The United States Air Force flew a triad of bombers over Raymond James Stadium before the start of Super Bowl LV on Sunday.
The B-1B Lancer, the B-2 Spirit and the B-52 Stratofortress were seen flying over the city of Tampa while the Buccaneers and Chiefs faced off in the NFL championship game.
The three-bomber overpass, the first of its kind, replaced the traditional fighter jet overpass, typically seen at sporting events.
Captain Sarah Kociuba was responsible for the overflight and led the group on the B-2 Spirit, also known as a stealth bomber, the WDAF reported.
The US Air Force flew a triad of bombers over Raymond James Stadium before the start of the Super Bowl LV
B-52, upper, B-2, middle, and B-1B, lower, bombers flew over the stadium just before the start of the game
“It’s difficult, but we make it happen with just a ton of practice,” said Kociuba.
Kociuba took off on Whiteman Air Force Base B-2 in Missouri and met the other bombers over the Gulf of Mexico.
The B-52 took off from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and the B-1 from Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota.
A KC-135 Stratotanker refueled each bomber in the air before they went into formation for the overflight, WTSP reported.
Kociuba said he was inspired to join the Air Force after seeing his first B-2 overpass at the Rose Bowl parade when he was 11.
She became the eighth female B-2 pilot in July 2017, according to the Air Force.
“We will cheer for the bosses and we will be on time, see you there,” said Kociuba.
The B-1 B Lancer, also called Bone, was initially developed as a B-1A by Rockwell International, which is now part of Boeing, replacing the B-52.
The program was discontinued in 1977 – but the Reagan administration initiated the improved B-1B variant in 1981.
The Air Force awarded Rockwell two contracts worth $ 2.2 billion for the development and production of 100 bombers in January 1982.
The first B-1B was delivered in June 1985 to Dyess Air Force Base in Texas and the last was delivered on May 2, 1988.
The B-1B was first used in combat in support of operations against Iraq during Operation Desert Fox in December 1998.
The bomber is different from the other two in that it can reach supersonic speeds, fly inverted and its wings can change position while operating, reported Popular Science.
The Air Force boasts 62 bombers, but the fleet has been “overloaded” and officers hope to phase it out, the agency said.
“We have extended the B-1 too far in the fight against terror,” said General Timothy Ray, who leads the Air Force’s Global Attack Command.
The B-1B, on the left, the B-2, in the middle, and the B-52, on the right, flew over the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa
The B-2, on the left, was piloted by captain Sarah Kociuba and is known for its stealth ability to avoid radar detection
The three combined plans are worth almost $ 2 billion and represent three generations of bombers used by the military
Fireworks were seen exploding at the end of the National Anthem as bombers flew overhead
Fans watch as the Air Force flies over three generations of bombers before the Super Bowl
The $ 317 million plane weighs approximately 190,000 pounds and is known for its incredible payload of 75,000 pounds.
The development of Northrop Grumman’s B-2 Spirit began during the Carter administration at the height of the Cold War – and was one of the reasons behind the cancellation of the B-1A program.
Spirit is known for its stealth technology and ‘flying wing’ design that makes it almost invisible to radar, CNN reported.
The plane was designed to penetrate Soviet air defenses while carrying conventional and nuclear weapons, according to the source.
The military has only 20 of the $ 1.157 billion bombers in its fleet, according to Popular Science.
The B-2 flew for the first time on July 17, 1989 and completed its first combat stance in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom,
The plane weighs about 160,000 pounds and is among the military’s first choices at the start of a new conflict because of its ability to escape radar, Popular Science reported.
“The B-2 Spirit remains a marvel of combat-proven engineering and aircraft that will continue to pave the way for years to come,” according to the Northrop Grumman website.
The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing after the company won the development bid in 1946 and has been in continuous service by the military since 1955.
The plane was described by USO as ‘the plane the Air Force simply cannot say goodbye to’.
She played important roles in everything from the Cold War and Vietnam to Desert Storm and the Global War on Terror.
The Air Force recently extended the life of the B-52 until the 2040s, according to the Armed Forces non-profit organization. By then, some of the fuselages would have reached a whopping 90 years of age.
The eight-engine, 390,000-pound plane was America’s ‘first long-range, swept-wing heavy bomber’ in America, according to the Boeing website. It became commonly known as the ‘Big Ugly Fat F ** ker.’
In all, 744 of them were produced between 1952 and 1962 and the Air Force currently has 76 of them in its fleet.
Each B-52 costs $ 84 million and more than $ 70,000 to fly per hour.