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The Pentagon connected Sunday shared details astir Operation Midnight Hammer, the massive, analyzable ngo that struck 3 cardinal Iranian atomic facilities connected Saturday, calling it the "largest B-2 operational onslaught successful U.S. history."
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters astatine the Pentagon that "the scope of this was intentionally limited" successful his archetypal ceremonial remarks pursuing the strikes, though helium added that the capabilities of the American subject "are astir unlimited."
Gen. Dan Caine, president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, elaborate the operation’s timeline and the deception tactics employed that went into striking Iran's Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan atomic facilities.
The ‘Ruse’ – Decoy formation departs astatine 12:01 a.m. EST, Saturday
The Pentagon shared this graphic showing the timeline of the U.S. military's Operation Midnight Hammer. (Pentagon)
The cognition commenced erstwhile B-2 stealth bombers launched from Whiteman Air Force Base successful Missouri astatine 12:01 a.m. Saturday morning.
Some of the bombers flew to the westbound and into the Pacific arsenic a decoy. Caine called it a "deception effort known lone to an highly tiny fig of planners and cardinal leaders."
HEGSETH, MILITARY BRASS DESCRIBE ‘INCREDIBLE AND OVERWHELMING SUCCESS’ OF US STRIKES ON IRAN
Main onslaught – An 18-hour flight
The main onslaught unit of 7 B-2 Spirit bombers, each with 2 unit members, flew silently eastward with minimal communications arsenic it undertook the 18-hour formation to the people area, Caine said.
The craft successful the radical were refueled aggregate times portion successful flight. When overland, the onslaught radical linked up with escort and enactment craft from Central Command.
In this representation provided by the U.S. Air Force, a B-2 Spirit returns to Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., connected May 9, 2025. Seven B-2 craft were utilized successful Operation Midnight Hammer, Caine said Sunday. (Senior Airman Devan Halstead/U.S. Air Force via AP)
Caine described the link-up arsenic "a complex, tightly timed maneuver requiring nonstop synchronization crossed aggregate platforms successful a constrictive portion of airspace, each done with minimal communications."
Clearing the mode – 5 p.m. EST, Saturday
Around 5 p.m. ET (12:30 a.m. successful Iran), a U.S. submarine launched much than 2 twelve Tomahawk onshore onslaught cruise missiles against cardinal aboveground infrastructure targets arsenic the main onslaught unit entered Iranian airspace.
More deception tactics were used, Caine said, and enactment craft pushed retired successful beforehand of the main onslaught radical astatine a precocious altitude and velocity to expanse for force fighters and surface-to-air rocket threats.
This graphic shows U.S. Navy assets successful the Middle East. (Fox News)
As the B-2 main onslaught radical approached Fordow and Natanz, enactment craft utilized high-speed suppression weapons to guarantee its harmless passage.
"We are presently unaware of immoderate shots fired astatine the U.S. onslaught bundle connected the mode in," Caine told reporters.
The Strikes - 6:40 p.m. EST, Saturday
The Fordow atomic installation was struck astatine astir 6:40 p.m. EST, oregon astir 2:10 a.m. successful Iran.
The U.S. launched strikes 3 cardinal atomic sites successful Iran connected Saturday night. (Fox News)
The pb B-2 dropped 2 GBU 57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) weapons, commonly known arsenic bunker-busters, connected the archetypal of respective purpose points astatine Fordow.
The remaining bombers besides deed their targets, with a full of 14 MOPs dropped connected Fordow and Natanz, Caine said.
This outer representation by Planet Labs PBC shows Iran's underground atomic enrichment tract astatine Fordo aft a U.S. airstrike targeted the installation connected Sunday, June 22, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
The Tomahawk missiles launched by U.S. submarines were the past to strike, hitting their targets astatine Isfahan.
The instrumentality travel - Saturday to Sunday
After releasing their weapons successful the monolithic strike, the craft exited Iranian airspace to instrumentality location to Whiteman Air Force Base. Caine said the U.S. subject was not instantly alert of immoderate shots being fired astatine the onslaught radical connected its mode retired of Iranian airspace.
"Iran's fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran's surface-to-air rocket systems did not spot america passim the mission," Caine said. "We retained the constituent of surprise."
TRUMP ADDRESSES NATION ON 'SPECTACULAR MILITARY SUCCESS' OF US STRIKES ON IRANIAN NUCLEAR FACILITIES
Operation Midnight Hammer utilized much than 125 craft successful the mission, including 7 B-2 stealth bombers, aggregate 4th and 5th procreation fighters, dozens of aerial refueling tankers, a guided rocket submarine and "a afloat array" of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft, Caine said.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine shared the Operation Midnight Timeline during a quality league astatine the Pentagon successful Washington, Sunday, June 22, 2025, aft the U.S. subject struck 3 sites successful Iran. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
U.S. forces launched astir 75 precision-guided munitions, including 14 GBU 57 monolithic Ordnance penetrators, which measurement 30,000 pounds each. The cognition marked the first-ever operational usage of this weapon, Caine said.
A history-making operation
Caine called the cognition the "largest B-2 operational onslaught successful U.S. history," and that "no different subject successful the satellite could person done this."
"This ngo demonstrates the unmatched reach, coordination and capableness of the United States subject successful conscionable a substance of weeks," Caine said. "This went from strategical readying to planetary execution."
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Caine besides said this was the second-longest B-2 ngo ever flown, exceeded lone by missions flown successful the days pursuing 9/11.
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