{"id":42966,"date":"2019-04-29T11:20:25","date_gmt":"2019-04-29T11:20:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/04\/29\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:35:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:35:53","slug":"want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/global-strike\/2019\/04\/29\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\/","title":{"rendered":"Want to join the B-2 bomber team? Here\u2019s what it\u2019ll take"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-smg-jwplayer-video\"><atype-video-jwplayer nostick=\"true\" playlisturl=\"https:\/\/cdn.jwplayer.com\/v2\/playlists\/fCzRqMW8?tags=aca551c3-bd92-49c4-9eac-65d2297e40d8\" poster=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/video-poster-aca551c3-bd92-49c4-9eac-65d2297e40d8.jpg\" aspectratio=\"16 \/ 9\" mute autostart=\"false\"><\/atype-video-jwplayer><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ever wanted to fly the B-2 stealth bomber? Here&#8217;s how to become one of the most elite pilots in the Air Force.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. \u2014 Flying missions in the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber can be grueling. Most missions last well over a day, and some pilots regularly top 35, sometimes 40 hours cooped up in the cockpit as they fly around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To get that done, B-2 wings require more than pilots. They need aviators who can operate at high skill levels, for long periods of time, with a lot of stick-and-rudder experience, according to Brig. Gen. John Nichols, commander of the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And with the U.S. Air Force facing a pilot shortfall, the competition for skilled aviators is growing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe days of just being able to cherry-pick the best from every community to join \u2026 are becoming increasingly less common,\u201d Nichols said in an interview with journalist and Defense News contributor<a href=\"https:\/\/jeffbolton.org\/about\/\" target=_blank> Jeff Bolton<\/a> during a visit to Whiteman AFB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/global-strike\/\" target=_blank><i><b>Click here for more from the special report on the U.S. nuclear enterprise. <\/b><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Air Force Global Strike Command still finds new B-2 pilots by cross-training them from other communities, like Air Force Special Operations Command, Nichols said, but B-2 wings are increasingly bringing on pilots directly from Air Education and Training Command \u2014 and they have to keep training and developing their skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of those aspiring B-2 pilots was 1st Lt. Brandon Cameron of the 13th Bomb Squadron. Cameron is a \u201cdirect hire\u201d and is in his first assignment after finishing training to be a T-38 instructor pilot at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas. Cameron said that almost a decade ago, they started bringing pilots straight out of undergraduate pilot training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But he didn\u2019t know that was possible at first and was surprised when he found out he could go straight to a B-2 squadron. He quickly learned it was \u201cone of the best gigs in the Air Force.\u201d He still gets hours flying the T-38, since instructor pilots are always needed. And the prospect of being a \u201cprotector,\u201d flying the B-2, is exciting, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">B-2 training requires a lot of academic work and simulation hours before a pilot can even touch one of the bombers, said Capt. Chris \u201cThunder\u201d Beck, one of the wing\u2019s aspiring B-2 pilots. Beck was originally a B-52 pilot at the 20th Bomb Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. He finished initial qualification training for the B-2 in January and was preparing to move onto mission qualification training at the 393rd Bomb Squadron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cameron \u2014 an Air Force Academy graduate who grew up flying bush planes in Anchorage, Alaska \u2014 was still awaiting his initial qualification training to fly the stealth bomber. He doesn\u2019t expect learning to fly B-2s will be as nerve-wracking as UPT, since those involved have experience flying. But, he acknowledged, some nervousness is unavoidable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere\u2019s still some pucker factor there,\u201d Cameron said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Defense News partnered with <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/jeffbolton.org\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>independent journalist and long-time radio personality Jeff Bolton<\/i><\/a><i> for <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/global-strike\/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>a multimedia report<\/i><\/a><i> that takes an up-close look at the U.S. nuclear enterprise by way of Bolton\u2019s exclusive flights on military strike platforms and interviews with the leadership and military staff that support nuclear operations and missions. <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>B-2 wings are increasingly bringing on pilots directly from Air Education and Training Command \u2014 and they have to keep training and developing their skills.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":83680,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":116,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"4":{"categories":["your-air-force","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"your-air-force"}}},"categories":[7,160,116,36,30],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3412],"class_list":["post-42966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air","category-daily-news-roundup","category-global-strike","category-newsletters","category-smr"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"64UDTKS2QRAUPIKL5JW7YYJXDE","arc_canonical_url":"\/smr\/global-strike\/2019\/04\/29\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\/","remove_feature_photo":true,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Want to join the B-2 bomber team? Here\u2019s what it\u2019ll take - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"B-2 wings are increasingly bringing on pilots directly from Air Education and Training Command \u2014 and they have to keep training and developing their skills.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Want to join the B-2 bomber team? Here\u2019s what it\u2019ll take\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"B-2 wings are increasingly bringing on pilots directly from Air Education and Training Command \u2014 and they have to keep training and developing their skills.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/global-strike\/2019\/04\/29\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-04-29T11:20:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T23:35:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Stephen Losey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Stephen Losey\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/global-strike\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/29\\\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/global-strike\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/29\\\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Want to join the B-2 bomber team? Here\u2019s what it\u2019ll take\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2019-04-29T11:20:25+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T23:35:53+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/global-strike\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/29\\\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 540,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/global-strike\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/29\\\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/2072589.