US B-2 stealth bombers on the move as Israel-Iran war rages
B-2 Spirit stealth bombers out of Whiteman Air Force Base headed out over the Pacific Saturday amid reports that the United States could launch high-stakes strikes against Iran.
WASHINGTON – As many as six stealth B-2 bombers departed their home at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and headed west over the Pacific, Al-Monitor can confirm, as the White House threatens to join Israel's strike campaign against Iran.
Open-source tracking sites picked up at least six B-2s flying under the callsign MYTEE over the west coast of the United States early on Saturday.
KC-46 refueling tankers were also airborne as they flew off the coast of California, while KC-146s tankers were later airborne off Hawaii as the bombers were expected to reach that area.
The B2s are considered the only aircraft capable of delivering 30,000-lb. GBU-57/B bombs believed necessary to penetrate Iran's subterranean Fordow nuclear enrichment facility.
US President Donald Trump will convene a National Security Council meeting Saturday evening.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon on Monday redirected a US Navy aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Nimitz from the Asia-Pacific region toward the Middle East ahead of its scheduled rotation.
The Nimitz is expected to reach Middle Eastern waters this weekend, joining the USS Carl Vinson strike group, which remains off Iran’s coast in the Arabian Sea along with accompanying destroyers and a US Navy cruiser.
Al-Monitor has reached out to US Strategic Command for comment.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
