When a B-2 Spirit bomber lands at an airfield, it typically needs a crew of several maintainers who spring into action to ready it for takeoff again. On May 28, two stealth bombers assigned to the 393rd Bomb Squadron at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, flew to Offutt AFB, Nebraska, where a single pilot from each aircraft would jump out and refuel the plane — alone. This mission was part of the Air Force’s focus on agile combat employment, where a small team of multiskilled airmen can quickly deploy to a new airfield.
Col. Geoffrey Steeves, 509th Operations Group commander, highlighted that this was the first time the 393rd Bomb Squadron executed B-2 ‘cold-pit’ refueling operations without the help of maintenance professionals on the ground. The operation was successful, with pilots going through a checklist and efficiently completing the refueling within two hours. The goal is to make the operation more efficient across the B-2 community, including streamlining the process and perfecting a packing list.
Pilots are working towards the goal of hot-pit refueling where they can land, refuel, and take off again without shutting down the aircraft’s engines, especially in a contested or unfamiliar environment. Maj. Bo Bateman, a B-2 instructor pilot with the squadron, emphasized the importance of agile combat operations and the need to meet the challenges of great power competition head-on. The Air Force continues to refine its approach to ensure readiness and flexibility in various scenarios.
