Iran

Operation Midnight Hammer: How U.S. B-2 Bombers Struck Iran Undetected

Published on: June 22, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Stefano D'Urso Stefano D'Urso
Operation Midnight Hammer
A B-2 Spirit stealth bomber takes off at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, April 16, 2025. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joshua Hastings)

More than 125 aircraft, including 7 B-2 stealth bombers, snuck into Iran while other B-2s were sent to Guam as decoys.

Details continue to emerge after the United States struck three nuclear facilities in Iran last night. As we reported earlier, a strike package which included seven B-2 Spirit stealth bombers attacked the Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan nuclear sites in the night between Jun. 21 and 22, 2025.

Contents
More than 125 aircraft, including 7 B-2 stealth bombers, snuck into Iran while other B-2s were sent to Guam as decoys.Launch of the strike packageOn the way to target inside IranOn targetBattle Damage Assessment

The attack came as a surprise as U.S. President Donald Trump said, just two days earlier, he would take two weeks before deciding whether to attack Iran. Also, B-2 bombers were sent to Guam before the strike but, as it emerged later, those were only a decoy meant to attract the attention away from the real attack package.

Launch of the strike package

In a briefing with reporters, the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and the Chief of the Joint Staff Gen. Dan Caine provided details about the operations, which has been dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer.” The operation was described as the biggest attack mission ever performed by the B-2 Spirit and, with an 18-hour duration, the longest B-2 mission since the opening of the Afghanistan war in 2001.

The official infographic with the timeline of Operation Midnight Hammer released by the Department of Defense. (Image credit: U.S. DoD)

Hegseth said the operation “took months and weeks of positioning and preparation,” with Caine further stating “in a matter of weeks this went from strategic planning to global execution.” This included about 30 tankers, which were deployed the night between June 15 and 16, most of them landing at Ramstein Air Base in Germany and at Morón Air Base and NAS Rota in Spain, as well as Lajes Air Base, in the Azores, which is another location commonly used to support flights over the Atlantic Ocean.

Among the preparations were not only the massive deployment of tankers to Europe, but also deception, as B-2s were also used as decoys. This was meant to throw off any observer, like Open Source Intelligence analysts, which would be able to track the bombers by tracking radio communications and the supporting tankers on flight tracking websites.

In fact, two flights of B-2 Spirits, callsigns MYTEE 11 flight and MYTEE 21 flight, each comprising four aircraft, departed from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, in the early hours of Jun. 21, 2025. Their destination was confirmed as Andersen Air Force Base, located on the Pacific island of Guam.

One of the bombers had to divert to Hawaii, while another was possibly a spare which returned back, with six bombers arriving at their destination.

At the same time, the B-2s that were directly involved in the attack took off in the opposite direction. An aviation enthusiast living in Missouri posted on X that what he believe were nine B-2s overflying Warsaw, Missouri, heading east. With the officials stating that seven bombers were involved in the strike, he might have seen them together with two spares, as is usual for such missions.

Interestingly, the Fordow strike mission was rehearsed many times, according to a former B-2 pilot. This might have further sped up the preparations to launch the Jun. 22 strike.

Here is how the Joint Staff Gen. Dan Caine described the events:

“At Midnight Friday into Saturday morning, a large B-2 strike package comprised of bombers launched from the continental United States. As part of a plan to maintain tactical surprise, part of the package proceeded to the west and into the Pacific as a decoy, a deception effort known only to an extremely small number of planners and key leaders here in Washington and in Tampa.

The main strike package, comprised of seven B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, each with two crew members, proceeded quietly to the east with minimal communication. Throughout the 18-hour flight into the target area, the aircraft completed multiple inflight refuelings.”

B-2 divestment
A B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber from the 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, flies behind a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 126th Air Refueling Wing, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. (U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Mark Sulaica)

The mentions of the “minimal communication” and “multiple inflight refuelings” are important as these are the elements which might have exposed the main strike package, if not managed correctly. Standard Operational Procedures are in place to reduce as much as possible the communication required during operational flights, as part of the emissions’ control, including the use of unencrypted radios.

