Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri — A fleet of elite B-2 Spirit stealth bombers took off from Missouri on the morning of June 21, carrying out a covert long-range mission to strike Iran’s most protected nuclear sites, according to top U.S. defense officials. Hours later, President Donald Trump confirmed the operation, calling it a “very successful attack” that targeted Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan—three critical hubs in Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
The operation was launched from Whiteman Air Force Base, located southeast of Kansas City. Whiteman is home to the 509th Bomb Wing, the Air Force’s only unit equipped with the entire fleet of 19 B-2 stealth bombers. The base is recognized globally for its capability to project American airpower anywhere in the world.
Inside the B-2 Spirit: The U.S. Military’s $2 Billion Stealth Weapon
The B-2 Spirit is the only aircraft in the world capable of carrying the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator—a 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bomb engineered to pierce deep into underground enemy bunkers, such as those guarding Iran’s nuclear assets. Its unique flying wing design, low radar cross-section, and advanced stealth materials allow it to penetrate some of the world’s most heavily fortified airspace undetected.
Crew: 2 pilots
Wingspan: 172 feet
Length: 69 feet
Weight: 160,000 pounds
Payload: Up to two GBU-57 bombs
Cost per unit: Estimated at $2 billion
According to a June 18 report from the Congressional Research Service, B-2 bombers are nuclear-capable but are not equipped with cruise missiles. Instead, they are designed for precision gravity bomb delivery and are built to strike the most secure, deeply buried targets with maximum impact.
Where Did the B-2 Bombers Strike?
President Trump posted on social media around 8 p.m. ET, confirming that B-2 bombers had successfully targeted:
Fordow, a fortified uranium enrichment site buried 300 feet underground, guarded by Russian-made defense systems.
Natanz, Iran’s primary centrifuge facility, previously damaged in an Israeli strike earlier this month.
Isfahan, a major research and development hub for Iran’s nuclear program, home to three Chinese-built nuclear research reactors.
A senior U.S. defense official said the strikes were designed to neutralize Iran’s nuclear threat without escalating into a broader ground conflict.
B-2 Combat History: From Kosovo to Iran
The B-2 has a legacy of stealth missions around the globe. During Operation Allied Force, B-2 bombers destroyed 33% of Serbian targets in the first eight weeks of the Kosovo conflict, flying non-stop from Missouri to Europe and back.
Earlier this year, up to six B-2s were quietly deployed to Diego Garcia, a joint U.S.-British military base in the Indian Ocean, according to Reuters. This forward positioning demonstrated the bombers’ strategic role in rapid-response global conflict zones.
With global tensions escalating, the June 21 airstrike marks one of the most high-profile deployments of the B-2 in recent years, highlighting its role as a core component of U.S. nuclear deterrence and strategic strike capability.
Whiteman Air Force Base: Power Projection Headquarters
Located in Knob Noster, Missouri, Whiteman AFB operates under Air Force Global Strike Command and has been home to the B-2 fleet since the 1990s. The base is capable of launching immediate global operations, enabling long-range missions like the Iran strike without the need for foreign staging areas.
The base’s 509th Bomb Wing is tasked with nuclear and conventional global strike missions, and its motto, “Anytime, Anywhere,” proved accurate as stealth bombers crossed thousands of miles undetected to hit Iran’s top-secret military installations.
The Pentagon has not confirmed how many B-2 bombers were used in the June 21 mission, but multiple defense analysts suggest the operation required at least three aircraft, coordinated with in-air refueling and intelligence support from regional assets.
