B-2 stealth bombers used to attack Iran have beds, toilets, microwaves
The cockpit is outfitted with a space where one pilot can lie down while the other flies, helping the two-person crew manage the demanding journey. The bombers refuelled several times mid-air, officials told the New York Post.It also has a microwave and a mini-fridge for snacks, to help the pilots remain well-fed in long-duration strategic bombing missions.Each B-2 costs more than USD 2 billion, and the US Air Force currently operates 19 of them, after losing one in a 2008 crash.Most bomber aircraft do not have such luxuries, but there are exceptions, especially for long-range strategic bombers like the US B-2 Spirit or B-52 Stratofortress, which are designed for missions lasting 24 plus hours.advertisementAs the seven bombers departed on Friday from Whiteman, near Kansas City, layers of secrecy and minute planning camouflaged Operation Midnight Hammer.MORE ABOUT B-2 BOMBERS USED BY THE USAs the B-2s neared Iranian airspace, a US submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles to neutralise key defences. Moments later, the stealth bombers dropped 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, 30,000-pound bunker-busters, on three of Iran's main nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.The mission, conducted in near-total radio silence, was the longest B-2 deployment since the initial US strike on Afghanistan following the September 11 attacks. The two pilots took turns resting during the 37-hour round trip, reported The UK Telegraph.Originally built to deliver nuclear bombs to the Soviet Union, the B-2 Spirit has a wingspan of 172 feet and carries just two pilots. It relies heavily on automation to complete missions that can last nearly two days.As the real B-2 bombers moved eastward, a decoy group flew west to mislead any potential observers."The B-2s linked up with escort and support aircraft in a complex, tightly timed manoeuvre requiring exact synchronisation across multiple platforms in a narrow piece of airspace, all done with minimal communications," US General Daniel Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in the Pentagon briefing.advertisementPilots undergo special training to endure such extreme missions, sometimes bringing along cots or even full camping pads, according to The Atlantic.As they approached Iranian airspace, the bombers were joined by a fleet of escort and support aircraft to ensure the success of the final phase."The B-2s linked up with escort and support aircraft in a complex, tightly timed manoeuvre requiring exact synchronisation across multiple platforms in a narrow piece of airspace, all done with minimal communications," said Gen. Daniel Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff."The remaining bombers then hit their targets, as well, with a total of 14 MOPs (Massive Ordnance Penetrators) dropped against two nuclear target areas," he added.This marked the first time when the US has deployed the massive 15-ton GBU-57 bunker buster in combat.- Ends
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Business Standard
15 hours ago
- Business Standard
Goa to roll out new salt-tolerant paddy variety for 2026 kharif season
Goa's latest paddy seed variety, which offers improved resilience against salinity, waterlogging, and crop lodging, is likely to be released for large-scale cultivation in the Kharif season 2026, state Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik has said. In a written reply in the legislative assembly on Friday, Naik said that the new variety is currently in its second year of on-farm trials and has already shown promising results in demonstration plots under the Minikit Programme. He was responding to a question by independent MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco. According to the data furnished by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Goa Dhan-5 was developed to build on the performance of earlier salt-tolerant varieties Goa Dhan-1 and Dhan-2 released in 2017, and Dhan-3 and Dhan-4 released in 2019, the minister said. Naik said that while the first four Dhan varieties are tolerant to saline conditions, Goa Dhan-5 stands out for its added resistance to waterlogging and complete or partial submergence for 10 to 15 days, making it suitable for the state's flood-prone and coastal agricultural zones. "It also has a strong culm, which improves resistance to lodging a common issue that affects plant stability and yield during heavy rains and wind," he stated. The minister further said that the trial results indicate Goa Dhan-5 yields around six tonnes per hectare under normal conditions and four to four and half tonnes under saline conditions. "More than 40 farmers in Amona, Chorao, Neura, Shiroda, and Cumbarzua villages in both North and South Goa are cultivating the variety as part of the ongoing demonstration phase," he said. The seed variety is expected to be formally proposed for release to the State Variety Release Committee (SVRC) after reviewing its performance during the current Kharif season. If cleared, seeds will be made available to farmers in time for the next planting cycle, he added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
News18
2 days ago
- News18
Are Indian People Rude? Viral Reddit Post By Ex-NRI Sparks Debate
Last Updated: An ex-NRI shares his unpleasant experience returning to India after 12 years in the US, highlighting rudeness in Delhi-NCR. Read his story on Reddit. If you are someone who lives abroad, then coming back to India feels like a familiar hug. But there are exceptions. And one that has caught the internet's attention comes in the form of a Reddit post. In an elaborate write-up, an Indian man has shared his unpleasant experience of returning to his own country after 12 years of living in the US. What he found the most upsetting was how 'rude" people in India were. What The Redditor Said The man began his post by saying, 'I lived in the US for more than a decade. I returned to India 3 months ago. One issue that I've always had with living in India is the rudeness one has to deal with on a day-to-day basis." The ex-NRI, living in the Delhi-NCR region, recounted two incidents that made him feel that way. He said, 'I accompanied my mother to a clinic, where she was getting her stitches removed. Everyone – from the receptionist to the attendant – was extremely rude. This is a clinic with a great reputation, and I was not expecting such unprofessionalism. I noticed the same behaviour when I went to enroll for an Aadhar card." Even the man's neighbour behaved 'aggressively" with him when asking the former expat to make security arrangements. 