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Here's what's in the cockpit of one of America's most secretive weapons - the B-2 stealth bomber

The displays and equipment seen in the cockpit help pilots slip past strong defenses to strike enemy targets.

Here's what's in the cockpit of one of America's most secretive weapons - the B-2 stealth bomber

The powerful stealth aircraft is piloted by a two-man crew, which has to keep a close eye on the various instruments in flight.

The powerful stealth aircraft is piloted by a two-man crew, which has to keep a close eye on the various instruments in flight.

The video released Monday shows the B-2 refueling in air, a capability that extends the reach of these deadly aircraft.

The B-2 Spirit, an aircraft with a unique flying wing design, is a key part of America's nuclear deterrence capabilities.

Crewed by a two-man team, the aircraft's low-observable or stealth features give it an almost undetectable radar signature, making it nearly invisible and able to penetrate sophisticated enemy defenses to strike targets with a variety of armaments, both conventional or nuclear.

Some instruments are more important than others though.

Some instruments are more important than others though.

We asked a B-2 bomber pilot what the most important display is, and the answer was the Vertical Situation Display (VSD), part of the aircraft's Primary Flight Display.

"The B-2 is the smoothest ride in the sky with a capable autopilot," the pilot explained, telling BI that younger pilots sometimes forget about flying the aircraft when they have their heads down performing other tasks. "The VSD gives the pilot all the info they need to regain situational awareness and fly the jet."

When it comes to priorities in flight, they are aviate, navigate, and communicate — in that order. The VSD consolidates all the standard flight instruments into a single display. It's aircraft orientation, altitude, airspeed, heading, and angle of attack all on a single screen.

The Horizontal Situation Display (HSD) is also pretty important, though, as it not only shows the route, but it also allows B-2 pilots to keep an eye on friendly and enemy aircraft nearby, as well as radar information.


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