President Donald Trump launched an unannounced airstrike on Iran's nuclear facilities, drawing global attention. On the 22nd, the U.S. military detailed the operation named 'Operation Midnight Hammer,' aimed at severely weakening Iran's nuclear infrastructure. This marks the largest B-2 bomber mission in U.S. history, and it is the first combat use of the 'Massive Ordnance Penetrator'. During the operation, Iran was caught off guard, with no aircraft launched against the U.S. forces.

The strikes targeted three key nuclear facilities in Iran: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine held a press conference on the morning of the 22nd to explain the operational plan. Hegseth emphasized that reconnaissance units had entered these nuclear facilities without detection around the world, claiming, 'In this regard, it was a historic action.'

The key to this offensive was the first real-world use of the 'Massive Ordnance Penetrator,' designed to penetrate 60 meters underground before detonation, unlike most missiles and bombs that explode upon impact. Caine stated that 'Operation Midnight Hammer' aimed to severely cripple Iran's nuclear capabilities, with the overall operation spanning multiple domains and theaters of warfare.

At midnight Friday through Saturday morning, a large strike package of multiple B-2 bombers took off from the continental United States to maintain tactical surprise. Part of the formation flew westward toward the Pacific as a decoy strategy, known only to a select few. Caine mentioned that the main strike force made a low-profile flight eastward with very limited communications, undergoing an 18-hour flight to reach the target area. Throughout the mission, multiple air refuelings were conducted.

Upon entering Iranian airspace, the B-2s coordinated with escort support aircraft for complex and precisely timed operations in a narrow airspace, effectively disabling Iran's nuclear facilities. Caine noted that U.S. intelligence, electronic warfare, and cyber units also provided support to suppress Iran's air defense systems and communication links. This operation went undetected and unchallenged. 'Iranian aircraft did not take off, suggesting that Iran's surface-to-air missile systems failed to detect us during the entire mission,' he stated. Over 125 U.S. aircraft, including B-2 bombers, various 4th and 5th generation fighter formations, numerous aerial refueling tankers, submarines, reconnaissance aircraft, and hundreds of maintenance and operational personnel participated in this mission.