A US Air Force pilot has described the detonation of a 14,000-kg bomb over Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordow as "the brightest explosion I've ever seen - it looked like daylight". The pilot's account offered a glimpse into the top-secret mission known as Operation Midnight Hammer.
The Pentagon released new information about the June 21 strike carried out by B-2 stealth bombers. The mission was shrouded in secrecy and backed by years of meticulous preparation, advanced weapon development and intelligence gathering.
According to General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the elite aircrew launched from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri not knowing whether they would return. Caine said, "A commander told me, 'This is a moment in the lives of our families they will never forget.'" One crew member likened the experience to the Super Bowl.
The operation, launched under US President Donald Trump's directive, targeted three nuclear facilities in Iran - Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Of the three, Fordow was considered the most challenging, built deep within a mountain and fortified against nearly every conventional attack.
According to Caine, the facility had two major ventilation routes, each featuring a pitchfork-shaped design with a main shaft flanked by two smaller ones.
Just days before the operation, Iran had attempted to seal these vents with concrete slabs - a final layer of defence against a known threat. But the US had anticipated such moves. The Pentagon had been developing the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) - a 14,000 kg, steel-encased bomb - specifically for this type of hardened underground target.
Caine said that all six bombs struck their intended targets. The main destructive force came from a combination of overpressure and blast waves that tore through the tunnels and wiped out equipment.
Operation Midnight Hammer was executed over a weekend, with bomber crews from both the active-duty Air Force and the Missouri Air National Guard taking part. They departed on Friday, June 20, and returned on Sunday, June 22.
Late on June 21, the families of the aircrew became aware of what was unfolding. By the next day, when the aircraft returned, the families were at Whiteman Air Force Base to welcome them home.
With the damage at Fordow aligning closely with years of modelling and simulation, the strike has been hailed as a demonstration of US military precision, planning, and technological prowess - and a stark warning to adversaries operating in the shadows.
