How Did They Get There? US B-2 Bombers Reached Iran Without Crossing Borders

New Delhi: The United States has confirmed a direct strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities using its advanced B-2 stealth bombers and bunker-buster bombs, officially stepping into the Israel-Iran conflict. The mission, carried out in secrecy, has raised questions about how the bombers made it from the U.S. to Iran, a route the Pentagon has now made public.

Seven Bombers, 14 Bombs, Zero Leaks 

At a press conference, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and General Dan Kane, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, shared details of the high-risk mission. Seven B-2 bombers were sent in, each carrying two crew members. They dropped 14 bombs on targets including the Fordow enrichment facility, a heavily fortified underground site.

Kane said only a handful of senior officials in Washington and Tampa knew of the plan before execution. Pilots minimised radio communication during the mission, made 18 passes over their targets, and returned without incident.

So, How Did B-2 Bombers Get There?

The big question after the strike was about the flight path. American bombers didn’t fly through Pakistan or Afghanistan,  countries directly east of Iran. Instead, the Pentagon shared a map showing a long detour.

The B-2s took off from the U.S., flew across the North Atlantic, and entered the Mediterranean via the Strait of Gibraltar. From there, they kept mostly to international airspace, cutting between Spain and North Africa. They crossed over the Mediterranean, entered Israeli airspace, then flew through Jordan and Iraq before hitting their targets in Iran. 

The round-trip was made possible with multiple mid-air refuelling sessions.

Massive Ordnance, Massive Impact

The bombs dropped were GBU-57A/B bunker-busters,  America’s most powerful conventional weapons for underground targets. According to initial assessments, three major Iranian nuclear sites were severely damaged. The mission was code-named Operation Midnight Hammer.

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