Colonel Josh Wiitala, commander of the 509th Bomb Wing based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, said the highlight of the mission was knowing his team had returned safely. “I’ll tell you, the biggest moment of my career, not just as a commander, is when I knew our guys were safe,” he told CBS News.
Wiitala stressed the unique capabilities of the B-2 Spirit bomber, which combines long-range, heavy payload, and stealth features in a single platform. “There’s a lot of long-range aircraft out there. There’s a lot of aircraft that have a high payload. There’s also other stealth aircraft out there. But the only one that combines all three is the B-2,” he explained.
The Pentagon has since announced plans to acquire 28 additional B-2 bombers, reaffirming the aircraft’s strategic role in US global operations. CBS News was granted rare access to the aircraft, although many aspects of its stealth design remain classified due to security concerns.
Major General Jason Armagost of Global Strike Command, who received the order from then-President Donald Trump to initiate the strikes, maintained strong belief in the mission’s success. “My confidence was very high once we hit that tripwire,” he said, noting the scale of the threat. The operation marked the first time B-2s had been sent into airspace controlled by such an advanced military adversary.
“Stealth matters, and stealth matters even more today than it did when at its inception,” Armagost said. He added: “Stealth is many things. It’s shape, it’s materials, it’s tactics. And so, we protect our stealth capabilities in a way, such that the advantages don’t accumulate to anyone else.”
The B-2s were escorted into Iranian airspace by stealth F-22 and F-35 tactical fighters, which played a key role in the mission’s success. “We also know, you know, they’re not alone,” Armagost noted. “The performance was perfect,” he said of the combined effort.
A key element of the strike was the use of 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs), designed to destroy deep underground targets. Chief Master Sergeant Frank Espinoza, who led the team responsible for arming the bombers, said: “They all made it happen. Yeah. Flawlessly. Any time we get the call, we’re going to deliver and we’re not going to miss a step.”
Source: CBS News.