Also, with the tankers being the main “weakness” for the stealth bombers, the aircraft were prepositioned on the East coast to avoid attracting unwanted attention when they launched, and the refuelings took place outside of the range of ADS-B receivers in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

“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,” continued Caine. “This type of integration is exactly what our Joint Force does better than anyone else in the world.”

As mentioned in our previous reports, dozens of U.S. aircraft were moved to the Middle East in preparation for the operation. Among them were 10 F-22 Raptors, 12 F-35 Lightning IIs and 12 F-16 Fighting Falcons deployed a few days ago, as well F-15E Strike Eagles and additional F-16s which were already in theater. The Carrier Air Wing of the USS Carl Vinson might also have taken part in the operation.

Caine stated later on in his statement that “more than 125 U.S. aircraft participated in this mission, including B-2 stealth bombers, multiple flights of 4th and 5th generation fighters, dozens and dozens of air refueling tankers, a guided missile submarine and a full array of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance aircraft, as well as hundreds of maintenance and operational professionals.”

It is unclear which ISR aircraft were employed, however CENTCOM routinely flies ISR missions with RC-135 Rivet Joint and P-8 Poseidon aircraft. U-2 Dragon Lady and MQ-4C Triton high-altitude aircraft might have also been used, as they are often spotted in the area. Heavy jamming was also reported across the entire electromagnetice spectrum.

On the way to target inside Iran

Once the entire strike package was assembled and “fenced in,” the green light arrived to begin the action.

“At approximatively 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time last night, and just prior to the strike package entering Iran, a U.S. submarine in the U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility launched more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles against key surface infrastructure targets at Esfahan,” Caine explained.” As the Operation Midnight Hammer strike package entered Iranian air space, the U.S. employed several deception tactics, including decoys, as the 4th and 5th 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.”

File photo of the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Annapolis (SSN 760) launching Tomahawk cruise missiles in 2018. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ronald Gutridge)

As common in such operations, fighter escorts and SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) assets went ahead to clear the path for the bombers. While not explicitly stated, the mention of the decoys might imply that ADM-160 Miniature Air Launched Decoys (MALD) were employed as another safety measure.

MALD is a low-cost, expendable, air-launched, programmable decoy munition that can replicate the flight profiles and signatures of aircraft and weapons, drawing away the attention from them while confusing enemy integrated air defense systems. The decoy has a stated range of around 500 miles and, in the latest ADM-160C version now operated by the U.S., it is also able to jam enemy radars and communicate through a datalink with allied fighters.

“As the strike package approached Fordow and Natanz, the U.S. 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,” said Caine. “We are currently unaware of any shots fired at the U.S. strike package on the way in.”

The mention of “high-speed suppression weapons” implicitly refers to the use of AGM-88 HARM (High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile) and AGM-88E AARGM (Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile) by the SEAD assets. Among the aircraft that could have employed them are the F-16Cs, specifically Shaw’s Block 50s which are specialized in the SEAD role and are currently deployed to the CENTCOM AOR, and the EA-18Gs of the USS Vinson.

On the other hand, the mention of “preemptive suppressing fires” suggests that DEAD (Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses) missions were also conducted against known surface-to-air targets along the route. These might have required the use of standoff weapons, such as the AGM-154 JSOW, AGM-84H SLAM-ER, or glide bombs, such as the GBU-39 SDB and the GBU-53 SDB II.

On target

With the way in cleared of any threats, the strike package finally arrived on the main target, Fordow, and the second target, Natanz.

“At approximatively 6:40 p.m. Eastern Standard Time – 2:10 a.m. Iran time, the lead B-2 dropped two GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) weapons on the first of several aim points at Fordow,” explained Caine. “As the President stated last night, the remaining bombers then hit their targets as well, with a total of 14 MOPs dropped against two nuclear target areas.”

