On Saturday, June 21st, a total of 7 U.S. Air Force B-2 stealth bombers flew to Iran and conducted precise strikes on three nuclear facilities, shocking the world. On Sunday, the U.S. Air Force released a set of photos showing the B-2 “Spirit” stealth bombers preparing to take off for their mission and the scenes of their return to Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, giving a glimpse of the stealthy and secretive mission carried out by these aircraft.
The U.S. officials named the surprise attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities as “Operation Midnight Hammer,” involving over 125 aircraft. The B-2 “Spirit” bombers from the U.S. Air Force flew continuously for 37 hours with multiple aerial refuelings to assist in targeting the Iranian nuclear program-related facilities. This mission, targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities, has been planned for decades, with thorough rehearsals conducted by both the U.S. and Israel.
The operation was not only conducted in secrecy but also simultaneously deployed another group of B-2 bombers to Guam as a diversionary tactic. The U.S. military has now approved the release of images of the operation, allowing the public to witness the entire process of B-2 bombers taking off from and returning to the Missouri base.
Regarding the images of the B-2 bombers preparing and taking off, it remains unclear to the observers whether these aircraft were involved in the attack or served as cover for the mission.
It is currently unknown how many B-2 bombers were involved in the cover mission. While these stealth bombers cannot be tracked on flight tracking websites, aviation enthusiasts and open-source intelligence analysts have been able to monitor the aerial refueling support provided to these aircraft and their tracks across the Pacific to Guam.
According to Fox News reports, two B-2 bombers were part of the cover mission, but monitoring personnel estimate the actual number to be between six and eight aircraft. The number of refueling aircraft may support the latter, but it could also be part of a deception tactic.
As the B-2 bombers entered the Middle East region, U.S. fighter jets joined their ranks to provide cover against any remaining Iranian air defense threats. The fighter jets likely included the F-22 “Raptor” and F-35 “Lightning” II stealth fighters, which were rapidly deployed to the Central Command after Israel’s initial airstrike on Iran. Among the 75 precision-guided weapons deployed in this operation, it is reported that some were preemptively targeting Iranian air defense facilities along the flight path of the B-2 bombers.
Moreover, with the Israeli air defense suppression missions carried out at the U.S.’s request within the previous 48 hours, Iran’s defense capabilities were significantly weakened. U.S. officials openly stated that they did not identify any missile launches targeting U.S. aircraft.