America Unfolds Details of Strikes Against Iran
By Yadnom Awu/ Asaba
American officials have unfolded details of its unprecedented military strikes against the nuclear facilities of Iran.
The Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, unfolded the details today at a media briefing in Washington, at which occasion, American Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, also gave a background to the operation.
Gen. Caine gave the following information:
Name:
The operation is called Operation Midnight Hammer
Plan Time:
The plan took six weeks to move from strategic planning to delivery .
Weapon types
Two weapon formats were used – the cruise missiles, which attacked Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites, and the 30,000 Massive Ordnance Penetrators ( MOPS) used on the underground Fordow nuclear facility.
Flight Time
The aircraft flew for 18 hours from America to their targets in Iran.
Refuelling
All participating aircraft refuelled mid air, multiple times.
Aircraft types
Multiple aircraft types were involved, including the B-52 Bombers, also called the Big Ugly Flying Fighters, and sixth and seventh generation attack aircraft.
Number of aircraft
A total of 125 aircraft veered involved
Number of B-52 involved
Seven of the 21 B-52 aircraft in the fleet of American Air Force were involved
Number of Bunker Burster Bombs Involved
A total of 14 big bombs,each weighing 30,000 pounds, were used, mainly on Fordow.
Crew Size
Each of the seven big bombers had two crew members aboard.
Decoy plan
The aircraft first flew from Missouri base directly away from the location of Iran as a decoy strategy
Operation time
The entire operation lasted 25 minutes.
Actual Operation Kick-off
Actual delivery of ordinance began by 6.40 Eastern Time and ended at 7.05 Eastern Time
Goal
To destroy the nuclear facilities of Iran, not regime change.
Operation Assessment
Initial analysis of strike effects is one of extreme damage to targets.This is a distance away from the obliteration which Trump used to describe the outcome.
History
It is the first time that both the B-52 bombers and the giant big bombs were being used in real battle field situations.
The flight duration- 18 hours Non- stop- is the second time that the bombers would be making, after their demonstration outing in 2011.
