The left image is an animation from a flight simulator. (Representational)
- B-2 bombers flew 37-hour mission from Missouri to strike Iranian nuclear sites undetected
- B-2 crew of two pilots had onboard amenities for long-duration flights including beds, food and a toilet
- These amenities help pilots conduct long inter-continental missions
The B-2 bomber, the epitome of American air supremacy, was once again in action to destroy Iranian nuclear sites. They flew from the Whiteman Air Force base in Missouri, United States, refuelled several times mid-air, flying continuously and struck targets undetected.
Operation Midnight Hammer marked the B-2 Spirit's largest operational strike ever, and the second-longest B-2 operation ever flown since 2001. It was airborne for 37 hours, but flying for long durations without a stopover may seem like a challenge, but the stealth bomber is like a flying hotel armed with bombs.
The B-2 Spirit is a fifth-generation stealth bomber that first flew in 1989 and was operationally deployed for the first time in 1999 during the Kosovo War. It follows the legacy of aircraft that are tasked to fly long-range missions for reconnaissance and strategic bombing. B-2 is different from its predecessors, like the B-1 Lancer, B-52 Stratofortress, F-117 Nighthawks, etc.
The B-2 Spirit has bunks, microwave ovens, and a storage rack full of snacks. Food on board includes candy bars, cereal, sandwiches, milk and beverages, and toilets for the crew to rest during their long-range mission.
The B-2 usually has a crew of two pilots who fly the aircraft. During Operation Midnight Hammer, the two pilots were fed, had all the amenities to conduct a mission that lasted for 37 hours. Sometimes there's a third pilot on standby on the aircraft who rotates with one of the pilots.
The B-2 bomber will be replaced by the B-21 Raider (image below), the world's first true sixth-generation aircraft manufactured by Northrop Grumman.
In 2001, after the 9/11 attacks, the B-2 bombers took off from Whiteman Air Force base, the home of the 'Spirit', for a mission in Afghanistan that lasted for 44 hours, the longest in its history.
Operation Midnight Hammer
The main strike package for the mission had seven B-2 Spirit bombers, each with two crew members. They took off from Missouri and proceeded quietly to the east with minimal communications.
Throughout the 18-hour flight into the target area, the aircraft completed multiple in-flight refuelling with KC-135 or KC-46 tankers already present at checkpoints.
They linked up with the support package at the US Central Command (CENTCOM). The tightly timed manoeuvre required exact synchronisation across multiple platforms in a narrow piece of airspace, all done with minimal communications.
Just before the strike package entered Iran, a US submarine in the central command area of responsibility launched more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles against key surface infrastructure targets.
As the 'Operation Midnight Hammer' strike package entered Iranian airspace, the US employed several deception tactics, including decoys, as fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft pushed out in front of the strike package at high altitude and high speed, sweeping in front of the package for enemy fighters and surface-to-air missile threats.
At approximately 6.40 pm Eastern Standard Time, 2.10 am Iran time, the lead B-2 dropped two GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) weapons on the first of several aim points at Fordow. The remaining bombers then hit their targets as well, with a total of 14 MOPs dropped against two nuclear target areas. All three Iranian nuclear infrastructure targets were struck between 6.40 pm and 7.05 pm Eastern Time.
This was the first time the GBU-57 MOP was used in combat, a heavy bunker-buster bomb that could be fitted only on the B-2 bomber.
