Following a large number of tanker positioning movements over the previous few days, aviation enthusiasts have now confirmed the departure of B-2 Spirits from Whiteman AFB en route to Guam.
Two flights of B-2 Spirits, callsigns MYTEE 11 flight and MYTEE 21 flight, comprising an unknown number of aircraft departed from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, in the early hours of Jun. 21, 2025. Their destination has been noted as Andersen Air Force Base, located on the Pacific island of Guam, rather than the Indo-Pacific outpost of Diego Garcia.
NITRO KC135s returning to Altus AFB, OK
B2s MYTEE11 FLT & MYTEE21 FLT continuing westbound to destination Andersen AFB, Guam. pic.twitter.com/VrZwURIjRC
— Aircraft Spots (@AircraftSpots) June 21, 2025
KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-46 Pegasus aerial refueling aircraft have been launched from a number of locations in the U.S. to provide fuel to the B-2s.
NITRO61 flt (KC-135) refueling MYTEE21 flt (B-2) on the AR309 😎 💪
NITRO71 is the next cell of tankers
Audio via @liveatc and tracking via @ADSBex pic.twitter.com/6SoEt36zum
— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) June 21, 2025
A movement of B-2s has been speculated to be imminent for several days as the U.S. government weighs its options in terms of the Israel-Iran conflict, and whether U.S. forces should directly join with Israeli airstrikes. The U.S. response began with a mass deployment of tankers to Europe, followed by F-22 Raptors which routed via the UK, but so far it has not included kinetic actions.
Among the B-2’s unique capabilities is the ability to carry the huge GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bunker buster bomb, which is thought to be the only conventional weapon able to hit the most hardened of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Whether the deployment to Guam is simply a stepping stone for a further deployment to Diego Garcia is yet to be seen. Theoretically, strikes could be launched directly from Guam, although as the aircraft would need to fly over other countries en route to Iran there is a greater possibility that operational security (OPSEC) could be compromised. From Diego Garcia, in comparison, a flight to Iran would in essence be a straight run over the ocean.
In 2001, B-2s flew a 44-hour mission from Whiteman AFB to conduct airstrikes in Afghanistan, refueling in the air at several points along the way before eventually landing at Diego Garcia following the raid. Of course, since 2001, the advent of social media means it is a lot more difficult to keep such long range missions under wraps.
Andersen AFB has one permanent hangar designed for the B-2 Spirit, compared to the four B2SS soft-shell deployable hangars known to be extant at Diego Garcia. Notably, during the recent deployment of B-2s to Diego Garcia, for much of the time the aircraft were parked in the open rather than in the hangars.
Satellite images analyzed Wednesday by @AP show the deployment of at least six B-2 bombers at Diego Garcia. Nearly a third of all the B-2s America has in its arsenal now at base, report says. pic.twitter.com/BBdCAqOouZ
— Apex (@Apex_WW) April 2, 2025
Six B-2s were deployed to the base earlier this year during earlier tensions with Iran. From the island, the aircraft took part in strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. After several weeks, these B-2s were replaced by B-52 Stratofortresses, and returned to Whiteman AFB.
🔥 Intel Drop: 🇺🇸NSF Diego Garcia
New satellite imagery from NSF Diego Garcia on June 19, 2025, reveals assets remain present
The image shows what appear to be multiple (6-7x) KC-135s stratotankers, 1x C-5M and 2-3x B-52 strategic bombers#DiegoGarcia #OSINT #Military #USNavy… pic.twitter.com/BsRK1x0YpD
— MT Anderson (@MT_Anderson) June 19, 2025
As of the time of writing, the B-2s are over the Pacific Ocean. It is unknown whether this deployment will be publicly acknowledged by the U.S. Air Force, or wider U.S. administration, in any way, but The Aviationist will continue monitoring for further news.
Nimitz Inbound
Joining the B-2s, F-22s, and tankers, the U.S. has also ordered the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Carrier Strike Group to the Middle East. Alongside the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), this will mean two active U.S. Navy CSGs in the U.S. 5th Fleet. The Nimitz was previously deployed to the Pacific, and is currently on what is expected to be the ship’s final major deployment before retirement.
Unlike the Vinson, the Nimitz is not carrying F-35C Lightning IIs and features only F/A-18 Super Hornets for the fighter section of its air wing. That being said, though prior wisdom placed stealth at a great priority for action against Iran, extensive Israeli operations using F-15s, F-16s, and even Hermes drones, over Iranian territory (including the capital, Tehran) signal that the anti-air threat in many areas is relatively low – though not non-existent. EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft from both carrier groups would be able to provide a safety net, using anti-radiation missiles and jamming pods to neutralise any remaining air defences.
Additionally, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is due to depart the U.S. East Coast next week for a planned deployment. This will take the carrier first to Europe, though should the situation with Iran develop further it is likely the carrier will head further east and either relieve or supplement the Vinson and Nimitz groups.
