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'Brightest blast I've ever seen': B-2 fighter jet pilot recalls US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities

The 37-hour mission was executed by a diverse crew of men and women, holding ranks from captain to colonel. The majority were alumni of the Air Force Weapons School, a prestigious academy in Nevada known for producing top-tier tactical experts read more A US fighter pilot who flew one of the B-2 Stealth Bombers to target Iran's nuclear programme recalled his experience during 'Operation Midnight Hammer' as the Pentagon released new details of the mission . Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, while sharing the specifics of the mission, recalled how a crew member involved in the 37-hour-long operation shared instances of its successful conduct. 'This was the brightest explosion I've ever seen—it looked like daylight,' Caine said, quoting one of the pilots. 'A crew member told me when I talked to them on video the other day that this felt like the Super Bowl, the thousands of scientists, airmen, and maintainers all coming together,' the general added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD US joined the Israel-Iran conflict over the weekend and bombed three key nuclear sites, Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan. There has been some dispute over the extent of the damage caused by American strikes, with US President Donald Trump saying that they 'obliterated' the nuclear facilities and media reports claiming that the sites were only set back by a few years. The 37-hour mission was executed by a diverse crew of men and women, holding ranks from captain to colonel. The majority were alumni of the Air Force Weapons School, a prestigious academy in Nevada known for producing top-tier tactical experts. 'When the crews went to work on Friday, they kissed their loved ones goodbye, not knowing when or if they'd be home. Late on Saturday night, their families became aware of what was happening,' Caine said. Following the attacks that have been dubbed successful by the US, the B-2 Stealth bombers, the ones that were used to 'destroy' the nuclear sites, returned to Missouri and were welcomed by the crews' families, 'waving flags and tears were flowing,' he added. In the days leading up to the mission, Iran tried to reinforce the Fordow nuclear facility, buried deep within a mountain, by sealing the ventilation shafts with concrete, aiming to block the entry points for American bombs, the Pentagon report revealed. 'I won't share the specific dimensions of the concrete cap. But you should know that we know what the dimensions of those concrete caps were. The planners had to account for this. They accounted for everything,' Caine said.