinates, determining that they had deviated from the "correct" flight path.

It was during this process that the F117 was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile last month.

"I can't see it, but since I've successfully cast it, there shouldn't be a problem."

Today, he must be the captain of the plane because pilots with too low rank do not have access to enough classified information.

"AV12, this is Echo 01, we are about to enter the airspace of the war zone, do you receive it?"

"Sit tight and get ready to turn."

……

At the same time, Statham, who was in the co-pilot position, began to set the attack course of the final stage of the aircraft on the integrated display in front of him, and entered the coordinates of the target for the six JDAM in the magazine.

The 509th Wing is the only unit in human history to have used nuclear weapons in actual combat, and it has always been the pride of this unit.

Fortunately, neither EA6B reported any other suspicious signs.

For an ordinary civilian building, there is no difference between a 6-ton and 3-ton bomb.

And because of the high enough terrain, it happened to be the scene where many media were reporting or broadcasting the Allied operation......

(End of chapter)