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Air Warfare\",\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Global Strike: Up close with the people and the systems\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Special Multimedia Reports\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/global-strike\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/29\\\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/global-strike\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/29\\\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/global-strike\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/29\\\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Want to join the B-2 bomber team? Here\u2019s what it\u2019ll take - Defense News\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/global-strike\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/29\\\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/global-strike\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/29\\\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/2072589.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2019-04-29T11:20:25+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T23:35:53+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"B-2 wings are increasingly bringing on pilots directly from Air Education and Training Command \u2014 and they have to keep training and developing their skills.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/global-strike\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/29\\\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/global-strike\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/29\\\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/global-strike\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/29\\\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/2072589.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/2072589.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/global-strike\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/29\\\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Special Multimedia Reports\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"smr\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Global Strike: Up close with the people and the systems\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/global-strike\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"global-strike\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Want to join the B-2 bomber team? Here\u2019s what it\u2019ll take\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Defense News\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Want to join the B-2 bomber team? Here\u2019s what it\u2019ll take - Defense News","description":"B-2 wings are increasingly bringing on pilots directly from Air Education and Training Command \u2014 and they have to keep training and developing their skills.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Want to join the B-2 bomber team? Here\u2019s what it\u2019ll take","og_description":"B-2 wings are increasingly bringing on pilots directly from Air Education and Training Command \u2014 and they have to keep training and developing their skills.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/global-strike\/2019\/04\/29\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\/","og_site_name":"Defense News","article_published_time":"2019-04-29T11:20:25+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-07T23:35:53+00:00","author":"Stephen Losey","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Stephen Losey","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/global-strike\/2019\/04\/29\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/global-strike\/2019\/04\/29\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Want to join the B-2 bomber team? Here\u2019s what it\u2019ll take","datePublished":"2019-04-29T11:20:25+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-07T23:35:53+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/global-strike\/2019\/04\/29\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\/"},"wordCount":540,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/global-strike\/2019\/04\/29\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2072589.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Air Warfare","Daily News Roundup","Global Strike: Up close with the people and the systems","Newsletters","Special Multimedia Reports"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/global-strike\/2019\/04\/29\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/global-strike\/2019\/04\/29\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/global-strike\/2019\/04\/29\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\/","name":"Want to join the B-2 bomber team? Here\u2019s what it\u2019ll take - Defense News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/global-strike\/2019\/04\/29\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/global-strike\/2019\/04\/29\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2072589.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2019-04-29T11:20:25+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-07T23:35:53+00:00","description":"B-2 wings are increasingly bringing on pilots directly from Air Education and Training Command \u2014 and they have to keep training and developing their skills.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/global-strike\/2019\/04\/29\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/global-strike\/2019\/04\/29\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/global-strike\/2019\/04\/29\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2072589.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2072589.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/global-strike\/2019\/04\/29\/want-to-join-the-b-2-bomber-team-heres-what-itll-take\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Special Multimedia Reports","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/","ad_zone":"smr"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Global Strike: Up close with the people and the systems","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/global-strike\/","ad_zone":"global-strike"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Want to join the B-2 bomber team? Here\u2019s what it\u2019ll take"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","name":"Defense News","description":"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization","name":"Defense News","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","caption":"Defense News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Defense News","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2072589.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42966"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42978,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42966\/revisions\/42978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42966"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=42966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}