EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (WKRG) — Crews with the 337th and 49th test and evaluation squadrons showed off massive bomber aircrafts on the Eglin Air Force Base flight line Thursday.

Both squadrons flew to Eglin for a Commanders’ conference. Major Paul ‘Midnight’, pilot of the B1B talked to WKRG News 5 about the bomber’s long history and current role in military operations.

What is a B1 bomber?

“What makes it special is it’s the only supersonic bomber in the Air Force inventory and then what makes it even more so it’s the last Air Force plane that’s swingline capable, so the wings will actually move in flight. 

Major Paul, B1B pilot

“So we actually fly quite a bit more like a fighter than a traditional bomber, which is really cool. That being said, we’re not very maneuverable, but we are very, very fast in comparison to some of the other bombers that’s built in the 1980s.”

Major Paul, B1B pilot

What do test squadrons do?

“Our primary mission is to test the suitability and effectiveness of new hardware and software upgrades to the B1B bomber. Our primary mission is employment of about £2000 weapons, so primarily 2000 pound bombs. We did quite a bit in Iraq, in Afghanistan against the war on ISIS and then additionally our new primary mission is a standoff weapons employment, so sending missiles hundreds of miles away against enemies, we can carry quite a few of those. 

“What I do primarily is test new software and hardware upgrades. We take that from the vendor, in our case it’s Boeing, they put that on the aircraft and we test that and make sure that it’s doing exactly what we as the Air Force asked for. We see how sustainable and effective it is and then deliver that to our warfighting squadron. “

Major Paul, B1B pilot

How does a test squadron work with Eglin AFB?

“One of Eglin’s primary responsibilities for us is they maintain our defensive avionics and they upgrade that.

‘Whether that be the plane or the missile themselves, and what we have going on here at Eglin, even though the planes aren’t here, the people that are working here are looking at those threats and they’re reprogramming from what they know and what they’re predicting and what they foresee happening. 

“They reprogram our plane in order to see and defeat those threats. So two things, and I’ll hit on it again and again is lethality and survivability. 

“They’re also doing plenty of other tests, and they’re providing that to the plane, and so the big thing that they’re helping out with is taking that technology, wharfing it, and then sending it to us in Texas. 

“And then we’re testing that in some of the ranges. We’ll make sure it’s working the way it’s advertised to work, and then once we’ve got all that down, we will deliver that and will instruct our combat squadrons on how to use it effectively.”

Major Paul, B1B pilot

With Eglin AFB serving as a bomb-building and testing site, having the planes up close and personal helps engineers fully understand the assignment.

“It was an opportunity for us to bring them the aircraft ’cause it’s always easier to work on something when you understand it at a more fundamental level and just being out here seeing how we sit in the plane, seeing how we operate just looking around. 

Is a huge benefit for them, and it also gave us an opportunity to go to their laboratory, see what they’re working on.”

Major Paul, B1B pilot

Both as a testing base and testing squadron, the ultimate goal when making upgrades to the aircraft or weapons is to increase the lethality and survivability of Air Force products.

Eglin airmen and their families were able to get a closer look at the planes Thursday along with media guests.

Both planes will be headed back to their home bases Friday.