A US Air Force pilot’s account of the Iran strike offers a glimpse into Operation Midnight Hammer, a mission to destroy Iran’s underground nuclear sites.
A US Air Force pilot has described the detonation of a 14,000-kg bomb over Iran’s underground nuclear facility at Fordow as “the brightest explosion I’ve ever seen – it looked like daylight”. The pilot’s account offered a glimpse into the top-secret mission known as Operation Midnight Hammer.
The Pentagon released new information about the June 21 strike carried out by B-2 stealth bombers. The mission was shrouded in secrecy and backed by years of meticulous preparation, advanced weapon development and intelligence gathering.
According to General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the elite aircrew launched from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri not knowing whether they would return. Caine said, “A commander told me, ‘This is a moment in the lives of our families they will never forget.’” One crew member likened the experience to the Super Bowl.
The operation, launched under US President Donald Trump’s directive, targeted three nuclear facilities in Iran – Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Of the three, Fordow was considered the most challenging, built deep within a mountain and fortified against nearly every conventional attack.
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