The US military relied on two of its most elusive and secretive combat platforms to carry out strikes on Iran’s top nuclear facilities, a top general revealed Sunday.
Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Sunday that seven US Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bombers dropped 14 heavy bunker-buster bombs on the facilities as part of a secret, highly complex operation the previous night.
The flying-wing B-2, built by US aerospace company Northrop Grumman, features a unique low-observable stealth design that gives it the ability to penetrate enemy airspace heavily defended by surface-to-air missiles without being spotted.
Caine told reporters that a US Navy guided-missile submarine also launched more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles from an undisclosed location in the Middle East at Iranian targets.
Caine didn’t specify what type of submarine was involved in the mission against Iran. The Pentagon declined to disclose the name of the submarine that participated in the operation, and the Navy referred Business Insider to the White House, which did not immediately respond.
Guided-missile submarine generally refers to the Navy’s Ohio-class SSGNs, which can carry more than 150 BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles, subsonic jet-powered munitions that can be launched from the sea to strike targets over 1,000 miles away.
General Dynamics Electric Boat builds the Navy’s Ohio-class submarines. These stealthy undersea assets are made with streamlined hulls and quiet propulsion systems, among other technologies, for evading detection.
The Ohios, however, are not the only US subs capable of launching Tomahawk missiles.
The US military does not typically disclose details of its secretive missile subs, except when it is trying to send a message to adversaries and signal deterrence.
President Donald Trump announced Saturday that the US had bombed the Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan nuclear facilities in what he said was a “spectacular military success” that “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s key enrichment facilities.
Beyond the B-2s and the lone submarine, Caine said the operation, called Midnight Hammer, also involved dozens of fighter jets and aerial refueling tankers. He said US forces used 75 precision-guided weapons against Iranian targets.
The B-2s dropped 14 bunker-buster bombs — specifically, the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or MOP, developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory in partnership with Boeing. The big 15-ton weapon is the US military’s largest non-nuclear bomb and is regarded as the bomb best suited for hitting Iran’s more protected nuclear facilities.
The B-2 is the only operational aircraft that can carry the heavy MOP, though the new B-21 Raider will be able to as well. The Spirit can carry two of these munitions.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the strikes “devastated the Iranian nuclear program.”
The operation comes as Israeli forces have pounded Iran with relentless strikes over the past 10 days, with fighter jets targeting the country’s nuclear program and military capabilities, including air defenses and missile launchers. Tehran has retaliated by launching hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel.
Trump, over the past few days, had been weighing whether to join Israel in its bombing campaign. His administration has been tied up in efforts to reach a new nuclear deal with Iran, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has preferred a military approach. He later praised Trump for the US strikes.
The US involvement is an escalation in the conflict that could see Iran retaliate against US forces in the Middle East. The Pentagon has a large presence across the region, including warships, aircraft carriers, fighter jets, and ground troops that it says is intended to protect US interests. The president and Pentagon leadership is urging Iran to pursue peace and threatening continued attacks if they do not. It remains to be seen how Iran responds.
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