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First Time B-2 Bombers Will Actually Be Based Overseas

Aired March 13, 2003 - 15:55   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: It is a first for America's B-2 stealth bombers. Not their first combat mission, but the first time they will actually be based overseas. The big birds are leaving their nests in the U.S. heartland, heading for bases within easy striking distance of Iraq.
Our Jeff Flock is live at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Jeff, hello.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CHICAGO BUREAU CHIEF: Daryn, hello to you. And if you look over my right shoulder there, perhaps you can see that the entire fleet hasn't left. There's one stealth bomber back there.

In fact, we can't tell you exactly how many aircraft have left here, nor can we tell you the precise time. We've agreed to that with the Air Force, in return for some up close and personal with the stealth and the deployment. We've spent the last couple of days doing that, and last night, overnight, watching them take off.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FLOCK (voice-over): The pilots who believe they will fly the first missions in a war with Iraq do their last pre-flight preparations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then you're ready to go. Just put it in your holster, do not remove unless in the line of duty.

FLOCK: A few hours later, under the cover of darkness, the so- called stealth bombers head out to a new base to prepare for battle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was night one in Allied Force. It was night one in Enduring Freedom. And whatever we're called to, I can guarantee you, it will be night one for General Franks if he needs us.

FLOCK: But the B-2, here returning from Kosovo, has always flown round trip from its Missouri base, often 40-hours plus missions, because of concerns that the sophisticated radar evading bomber couldn't get proper maintenance on the road.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And this is what you have to do in order to perform the maintenance necessary on the engine.

FLOCK: Eager to demonstrate the durability of the once fragile B-2, officials allowed us to literally climb all over it. They say it will be fine in its new home away from home. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There should be no problem with this aircraft being forward deployed.

FLOCK (on camera): This stealth bomber is called the Spirit of Kitty Hawk. Right now, it is sitting in a massive, climate controlled facility designed specifically for the purpose of maintaining it. The question is, how well can they do the maintenance in these newly constructed, smaller, portable hangars located half a world away?

(voice-over): The new shelters, which cost $2.5 million each, are also climate-controlled. That is central to maintaining the sophisticated stealth capabilities of the $2 billion planes which can drop guided bombs on 16 separate targets.

(on camera): They're going away from here for the first time ever. How are they doing going to do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, first of all, they're going to strike their targets 100 percent. The first thing they're going to do is kick doors down and keep killing those targets.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FLOCK: Twenty-one in all, aircraft in the arsenal. Some have left, but, of course, they can also leave from here. They have that capability, Daryn, of leaving from here and going all the way over there and back here as well. So they can come at them a lot of ways. Back to you.

KAGAN: All right. Jeff Flock, thanks for showing us that plane that it seemed not that long ago the U.S. government claimed it didn't even exist.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired March 13, 2003 - 15:55   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: It is a first for America's B-2 stealth bombers. Not their first combat mission, but the first time they will actually be based overseas. The big birds are leaving their nests in the U.S. heartland, heading for bases within easy striking distance of Iraq.
Our Jeff Flock is live at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Jeff, hello.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CHICAGO BUREAU CHIEF: Daryn, hello to you. And if you look over my right shoulder there, perhaps you can see that the entire fleet hasn't left. There's one stealth bomber back there.

In fact, we can't tell you exactly how many aircraft have left here, nor can we tell you the precise time. We've agreed to that with the Air Force, in return for some up close and personal with the stealth and the deployment. We've spent the last couple of days doing that, and last night, overnight, watching them take off.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FLOCK (voice-over): The pilots who believe they will fly the first missions in a war with Iraq do their last pre-flight preparations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then you're ready to go. Just put it in your holster, do not remove unless in the line of duty.

FLOCK: A few hours later, under the cover of darkness, the so- called stealth bombers head out to a new base to prepare for battle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was night one in Allied Force. It was night one in Enduring Freedom. And whatever we're called to, I can guarantee you, it will be night one for General Franks if he needs us.

FLOCK: But the B-2, here returning from Kosovo, has always flown round trip from its Missouri base, often 40-hours plus missions, because of concerns that the sophisticated radar evading bomber couldn't get proper maintenance on the road.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And this is what you have to do in order to perform the maintenance necessary on the engine.

FLOCK: Eager to demonstrate the durability of the once fragile B-2, officials allowed us to literally climb all over it. They say it will be fine in its new home away from home. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There should be no problem with this aircraft being forward deployed.

FLOCK (on camera): This stealth bomber is called the Spirit of Kitty Hawk. Right now, it is sitting in a massive, climate controlled facility designed specifically for the purpose of maintaining it. The question is, how well can they do the maintenance in these newly constructed, smaller, portable hangars located half a world away?

(voice-over): The new shelters, which cost $2.5 million each, are also climate-controlled. That is central to maintaining the sophisticated stealth capabilities of the $2 billion planes which can drop guided bombs on 16 separate targets.

(on camera): They're going away from here for the first time ever. How are they doing going to do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, first of all, they're going to strike their targets 100 percent. The first thing they're going to do is kick doors down and keep killing those targets.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FLOCK: Twenty-one in all, aircraft in the arsenal. Some have left, but, of course, they can also leave from here. They have that capability, Daryn, of leaving from here and going all the way over there and back here as well. So they can come at them a lot of ways. Back to you.

KAGAN: All right. Jeff Flock, thanks for showing us that plane that it seemed not that long ago the U.S. government claimed it didn't even exist.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com