- The US has released the first video of the B-2 bombers, part of the Iranian strikes, taking off from Missouri
- Seven B-2 bombers flew nonstop, dropped bombs on Iran's nuclear sites, and returned to base
- It was was the second-longest B-2 mission since 2001. This time the B-2s flew for 37 hours nonstop
The US has released video of the B-2 Spirit bombers, involved in Operation Midnight Hammer, to strike Iran's nuclear facilities, taking off from the Whiteman Air Force base near Missouri. Seven stealth bombers of the main strike package flew nonstop and dropped the bombs, and returned home.
The video showed the B-2 bomber taxing out of the aircraft hangar at Whiteman and preparing for takeoff at 12:01 am. The video then cuts to the 'Spirits' landing at the airbase.
The mission started at 0001 hours on June 21, and B-2s landed back at Whiteman base the next day. The mission lasted for 37 hours, the second-longest B-2 mission since 2001, when in the early days of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan, B-2s flew for 44 hours.
The B-2s were loaded with the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), a bunker-buster bomb of the US that can be operated and dropped only by the Spirit bomber. The GBU-57 is a massive 30,000-pound bomb that can penetrate up to 200 feet underground, ideal for the three sites Iran attacked - Fordow, Natanz and Eshafan. The fuse of the bomb allows for delayed detonation and maximum damage.
Operation Midnight Hammer
The main strike package had seven B-2 bombers with two crew members each aircraft. They took off from Whiteman and linked up with mid-air refuellers at checkpoints and flew east from Missouri toward Iran.
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.
