First female pilots of B-2 bomber ready to fly against Iraq

KNOB NOSTER, Mo. -- Since her childhood as a self-described military brat, she wanted to be an Air Force officer.

Now she is known on Air Force radios by the nickname Iron Butterfly -- one of two women qualified to fly the nation's radar-evading B-2 bombers.

If the United States goes to war against Iraq, the B-2s would lead the first wave of bombing, as they did a year ago in Afghanistan.

"I'm ready to go," said Iron Butterfly, a captain with 280 hours flying in combat zones.

The Associated Press agreed to refer to the 31-year-old woman only by her radio nickname at the request of the Air Force, which cited security concerns. The other woman certified to fly the B-2, a captain who graduated from training last May alongside Iron Butterfly, was unavailable for an interview.

Air Force officials said the B-2 is the only type of plane now in its inventory that has not been flown by a woman in combat.

100 pilots altogether

Col. Doug Raaberg, commander of B-2 headquarters at Whiteman Air Force Base's 509th Bomb Wing, said about 100 pilots at Whiteman are qualified on the $1.3 billion bomber, although many are experienced only through simulations and training flights, not combat.

There is no assurance that the female B-2 pilots would have a role in bombing Iraq. But because gender isn't among the many factors considered in assigning crews, "they have the same chance of being selected as any of their male counterparts," said Capt. Don Langley, base spokesman at Whiteman.

Among the nearly 71,000 female members of the Air Force, there are 462 pilots. The B-2 hasn't had women pilots because only the most experienced officers were considered for the role and they were all men, Langley said, noting that the Air Force has had women in air combat roles for just a decade.

Continuous simulations

Iron Butterfly has been in the pilot's seat of the two-person B-2 for training flights of up to 20 hours; during a training flight in September, she soared in an exhibition run over the Kansas Speedway during NASCAR events, drawing cheers and whoops from the crowd.

Although she has flown in combat zones, she has never dropped a bomb. But neither have many of her male colleagues. The B-2s can carry up to 80 precision-guided "smart" bombs, as well as conventional "dumb" bombs and nuclear weapons.

"They would never put anybody in a situation that they weren't ready" for, Iron Butterfly said as she stood at the door of a massive B-2 hangar at Whiteman. "If I needed to go do a 50-hour mission right now, I feel confident that I could."

"A lot of people, growing up, try to figure out what they want to do. I knew when I was 10 years old what I wanted to do. It's just something I was drawn to. I've always wanted to fly," Iron Butterfly said.

One male B-2 pilot interviewed by The AP, identified only by his radio nickname, Stinky, said the women "work pretty doggone hard, perhaps harder than anyone, to show they are ready for our very unique and tough missions."