'Our neighbour yesterday asked us to remove the blink camera from our front door as it captures his front door as well, but he came off as quite aggressive for someone making a request to us to make a change to our security arrangement," said the man. According to the ex-NRI, individuals living in posh societies and working in 'polished offices" were the ones who had the most attitude. It came as a shock to the man, as he was used to the 'polite and friendly" cultures of small cities. He also wondered whether living in the US had made him 'softer". 'Maybe US made me realise that basic politeness should be the norm and not a luxury. I still carry a lot of habits I learned in the US – saying thank you for services and saying hi to people when meeting them for the first time – but all I get in response is a blank, weird stare. As I'm re-adjusting after 12+ years in the US, I'm re-learning to grow a thicker skin," penned the US-return individual. How Fellow Redditors Reacted Here's what Redditors said. 'Basic civic sense should be a compulsory subject," read a stern remark. 'For women, civic sense is the least of their worries. Try dealing with all the pinching, groping and grinding any and everywhere," noted another. 'Life often feels like a constant struggle in India," commented an individual. 'You are living in the Rudeness Capital of India- NCR," pointed out a user. view comments Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: News viral Are Indian People Rude? Viral Reddit Post By Ex-NRI Sparks Debate Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Canada project reclaims 'foul' industrial area to contain floods
An aerial view of the Don River in the newly unveiled Biidaasige Park, part of Toronto's Port Lands Flood Protection Project, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (AFP photo) TORONTO: The spur to build Toronto's billion-dollar-plus flood prevention project dates back to a devastating hurricane in 1954, but planners say its urgency was reinforced by the recent tragic flooding in Texas. The Port Lands project has, in part, reversed a consequence of industrialization by reconnecting Lake Ontario with the Don River, more than a century after they were severed to create an industrial area. Chris Glaisek, chief planning officer at the municipal body Waterfront Toronto, said the idea was to "heal the land from the way it was repurposed 100 years ago," with a focus on "flood protection and naturalization." The complex project -- one of the largest in Toronto's history with a cost of Can$1.4 billion (US$1 billion) -- included digging a river valley and the creation of two new river outlets, with wetlands and marshes to absorb excess water during extreme storms. The mouth of the Don River was once the Great Lakes system's largest fresh water marsh, a rich habitat and vital food resource for Indigenous people before colonization. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like They Were So Beautiful Before; Now Look At Them; Number 10 Will Shock You Reportingly Undo But Toronto, like many North American cities, saw industrial growth in the late 19th Century. Much of the marsh was drained and filled in to make room for a port industrial area, while the river was re-routed into a man-made channel. The Port Lands never thrived as an industrial area, leaving a vast stretch of eastern downtown under-used, and the Don River became polluted. "It was really dirty, it was foul, it was terrible," Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said recently. - Hurricane Hazel - On October 15, 1954 Hurricane Hazel hit Toronto, after hammering parts of the Caribbean and eastern United States. It killed 81 people across the Greater Toronto Area and served as catalyst for the city to get serious about flood protection. Hazel flooded the Humber River, in western Toronto, but Glaisek said "it was understood at the time that that same amount of rainfall, had it landed on the (eastern) Don, would have done a comparable amount of damage." He called Hazel an initial "impetus" to re-naturalize the Port Lands, but rising awareness over the past two decades about the causal link between climate change and extreme floods helped advance the project. - 'Duty bound' - To reclaim the Port Lands, Toronto partnered with the US-based landscape architecture firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, which has worked on the Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. Laura Solano, the lead designer, said the project was "duty bound to address catastrophic flooding," but stressed it offered "much more." Because the area has been reformed to cope with flood waters, parts have been declared safe for new housing -- an urgent need in the expensive metropolis. There is also a new park, trails and people can canoe or kayak through the rehabilitated Don. Solano stressed Toronto's initial decision to alter the area was consistent with the times, when North American cities moved to "industrialize their raise their economic position." But now, "every city is looking to reclaim their waters," she told AFP. The Port Lands "shows the world that it's possible to fix the past and turn deficit and remnant industrial lands into living and breathing infrastructure." - 'The river is going to flood' - As Glaisek described the project, he stood on a bank that would, by design, be under water during a major storm. "It's all planned so that it can flood, the water level can rise, the river can get about three, maybe four times wider than it is now, absorb all of that volume of water," he said. "When the storm event subsides, it will shrink back down to this." It's a planning approach that recognizes "we're seeing more and more of these events." "Like in Texas, you see very tragic outcomes when you haven't really tried to plan for nature," he told AFP, referring to flash floods in early July that killed at least 135 people. He urged planners to "reposition" their relationship to nature and ditch the mindset that "humans (can) control everything." "Let's acknowledge the river is going to flood. Let's build the space for it." bs/des
