When the Kansas City Chiefs hosted their game against the Baltimore Ravens, the kickoff was accompanied by something spectacular and that was a colorful and illuminating display by the B-2 Stealth Bomber flyover. However, the Chiefs did not pay for the marvel.
Advertisement
The bomber in question is a $2 billion aircraft, with a 172-foot wingspan and capable of carrying 16 nuclear bombs. Fans at Arrowhead Stadium witnessed the high-tech marvel taking turns above them but what initially seemed like an exciting display soon sparked some controversy.
Joe Pompliano revealed that some people were unhappy with the use of such a costly and advanced military aircraft for a sporting event.
View this post on Instagram
He noted that fans were majorly concerned about the fact that these bombers are funded by taxpayer dollars. Many viewed it as an unnecessary extravagance with questions about the use of bombers at football games raised.
However, he also clarified an important detail that the Chiefs didn’t actually pay for the flyovers, and the outrage, while well-intentioned, was unnecessary.
The analyst addressed the uproar from fans that circled around the use of B-2 Stealth Bomber for a gameday flyover. He revealed that the B-2 Stealth Bomber is actually stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base. It is just 63 miles away from Arrowhead Stadium.
For the state-of-the-art weapon that has a top speed of 1,010 km/hr, it is a mere six-minute flight to the Chiefs base.
The use of military aircraft at sporting events is part of the U.S. military’s mandatory training exercises that lie in its vicinity. Flyovers like these are often scheduled during regular training runs and are a common sight at major sporting events like the Rose Bowl last year.
Since the flights are part of training, they are funded by the military’s budget, not by the teams or event organizers. While it may have seemed like a lavish display, the Chiefs were simply spectators of the pre-game event just like everyone else.
