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CNN Live At Daybreak

America Strikes Back: The Role of the B2 Bomber

Aired October 08, 2001 - 07:46   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEMMER: As we continue to watch the air strikes again, they were last night four different ways according to reporters we have on the ground in Afghanistan, separated anywhere between an hour and 90 minutes apart.

To Miles O'Brien watching more on this -- Miles, good morning.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, we've been telling folks all along about the forward deployment of U.S. forces, either via aircraft carrier or perhaps on the ground in, say, Uzbekistan. In at least one case, the raid was launched right here from the heartland of the United States, Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.

Let's take a look at the flight, if you will, of the B2 bomber. We don't know specifically their route, but let's take you on a hypothetical run which begins at Whiteman. The B2 bomber is based there. There are 20 of them in the U.S. Air Force fleet, $2 billion a copy. They're able to fly 6,000 nautical miles without refueling, really basically the entire world on one refueling stop and then over the general region.

The B2 crew has, consists of two pilots and is able to drop up to 16 satellite guided munitions. Let's take a look at some animation which gives you a sense of what the B2 can do for $2 billion a copy. It is able to fly upwards of 50,000 feet. Of course, its key component is the fact that it's stealthy, high subsonic speeds and it has what are called stand off attack missiles and cruise missiles, which means it can fire them and sort of forget them, if you will.

These are long missions. The B2, after having flown to the region, flew down to Diego Garcia, the British base there in the Indian Ocean, where the crews will refurbish, replenish and then presumably return back to Whiteman Air Force Base, although we can't say this for certain at this juncture.

Let's give you a sense of what that's all about. That's a 2,400 mile run once the weapons were dropped and into Diego Garcia.

The reason that the air force prefers to stage the B2 out of Whiteman as opposed to deploying it at, say, Diego Garcia at the outset is it's sort of a high maintenance operation. It requires a tremendous amount of infrastructure and security, as well, every time it moves. And so because of its long range capability and its refueling capability, it's actually easier and more efficient to do it out of Missouri.

Now, I want to show you one thing that might or might not have had some factor, at least in the thinking of the military planners. Take a look at this satellite image which came to us from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This is from one of the polar weather satellites which circles above us all the time. This is actually a gentrification shot.

Now you're looking at Afghanistan, obviously. This is Kabul, lower left. This is Turmez. That's the lower tip of Uzbekistan. And what you're seeing all in through here is a very, very big dust storm. This image was shot last Thursday and these areas are critical areas because these, this is the Northern Alliance area. And in here were some key Taliban positions which we know now were targets of the Pentagon.

Now, there were a lot of other factors under consideration last week, one of which, of course, was the fact that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was in the region, which would have probably precluded any sort of activity.

But nevertheless, this dust storm, most military planners probably would have waited another day because it would have inhibited their ability to do reconnaissance and might very well have gotten in the way of some of the radar capabilities of the aircraft as well as the weaponry that is guided by radar.

So, there's a lot on their plate when they consider when to do these. The timing of these types of things obviously with Secretary Rumsfeld in the region, this probably was a mood issue. But these sorts of things are things that come into play.

Now, I mentioned Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri being the staging point for the B2. Twenty of them in the fleet. They are all based there at Whiteman and that's where we find CNN's Frank Buckley this morning -- Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

Heavy security here at the spirit gate at Whiteman Air Force Base, the only indication of anything other than business as usual. But base officials say that heavy security has been in place since the terror attacks against the U.S. Still, base officials do say that B2s from Whiteman Air Force Base were involved in that initial wave of hostilities in Afghanistan and sources tell CNN that it was actually two B2s from Whiteman Air Force Base that were involved.

They likely used, as you mentioned, the air bridge along the way, an estimated 15 hour or so journey to the target area, an air bridge, meaning that these B2s refueled midair en route and continued on with the two man crew to the target area.

Once there, they would have used their stealth capabilities to try to reduce any radar signature, to try to go in toward the targets without being detected. The pilots would have had at their disposal 16 2,000 pound satellite guided bombs. Those bombs can be tracked by up to six satellites at one time and guided into an area to an accuracy of within 50 feet.

It's believed, as you say, the B2s stayed in the theater, landing at Diego Garcia.

Here at Whiteman, base officials say that there will be no celebrations, no media access, nothing to indicate that it is anything other than business as usual here. In fact, they expect a slow day because today is a federal holiday -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right, that's CNN's Frank Buckley at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, the home of the B2 bomber.

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