Iran

Media: Stealth bombers leave US air base

HANDOUT - A B-2 stealth bomber flies over Ellsworth Air Force Base during the Dakota Thunder air show. Photo: Nathan Gallahan/U.S. Air Force/dpa

Keystone

Stealth bombers have left Whiteman Air Force Base in the state of Missouri, according to media reports. Several of these B-2 aircraft have made their way west over the Pacific, the "Wall Street Journal" (WSJ) and the "Washington Post" reported, citing government officials and flight tracking services.

Keystone-SDA

21.06.2025, 21:09

The WSJ sees this as a sign that the US government is positioning the stealth bombers in case of a possible attack on Iran. However, government officials have also said that there has been no order to prepare for an attack. US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he would decide within the next two weeks whether the US would participate in the war.

According to the WSJ, the flights could also help to put pressure on Iran in the struggle for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. The "Washington Post" spoke of a "probable show of force".

Why the stealth bombers are relevant

Only the US military has the B-2 stealth bombers, which are the only ones capable of dropping the 13.6-ton bunker-buster bomb. This has been the focus of attention for days because, according to experts, only this weapon has a chance of destroying Iran's underground uranium enrichment plant in Fordo. It was specially developed for targets deep underground, in rock or concrete.

According to the military, the B-2 has a payload limit of 18 tons. According to media reports, the air force has around 20 of these aircraft.

What is important for a possible deployment of the aircraft

The stealth bombers with a range of up to 9,600 kilometers are normally stationed exclusively at Whiteman Air Force Base. This is around 11,000 kilometers as the crow flies from the potential target of Fordo.

A mission over such a distance is also possible in principle - as demonstrated by a B-2 mission in Afghanistan confirmed by the US Air Force. For a long-distance mission, the aircraft must be refueled in the air.

According to Fox News and the WSJ, stealth bombers could now be on their way to Andersen Air Base on the island of Guam. This is somewhat closer to Fordo: about 9,500 kilometers away as the crow flies. Satellite images from last month show that the US military had also stationed some of the stealth bombers at a base on the island of Diego Garcia in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The distance between this base and Fordo is only around 5,000 kilometers as the crow flies.