Cat naps, ‘piddle packs’ and amphetamines: Here’s what it can take to complete a marathon bombing run

The US bombing mission that targeted three nuclear facilities in Iran over the weekend was a massive undertaking that required its B-2 bomber pilots to test the limits of human endurance during a 37-hour mission.

The US bombing mission that targeted three nuclear facilities in Iran over the weekend was a massive undertaking that required its B-2 bomber pilots to test the limits of human endurance during a 37-hour mission. Seven stealth bombers carrying two crew members each flew nonstop halfway across the world and back in one of the longest air raids in modern military history. Melvin G. Deaile is one of few people who understands what it is like to be in the cockpit during a marathon operation like the one carried out over the weekend. The retired Air Force colonel was part of the B-2 crew whose 44-hour bombing mission over Afghanistan in 2001 still holds the record for the longest. Deaile described Saturday’s operation as an “incredible feat.” More than 125 aircraft were used in the attack. Apart from the seven bombers that flew east from Missouri’s Whiteman Air Force Base to strike Iran, the mission also included other B-2 bombers flying west as part of a feint, as well as fighter jets, reconnaissance planes and refueling tankers positioned along the bombers’ routes. “The thing that to me was more historic than anything is the fact that we had seven jets over the target area, executing seven different bomb runs, all within the matter of 30 minutes,” Deaile said. The retired colonel, now the director of the School of Advanced Nuclear Deterrence Studies at the Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College, offered to describe aspects of his 2001 mission but made clear he is only speaking from his own personal experience, has no personal insight into Saturday’s raid, and is not speaking on behalf of the Department of Defense.