The stealth bombers used in Saturday evening’s attack on Iran by the US have been hailed as the most expensive military aircraft ever built.
Officially called the Northrop B-2 Spirit, these jets cost over $2 billion each to build and are the only jet that has the capabilities of dropping the notorious 30,000lb ‘bunker busting’ bombs that were dropped on three Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend.
Before and after photos demonstrate the destruction the US’ attack had on Iran’s nuclear sites.
The strike was said to have been ‘highly classified’, with the aircrafts making it over to Iran ‘without the world knowing’.
The jets’ journey to Iran was part of an extremely complex plan, dubbed ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’. A handful of B-2 jets went west from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, US, as decoys, while the other jets went east to head for Iran.
B-2 stealth bomber is one of the most expensive aircrafts ever made (Gary Chalker/Getty Stock)
And the tactic worked.
The east-bound B-2s went undetected while the rest of the world watched the decoys make their way towards Guam.
These high-end military aircrafts have a range of 7,000 and, in a bid to remain undetected, the pilots had to refuel the jet while airborne during the 36-hour long round trip.
Reportedly, it took American pilots 18-hours to travel from Missouri to Iran.
With long journeys in B-2 jets not being uncommon, the aircrafts are kitted out with everything the pilots need for their long-haul flight.
Naveed Jamali is one of the very few journalists who has seen inside the infamous military jets, and he chatted to Newsweek about what’s inside them.
As the B-2 only needs two pilots, apparently the jet is ‘much more spacious than other bombers’ and there’s even space for a sleeping bag.
“It’s not uncommon for one pilot to sleep while the other flies and to take shifts,” Jamali said.
While B-2 pilots might be fortunate enough to have space to rest during their long flights, Jamali insisted that the aircrafts are not built for the comfort of pilots and insisted that the seats they have are ‘incredibly uncomfortable’.
Elsewhere, a defense official confirmed to the news outlet that there’s a toilet on the jet, but it isn’t a full bathroom.
There’s also rumoured to be a microwave on the B-2 bombers, New York Post reports.
It’s unclear what’s next for the ongoing tensions between Iran, America and Israel, but Donald Trump has urged the country not to retaliate to Saturday’s air strike.
The president penned on Truth Social: “Any retaliation by Iran against the United States of America will be met with force far greater than what was witnessed [on Saturday].”
