The U.S. military campaign against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure—referred to as “Operation Midnight Hammer”—marked the most extensive use of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers in combat and the longest mission for the aircraft since 2001.
In a significant milestone, the strike also marked the first combat deployment of the 15-ton GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, with 14 of the powerful bombs dropped on key Iranian nuclear facilities.
The mission caught Iran completely off guard on Saturday night. General Dan Caine, Chief of the Joint Staff, said Iranian forces didn’t attempt to engage the American aircraft as they approached or departed.
“We are currently unaware of any shots fired at the US strike package on the way in,” he said during a Sunday briefing at the Pentagon alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. “… We are unaware of any shots fired at the package on the way out.”
“Iran’s fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran’s surface-to-air missile systems did not see us throughout the mission. We retained the element of surprise,” he added.
The operation focused on three primary nuclear locations within Iran: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
According to Caine, the attack began at 6:40 p.m. ET with a leading B-2 bomber releasing two bunker buster bombs on the first target at Fordow. “The remaining bombers then hit their targets, as well, with a total of 14 MOPs (Massive Ordnance Penetrators) dropped against two nuclear target areas,” he said.
In coordination with the air assault, a U.S. submarine stationed in the Central Command area launched over 24 Tomahawk cruise missiles to strike surface structures at the Isfahan facility, Caine added.
“All three Iranian nuclear infrastructure targets were struck between 6:40pm and 7:05pm ET.”
The attack concluded with a final wave of Tomahawk missiles, also launched from a U.S. submarine, “to ensure we retain the element of surprise throughout the operation.”
Although the bombings themselves were over in less than half an hour, the entire operation was launched at midnight Saturday. Seven B-2 bombers, each manned by two pilots, departed from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri—located around 75 miles east of Kansas City and roughly 6,900 miles from Fordow.
To minimize the risk of detection, the bombers flew east in radio silence, executing multiple in-flight refuelings during the 18-hour trip, which Caine described as a demanding task.
“Once over land, the B-2s linked up with escort and support aircraft in a complex, tightly timed maneuver requiring exact synchronization across multiple platforms in a narrow piece of airspace — all done with minimal communications,” he said. “This type of integration is exactly what our Joint Force does better than anyone else in the world.”
Once they entered Iranian airspace, the U.S. utilized a variety of deceptive maneuvers to keep the Iranians unaware of the true nature of the strike.
“The US employed several deception tactics — including decoys — as smaller fourth and fifth generation fighter 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,” Caine said.
“As the strike package approached Fordow and Natanz, the US protection package employed high-speed suppression weapons to ensure safe passage of the strike package with fighter assets employing preemptive suppressing fires against any potential Iranian surface-to-air threats,” he added.
Ahead of the assault, the U.S. reportedly repositioned F-22 Raptors, F-35s, and F-16s from their European bases to the Middle East.
The mission concluded with another barrage of Tomahawk missiles, likely fired from an Ohio-class submarine, “to ensure we retain the element of surprise throughout the operation.”
Both Caine and Hegseth emphasized the operation’s groundbreaking nature, pointing out the use of the GBU-57A/B in live combat for the first time and highlighting the duration and complexity of the B-2’s involvement.
“It was historic, a strike that included the longest B-2 Spirit Bomber mission since 2001 and the first operational employment of the MOP, a massive ordinance penetrator,” Hegseth said.
Caine noted that this mission was “second longest B-2 mission ever flown,” topped only by those conducted in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks.
Iran has since vowed to retaliate, and American forces in the region are remaining alert, according to Caine.
“The region, especially in Iraq, Syria and the Gulf, our forces remain on high alert and are fully postured to respond to any Iranian retaliation or proxy attacks, which would be an incredibly poor choice,” Caine warned Iran.
{Matzav.com}