Operation Midnight Hammer: All details about US surprise strike on Iran
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| USAF B-2 Spirit bomber performs air-to-air refueling. |
Midnight Hammer is the name of the operation that the United States conducted on Saturday night against the three main Iranian nuclear sites. The air strike involved almost the entire fleet of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers (13 out of 18) and marked the first combat use of the powerful GBU-57 MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator) bunker-buster bombs that are capable of penetrating highly protected underground structures.
The attack was launched from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, home of all the US Air Force's B-2 Spirits. The B-2 is the only combat aircraft in the United States capable of carrying the GBU-57 bomb, its internal bay can accommodate a maximum of two.
The crucial phase of the operation was the diversion phase that involved the take-off of two squadrons of bombers from Whiteman, one had the task of diverting attention and the other to carry out the strike.
The route of the first squadron was known and visible through online flight tracking systems. This first squadron, according to the findings, was composed of six B-2s and eight KC-135 Stratotanker tankers. It headed west, towards the Pacific Ocean.
This route suggested that they would head towards the United States air base in Guam, in the Western Pacific, and then, probably, would reach the British air base in Diego Garcia, which is located on an island in the Indian Ocean, at an optimal distance to attack Iran.
The second squadron, however, composed of seven B-2s, was not detectable by public tracking systems and reached Iran via the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea in a non-stop flight of 18 hours (37 hours including the return) carrying out several air-to-air refueling.
The attack occurred around 2:10 on Sunday morning in Iran. The B-2s dropped a total of 14 bunker buster bombs on Fordo – the most important and best protected site, because it is inside a mountain – and on Natanz. The third nuclear site, located in Isfahan, was hit by over 20 Tomahawk cruise missiles launched by American submarines in the Arabian Sea.
The attack was launched from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, home of all the US Air Force's B-2 Spirits. The B-2 is the only combat aircraft in the United States capable of carrying the GBU-57 bomb, its internal bay can accommodate a maximum of two.
The crucial phase of the operation was the diversion phase that involved the take-off of two squadrons of bombers from Whiteman, one had the task of diverting attention and the other to carry out the strike.
The route of the first squadron was known and visible through online flight tracking systems. This first squadron, according to the findings, was composed of six B-2s and eight KC-135 Stratotanker tankers. It headed west, towards the Pacific Ocean.
This route suggested that they would head towards the United States air base in Guam, in the Western Pacific, and then, probably, would reach the British air base in Diego Garcia, which is located on an island in the Indian Ocean, at an optimal distance to attack Iran.
The second squadron, however, composed of seven B-2s, was not detectable by public tracking systems and reached Iran via the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea in a non-stop flight of 18 hours (37 hours including the return) carrying out several air-to-air refueling.
The attack occurred around 2:10 on Sunday morning in Iran. The B-2s dropped a total of 14 bunker buster bombs on Fordo – the most important and best protected site, because it is inside a mountain – and on Natanz. The third nuclear site, located in Isfahan, was hit by over 20 Tomahawk cruise missiles launched by American submarines in the Arabian Sea.
The operation involved a total of 125 aircraft including bombers, fourth and fifth generation fighters, drones and tankers. During the attack, 75 precision-guided munitions were used.
During a press conference at the Pentagon, General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed that no American aircraft were detected or attacked during the entire mission. According to him, the Iranian fighters remained on the ground and the air defense systems did not react, underlining that Iran was completely taken by surprise. The operation has been described as "one of the most complex and compartmentalized in recent history", unprecedented since the campaigns in Iraq.
Operation Midnight Hammer was aided by Israeli strikes over the previous eight days. Israeli forces had already destroyed most of Iran’s air defenses, but since the nation lacked the ammunition or bombers capable of destroying a site like Fordow, the United States was asked for help.
During a press conference at the Pentagon, General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed that no American aircraft were detected or attacked during the entire mission. According to him, the Iranian fighters remained on the ground and the air defense systems did not react, underlining that Iran was completely taken by surprise. The operation has been described as "one of the most complex and compartmentalized in recent history", unprecedented since the campaigns in Iraq.
Operation Midnight Hammer was aided by Israeli strikes over the previous eight days. Israeli forces had already destroyed most of Iran’s air defenses, but since the nation lacked the ammunition or bombers capable of destroying a site like Fordow, the United States was asked for help.
Written b Matteo Sanzani
Images: U.S. Air Force
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