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 considered to be the only conventional weapon able to hit the most hardened of Iran’s nuclear facilities. Each B-2 can carry up to two GBU-57s, according to the U.S. Air Force, meaning that each of the seven B-2s involved in the strike was carrying two bombs.

U.S. Airmen assigned to the 509th Logistics Readiness Squadron and 393rd Bomber Generation Squadron conduct hot-pit refueling for a B-2 Spirit at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, May 28, 2025. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua Hastings)

The time spent over the target was 25 minutes, with the main package concentrating on Fordow and Natanz as at least 24 Tomahawks flew towards Esfahan. Previous reports stated that as much as 30 TLAMs might have been launched on the third nuclear site.

“All three Iranian nuclear infrastructure targets were struck between 6:40 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. Eastern Standard Time – again, that’s about 2:10 in the morning local time in Iran – with the Tomahawk missiles being the last to strike at Esfahan to ensure we retained the element of surprise throughout the operation,” continued Caine. “Following weapons’ release, the Midnight Hammer strike package exited Iranian airspace and the package began its return home. We are unaware of any shots fired at the package on the way out.”

The deceptions which were put in place worked as planned, and the surprise effect was achieved, with Iran reportedly not able to react to the massive strike. Most of the Iranian Air Force and air defenses had already been destroyed by multiple waves of Israeli strikes, and the preemptive U.S. strikes might have destroyed the few that might have still presented a threat.

“Iran’s fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran’s surface-to-air missile systems did not see us,” stated Caine. “Throughout the mission, we retained the element of surprise.”

Caine also provided a count of the weapon employed during Operation Midnight Hammer, although he did not delve into details.

“In total, U.S. forces employed approximatively 75 precision guided weapons during this operation,” said the General. “This included, as the President stated last night, 14 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, marking the first ever operational use of this weapon.”

Considering the 14 MOPs and 24 to 30 TLAMs launched on the three nuclear sites, this would indicate that the fighters in the strike package employed between 31 to 37 Precision Guided Munitions (PGM) as part of the preemptive strikes and the SEAD missions.

B-2s Strike Iran
B-2 Spirit dropping a GBU-57 MOP. (Image credit: U.S. Air Force)

Battle Damage Assessment

Following the strike, the first questions to arise were whether the strike succeeded in destroying the underground structures. In fact, one of the main discussion points before the strikes was whether the sites were too deep underground even for the MOP, as Natanz was reportedly located about three floors underground and Fordow was dug far deeper into a mountain.

“I know the battle damage is of great interest,” said Caine. “Final battle damage will take some time, but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction.”

High-resolution satellite images are already being shared online thanks to commercial providers such as Maxar. Obviously, the attention focused on Fordow, the main target.

Two groups of closely positioned entry points for the bombs can clearly be seen by comparing satellite photos taken before and after the strike. The area appears to be covered by ashes and other residuals from the explosion, with the entry tunnels of the underground site sealed with dirt possibly because of the shockwave following the underground explosion and possible collapse.

Impact points can also be noticed in the satellite images of the Natanz facility.

Satellite images now available also show damage at Esfahan, with before and after images showing extensive new damage caused by the Tomahawks.

It is important to note that large movements of heavy machinery and vehicles were captured in satellite images before the strike at Fordow. The reason is unclear, with current theories ranging from an evacuation of the machinery used for the nuclear program, to reinforcement of the tunnels in anticipation of the strike or even a seal of the entry tunnels against a possible fallout.

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By Stefano D'Urso
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Stefano D'Urso is a freelance journalist and contributor to TheAviationist based in Lecce, Italy. A graduate in Industral Engineering he's also studying to achieve a Master Degree in Aerospace Engineering. Electronic Warfare, Loitering Munitions and OSINT techniques applied to the world of military operations and current conflicts are among his areas of expertise.
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