'Sleep studies, nutritional education': What B-2 Bomber pilots eat and do before flying for long missions?

Before flying a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, US Air Force pilots spend weeks preparing, not just for the route, but for what goes into their stomachs. The B-2, built by Northrop Grumman and priced at around $2 billion per unit, recently featured in strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Its two-person crew faces intense conditions that require more than technical training, they need to master sleep patterns and diet, too.

Diet planning is part of the job

“We go through sleep studies, we actually go through nutritional education to be able to teach each one of us: one, what wakes us up and then what helps us go to sleep,” explained retired Lt. Gen. Steve Basham, who spent nine years flying the B-2 before retiring in 2024.

Pilots are trained to choose foods that help digestion and maintain alertness since the aircraft only has a single chemical toilet. Basham’s go-to inflight meal? “Turkey sandwiches on wheat bread, no cheese… as bland as you possibly can,” he said.

The B-2 can fly 6,000 nautical miles without stopping, but most missions still need several mid-air refuellings. Fatigue makes these operations even harder.

“Adrenaline kept you going before you went into country,” he said. “The adrenaline goes away. You try to get a little bit of rest and you still got that one last refuelling,” he added.

Small breaks and sunflower seeds

Behind the cockpit seats is a small area where pilots can stretch out on a cot. While that offers some rest, staying alert for nearly two days is a different challenge altogether.

Despite its advanced stealth features, designed to evade radar, infrared, and acoustic detection, the B-2 relies heavily on its crew’s performance. Unlike older bombers like the B-1B and B-52, the B-2 only carries two pilots, meaning each one carries more responsibility.

It’s not as easy as it looks

“Our pilots make it look easy, but it’s far from easy,” Basham said. “You can’t do this without a massive, massive array of planners on the ground throughout the world and maintainers that make sure you’ve always got agoodaircraft,” he added.