A319
Flight Crew Private; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Commercial
Situational Awareness; Time Pressure; Distraction
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict NMAC; Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Human Factors; Procedure; Staffing
During cruise flight at FL390 and on NAV guidance with an approximate heading of 060 degrees; ATC Center Controller ask if we were able to climb to FL400? I; the First Officer and the Pilot Monitoring; replied that we could not do that. ATC replied that we needed to turn left to a heading of 360 First Officer traffic immediately. I responded with the affirmative to ATC in my read back and the captain turned the aircraft left towards a heading of 360. I looked outside the aircraft while scanning the sky First Officer an aircraft and didn't see one. In the turn and about 30 seconds later we received a TCAS verbal 'traffic'! I looked at the TCAS display while dialing a lower screen distance to locate the intruder aircraft. I noticed an aircraft 100 feet below and approximately 1 to 3 o'clock. I looked outside the aircraft and saw a B2 bomber at 2 o'clock low. It appeared it was lower to us than just 100 feet. Maybe 300 to 500 feet below??? Approximately 10 seconds later; we received a TCAS RA 'Climb; climb; climb'! 'I responded to the Captain; auto pilot off flight directors off' and reached up while he was turning off the auto pilot I pushed off both flight directors. I then looked at the B2 and it was in a bank and appeared to be descending away from us going below our aircraft nose approximately 500 feet below us and crossing us right to our left. I responded to ATC that we were complying with a TCAS RA. When clear of the conflict; the captain descended the aircraft to FL390 and we continued to our destination. I ask ATC if the RA was in response to the B2 aircraft and he responded that it was. He elaborated that it was a flight of 3 and one of the aircraft was not were it was supposed to be above its block altitude. In complying with the Climb RA and in order to not possibly have a NMAC with the other aircraft; We exceeded the service ceiling of the Airbus 319 of FL390 and climb the aircraft to approximately FL39300. Lack of situational awareness from controller and possibly the B2 crew.
A319 pilot reported a NMAC at altitude requiring an RA maneuver.