In an unprecedented show of military strategy, the United States executed its largest-ever B-2 stealth bomber operation — codenamed Operation Midnight Hammer — successfully striking key Iranian nuclear sites while employing a sophisticated decoy plan to mislead Iran’s defenses.

The US military revealed on Sunday that an elaborate deception led Iranian forces to believe an aerial attack was coming from a visible fleet of B-2 bombers departing from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri on Saturday night. However, these aircraft were only a diversion.

Inside the Operation

In reality, seven B-2 stealth bombers embarked on an 18-hour eastward flight, maintaining strict radio silence while refueling mid-air, undetected by Iranian radar. Simultaneously, a US Navy submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles as American fighter jets flew diversionary routes to sweep for Iranian air or missile activity.

By the time Iranian defenses realized what was happening, it was too late. The stealth bombers dropped 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators — 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs — on Iran’s three principal nuclear facilities.

“This was the second-longest B-2 mission ever flown, second only to post-9/11 operations,” stated General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “Iran’s air force never launched. Their missile systems never detected us. We maintained complete surprise.”

Scale and Impact

Over 125 US military aircraft participated in the mission. The Pentagon reports initial damage assessments show “extremely severe damage and destruction” at all three targets, although officials stopped short of declaring Iran’s nuclear program fully dismantled.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was more direct: “It’s clear we devastated the Iranian nuclear program.”

Comfort at 37,000 Feet

Details of the B-2 mission also shed light on how pilots manage such grueling operations. According to reports, the cockpit of each B-2 Spirit bomber — a $2 billion aircraft — is equipped with a microwave, mini-refrigerator, and restroom. One pilot can even recline and rest while the other flies.

The B-2 was originally designed to deliver nuclear payloads during the Cold War. Now, with only 19 remaining in the Air Force’s fleet, these aircraft continue to prove their effectiveness in modern warfare.