B-2 bombers move from US, refueled shortly after take-off: Where are they headed as Trump weighs Iran options?
Flight tracking data revealed that several
B-2 bombers
appear to have taken off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri Friday night in a massive development on US's part in the escalating Israel-Iran tension.
President Donald Trump has set a two-week deadline to decide whether the US would join Israel in striking Iran, but the movement of the bombers, which are the only plane capable of carrying the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, indicates that an operation may be imminent.
Take off, refuel, heading to Guam
On Friday night, eight US Air Force KC-135 Stratotankers took off from Altus, Oklahoma, according to data from FlightRadar24. Over Kansas, the tankers refueled two groups of planes, identified on air traffic control audio by their callsigns MYTEE11 FLT and MYTEE21 FLT, CNN reported.
The callsign MYTEE has previously been associated with special activity flights by B-2 bombers, and multiple flight trackers on social media said the planes being refueled were B-2 bombers out of Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.
No order for moving forward
A US defense official confirmed to CNN that there has been no order given to move forward with any kind of operation against Iran using the bombers. According to insiders, the movement does not necessarily indicate that an operation is imminent; it can be a show of force.
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From Guam to Diego Garcia?
All eyes are on the forward movement of the bombers. If they move toward the Diego Garcia military base, then it would be certain that they are planning for attack. Surrounded by water on all sides, the Diego Garcia military base is the most advantageous for the bombers for their launch. Satellite imagery taken on Thursday showed six KC-135 refueling planes stationed at Diego Garcia that could be used to refuel the bombers if they continue onward to Iran.
B-2 bomber has previously launched missions to operations in Afghanistan and Iraq from this military base.
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