In News:

The United States launched a classified military operation named Operation Midnight Hammer, targeting Iran’s major nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, claiming significant damage to its nuclear infrastructure.

About Operation Midnight Hammer:

• A covert US airstrike intended to degrade Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
• Launched by: US Department of Defense.
• Objective: Destruction of fortified nuclear facilities and demonstration of US strategic air power.

Key Assets Deployed:

• B-2 Spirit Stealth Bombers equipped with GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs) – “bunker-buster” bombs designed to penetrate over 200 feet of reinforced concrete.
• Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missiles launched from US submarines.
• Support aircraft and decoys for air defence suppression.

B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber:

• Type: Long-range strategic stealth bomber of the US Air Force.
• Developed by: Northrop Grumman (1980s).
• Cost: Approx. $2.1 billion per unit – one of the most expensive aircraft in the world.
• Range: Over 6,000 nautical miles without refuelling.
• Crew: Operated by two pilots.

Weapons and Capabilities:

• Payload Capacity: Over 40,000 pounds.
• Armament Options:
  • 2 × GBU-57A/B MOPs
  • 16 × B83 nuclear bombs (part of US nuclear triad)
  • Precision-guided weapons: JDAM, JSOW, JASSM-ER.
• Stealth Features: Radar cross-section as small as a bird – allows evasion of sophisticated air defences.

Strategic Significance:

• Enhances the US’s global precision strike capabilities.
• Reinforces the deterrence role of the B-2 in both conventional and nuclear domains.
• Capable of targeting heavily fortified underground facilities.
• Proven operational effectiveness in Afghanistan, Libya, and now Iran.