Operation Midnight Hammer
By Cody Andrus
Regarding the recent U.S. attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, the administration's public response has been noteworthy. While I'm not a fan of President Trump whatsoever, his administration and others have behaved themselves for the most part in their public comments, especially given the seriousness of the situation. And then Pete Hegseth declared that "when this administration speaks, the world should listen." This was really an odd choice of words.
The attack itself was carefully planned and executed. The timeline began two weeks before the strike when reconnaissance drones, specifically RQ-4 Global Hawks, conducted multiple high-altitude, long-duration flights over the target areas to confirm intelligence and map the terrain. The actual strike operation, dubbed "Operation Midnight Hammer," commenced about 48 hours before Trump's announcement. It was a massive undertaking involving seven B-2 Spirit stealth bombers delivering 30,000-pound "bunker buster" bombs. The B-2s were accompanied by F-16s and F-35s. The mission also relied heavily on KC-135 Stratotankers and KC-46 Pegasus refueling tankers.
Once over the targets, the B-2s released their specialized payloads. The initial strike with the B-2s involved dropping 14 Massive Ordnance Penetrators on Fordo and Natanz. A U.S. submarine also launched more than two dozen Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles at infrastructure targets at the Isfahan site. The entire engagement over the targets lasted 25 to 30 minutes, followed by the return flight to base. The total duration of the operation, from takeoff to landing, was about 11 hours.
The New York Times, U.S. Launches Strikes on Iran Nuclear Facilities. AP News, Details Emerge on Secretive U.S. Air Raid in Iran. Reuters, Military Analysts Weigh In on Iran Attack Aftermath. The Wall Street Journal, Iran Nuclear Program Set Back by U.S. Strike. Institute for National Strategic Studies, Assessing the Impact of Precision Strikes on Nuclear Infrastructure. Journal of Conflict Resolution, The Dynamics of Escalation in the Middle East.
