How US military's decoy B-2 Bomber mission helped it achieve stealth during Iran strikes
The United States military employed decoy tactics and misdirection to maintain the surprise element in its strikes on nuclear sites in Iran, the Pentagon revealed on Sunday. The military scrambled a fake B-2 stealth bomber mission to draw attention away from its real mission -- the bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites. US defense secretary Pete Hegseth during a press conference on strikes against Iran. (AP)
The operation was called "Midnight Hammer". It entailed bombing using 125 aircraft overall, strikes by Tomahawk missiles launched from a US submarine, and the use of 14 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs (also called bunker-buster bombs).
The military created a diversion by ordering a fake missing. A group of B-2 bombers flew west across the Pacific Ocean as decoys to maintain tactical surprise, according to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. News reports on Saturday morning that picked up on flight-tracker data suggested those planes were being deployed as a way to strong-arm Iran into fresh talks on its nuclear program, reported Bloomberg.
These planes got all the attention, including that of Iranian defenders. Another group of B-2s flew east carrying the bunker-busters. Air-refuelling tankers, a guided missile submarine, and fourth- and fifth-generation fighters were involved in the attack, which hit nuclear sites at Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz.
The White House had promised on Thursday that President Donald Trump would decide on a strike 'within two weeks,' suggesting there might be more time.
The Pentagon called the strikes a successful operation. The officials said Iran didn't fire at US military assets.
Hegseth said members of Congress were only notified after the planes were out of danger.
Hegseth said the plane took several months of preparation.
"This is a plan that took months and weeks of positioning and preparation, so that we could be ready when the president of the United States called,' said. 'It took a great deal of precision. It involved misdirection and the highest level of operational security.'
Also read: Iran Israel war news LIVE updates: Iran parliament orders closure of Strait of Hormuz, says report US attacks Iran
Trump said on Saturday that the US strikes hit key nuclear enrichment facilities and obliterated them.
The US strikes came after a week of open conflict between Israel and Iran, sparked by Israel's sudden barrage of attacks against Iran's nuclear and military structure.
Israeli strikes began on June 13. Targeting Iranian military and nuclear sites, they killed several top military officials and nuclear scientists. Iran retaliated by firing hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel, some of which penetrated the country's vaunted multi-tiered air defence system.
Reacting to the attack, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said that Iran 'strongly condemns' the US attacks on its nuclear sites. He held Washington "responsible" for the consequences of its act of aggression.
Araghchi added that US President Donald Trump did not just betray Iran but "deceived his nation". The Iranian foreign minister said the US "betrayed diplomacy and negotiations", adding that it is irrelevant to ask Tehran to return to diplomacy.
With inputs from AFP, AP
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