Based on the U.S. Division of Protection, Operation Midnight Hammer, the precision B-2 raid that hit key Iranian nuclear websites, had its roots in a categorised mission that started over a decade in the past.
Operation Midnight Hammer, the airstrike that took out two of Iran’s most hardened nuclear amenities was not the results of a last-minute choice however the fruits of fifteen years of planning, intelligence-gathering, weapons improvement, and coaching. This was defined by Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth and Air Drive Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Employees, throughout a press briefing on the Pentagon on June 26, 2025.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Employees, Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine, reveals a take a look at demonstration of the GBU-57A/B MOP (Huge Ordnance Penetrator) 30,000lb “Bunker Buster” Bomb throughout at this time’s press convention on the Pentagon.
Gen. Caine acknowledged that 15 years went into engaged on the… pic.twitter.com/ghoVHs1vQM
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 26, 2025
As we reported in our earlier articles on The Aviationist (right here and right here), the operation was a masterclass in precision and deception. Now, newly disclosed particulars make clear how the U.S. had ready for this second since 2009, when the Protection Risk Discount Company (DTRA) first started finding out the fortified Iranian websites.
The DoD confirms that the first goal of the strike was the Fordow uranium enrichment web site, constructed deep within the mountains south of Tehran. Based on Gen. Dan Caine, two DTRA officers had been engaged on the problem for over a decade. After analyzing early satellite tv for pc imagery and intelligence, they realized that no present weapon might assure the destruction of Fordow’s underground chambers. This led to the event of the GBU-57, the Huge Ordnance Penetrator, designed particularly to defeat closely fortified underground amenities.
On June 21, 2025, at 6:45PM Japanese Time (2:15AM June 22 in Iran), a formation of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers from Whiteman Air Drive Base carried out the strike. Fourteen GBU-57 bombs have been dropped on the Iranian nuclear amenities. All weapons functioned as meant, hitting their targets with full effectiveness. One B-2 pilot reportedly described the detonation as “the brightest explosion I’ve ever seen. It actually seemed like daylight.”
Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth later defined that the strike sequence was designed for optimum penetration. The primary GBU-57 was used to breach a strengthened concrete construction, creating the central crater seen in satellite tv for pc imagery. The remaining bombs have been delivered via the identical opening to make sure full destruction of the interior goal. Hegseth additionally clarified that what gave the impression to be two extra influence factors have been, in reality, a part of the ability’s pre-existing air flow system.
Pete Hegseth defined that the primary GBU-57 was used to interrupt via a concrete cowl (center crater), permitting the remaining 5 to observe via the identical opening. He added that what gave the impression to be two different influence holes have been truly a part of the location’s air flow system.… pic.twitter.com/iCE1XCtL9y
— Open Supply Intel (@Osint613) June 26, 2025
The bomber crews, composed of active-duty Air Drive and Missouri Nationwide Guard pilots, flew a continuous 36-hour spherical journey protecting greater than 13,000 miles. “When the crews went to work on Friday, they kissed their family members goodbye, not realizing when or in the event that they’d be dwelling,” Gen. Caine mentioned. “On Sunday, when these jets returned to Whiteman, their households have been there — flags flying and tears flowing.”
Why Had been Three Holes Noticed at every of the Two Affect Factors Above Fordow?
Through the press briefing led by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Employees, Gen. Dan Caine, and Secretary of Protection Pete Hagesth, the next infographic within the quoted publish was offered.
It illustrates… pic.twitter.com/9ZquGXd4Fs
— Ben Tzion Macales (@BenTzionMacales) June 26, 2025
However the operation didn’t finish with the profitable strike. Iranian forces retaliated by launching missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, dwelling to U.S. Central Command’s ahead headquarters. In what has now been described as the biggest single Patriot missile engagement in U.S. navy historical past, American and Qatari air defenders intercepted the incoming barrage in actual time. With simply seconds to reply, U.S. troopers, some as younger as 21, made fast choices with strategic penalties.
Protection Secretary Hegseth known as the strike “an traditionally profitable assault,” stating that it led to a cease-fire settlement and the tip of the 12-day battle between Iran and Israel. He credited the mission with creating the circumstances for peace and stopping the emergence of a nuclear-armed Iran.
Based on the Pentagon, Operation Midnight Hammer might be studied for years to come back not just for its execution, however for the strategic endurance, technological innovation, and human ability that made it doable. From the primary categorised briefing in 2009 to the ultimate mission replace simply hours earlier than takeoff, each section of the plan was crafted with one goal in thoughts: neutralize the goal on the time and place of the nation’s selecting.
