Monday, 25 May 2026
A B-2 "Spirit" Stealth Bomber soars above the 136th Rose Parade Presented by Honda on January 1, 2025, in Pasadena, California. — Jerod Harris/Getty Images
US B-2 stealth bombers deployed amid escalating Israel-Iran conflict
WASHINGTON — B-2 Spirit stealth bombers departed Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri on Saturday, flying west over the Pacific as speculation mounts over possible US involvement in high-profile strikes against Iran, according to a report by Al Monitor.
Tracking data confirmed that up to six B-2s, using the callsign MYTEE, were observed flying over the US West Coast early Saturday morning. Supporting KC-46 refueling tankers were also seen operating off the coast of California, while KC-146 tankers took to the skies near Hawaii as the bombers approached that region.
Al Monitor notes that the B-2s are currently the only aircraft equipped to carry the 30,000-pound GBU-57/B bunker-buster bombs, considered essential for striking Iran's heavily fortified Fordow nuclear enrichment site.
President Donald Trump is scheduled to convene a meeting of the National Security Council Saturday evening.
In related developments, the Pentagon has redirected a US Navy carrier strike group led by the USS Nimitz from the Asia-Pacific toward the Middle East, ahead of its planned rotation. The Nimitz is set to arrive in Middle Eastern waters this weekend, where it will join the USS Carl Vinson strike group, already positioned in the Arabian Sea off Iran's coast, alongside supporting destroyers and a US Navy cruiser.