Watch: Get a first-ever look inside the cockpit of the deadliest bomber in the US arsenal

Although the B-2 Spirit may have entered American military service in the early 1990s, the nation’s fleet of deep penetration stealth bombers has managed to keep a great deal of its operations and equipment a secret despite the advent of the internet and America’s contemporary love affair with cell phone cameras. In many ways, the mighty B-2 can be seen as one of the U.S. military’s best-kept secrets hidden in plain sight. The B-2 is immediately recognizable the world over as a symbol of American air power, despite the effective levels of secrecy tied to the aircraft’s use.

Now, for the first time, the U.S. Air Force is offering a glimpse of what it’s like to be behind the stick of the most capable stealth bomber in operation today. Journalist and filmmaker Jeff Bolton was recently granted the extremely rare opportunity to not only climb aboard a B-2, but he was even permitted to record the flight from inside the cockpit – marking a first for the bomber’s 30-year operational history.