Washington DC [US], June 22 : Several US B-2 stealth bombers took off from the Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri on Friday night (local time) and were seen heading West, CNN reported, citing flight tracking data.
The movement comes as US President Donald Trump considers military options on Iran amid the ongoing conflict, including the possibility of launching an airstrike.
A US defence official said that no official orders have been issued to carry out an operation using the B-2 bombers. As of Saturday, the aircraft were flying over the Pacific Ocean and appeared to be en route to Guam, as reported by CNN.
Two defence officials emphasised that the deployment of the B-2s does not signal an imminent operation but is instead part of a strategy to keep military options open for the US President. Another official explained that such movements also serve as a show of force to deter potential adversaries as Trump continues to weigh his choices.
According to CNN, the B-2 bombers are uniquely equipped to carry the Massive Ordnance Penetrator a 30,000-pound "bunker buster" bomb believed to be the only weapon capable of targeting Iran's underground Fordow nuclear site. Each B-2 can carry two of these powerful bombs.
This strategic redeployment follows a week in which Trump has spent considerable time in the White House Situation Room reviewing military plans and asking advisors about potential outcomes. He has stated that a decision on military action could come sooner than the two-week window he previously mentioned, CNN reported.
Meanwhile, on Friday night, eight KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft, which are aerial refuelling tankers, departed from Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma, CNN reported, citing data from FlightRadar24.
These refuelling planes reportedly met up with two groups of aircraft, identified via air traffic control as MYTEE11 FLT and MYTEE21 FLT callsigns commonly linked to B-2 bomber operations.
The bombers were refuelled over Kansas, California's coast, and again near Hawaii. Satellite images from Thursday also showed six KC-135 tankers positioned at Diego Garcia, a strategic refuelling point in the Indian Ocean, potentially in preparation for further bomber movement toward Iran.
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