Latest news with #B2StealthBomber
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Signs Megabill Into Law on Fourth of July
President Trump signs his 'one big, beautiful bill' into law in a splashy Fourth of July ceremony, with a B-2 stealth bomber and jet fighters flying over the White House. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Telegraph
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
‘Winning, winning, winning:' Trump signs his ‘big, beautiful bill' into law
Donald Trump strode onto the Truman Balcony in the evening sun, his glamorous wife, Melania, to his left, his recently passed 'big, beautiful, bill' waiting for him on the South Lawn. 'America's winning, winning, winning like never before,' he declared, the stars and stripes billowing behind him. It was the moment he had been waiting for. Against the odds, Mr Trump had managed to push his controversial legislative victory through Congress in time for the nation's birthday. The US president and Mrs Trump leant back and marvelled as fights and a B2 stealth bomber – which Mr Trump called a 'big, beautiful plane' – streaked the blue skies above the annual White House Fourth of July military picnic. Dressed in a long, white dress with white, blue and red detailing at the waist, her hair in loose curls, Mrs Trump, 55, made a rare appearance with her husband, standing beside him, her hands in her pockets, as he delivered a 30-minute speech. Occasionally, Mr Trump would reach out to touch her waist. The White House had also been styled: it was decorated with red, white and blue bunting for the festivities. The president thanked his beaming first lady for her contributions to the celebrations: 'She worked very hard to make this all work'. The United States Marine Band played patriotic marches interspersed with songs by 1980s pop icons Chaka Khan and Huey Lewis, as well as a rendition of the national anthem. 'We've, I think, had probably the most successful almost six months as a president and the presidency, I think they're saying it was the best six months, and I know for a fact they're saying the last two weeks, there has never been anything like it. 'As far as winning, winning, winning,' Mr Trump told the crowd of supporters, politicians and military families. America is the 'hottest country' in the world, Mr Trump added, as he wore a navy suit in Friday's 30-degree heat. 'It's only going to get hotter, I promise you that', he added. The festivities came after Mr Trump's bill passed the House on a largely party-line vote on Thursday, culminating a months-long push by the GOP to cram most of its priorities into a single budget bill that could be enacted without Senate Democrats being able to block it indefinitely by filibustering. The legislation extends Trump's 2017 multi-trillion dollar tax cuts and cuts Medicaid and food stamps by $1.2 trillion. It provides for a massive increase in immigration enforcement. Congress's non-partisan scorekeeper projects that nearly 12 million more people will lose health insurance under the law. Democrats condemned the package as a giveaway to the rich that will rob millions more lower-income people of their health insurance, food assistance and financial stability. Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, said the assembly floor resembled a 'crime scene' due to the cuts to services in a record-breaking speech that delayed the bill's passage by more than eight hours. Responding indirectly on Friday, Mr Trump said: 'I just want you to know if you see anything negative put out by Democrats, it's all a con job.' He said his legislation was 'the biggest bill of its type in history'. 'We've never had anything like that before, nothing like that they thought would be possible to get passed', he said. It was a 'triumph of democracy on the birthday of democracy', he added. Following his remarks, Mr Trump walked down the steps to the South Lawn to finally greet his beloved bill. Republican legislators and members of cabinet crowded behind him as he signed the legislation. He then banged down the gavel, given to him by House Speaker Mike Johnson, that was used during the bill's final passage.
Forbes
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Iran War Rekindles U.S. Proposals To Give Israel Strategic Air Power
A B-2 Stealth Bomber lands at the Palmdale Aircraft Integration Center of Excellence in Palmdale, ... More California on July 17, 2014, as the US Air Force and manufacturer Northrop Grumman celebrated the 25th anniversary of the B-2 Stealth Bomber's first flight. Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor for the US Air Force's B-2 stealth bomber, a key component in the nation's long range strike arsenal and one of the most survivable aircraft in the world. AFP PHOTO/Frederic J. BROWN (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images) The Twelve-Day War between Israel and Iran in June concluded shortly after the United States intervened by bombing Iranian nuclear sites with 30,000-pound bunker busters dropped by strategic B-2 Spirit stealth bombers. The U.S. intervention—the first-ever time America's military fought alongside Israel in a war—was necessitated mainly by Israel's complete lack of such bombers and munitions. The war has led to fresh calls in Washington to equip Israel with these capabilities. Introduced by U.S. Representatives Josh Gottheimer (Democrat-New Jersey) and Mike Lawler (Republican-New York) on Wednesday, the bipartisan Bunker Buster Act aims to authorize President Trump 'to support Israel's defense by providing the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), or 'bunker buster' bomb, and the aircraft required to deploy it – to take out Iran's underground nuclear infrastructure.' 'Equipping Israel with this capability directly strengthens American national security by eliminating Iran's pathway to a nuclear weapon,' the bill added. While it did not explicitly mention the B-2, 'the aircraft required to deploy' the GBU-57A/B MOP unquestionably refers to the U.S. Air Force's sole strategic stealth bomber since that's the only aircraft presently certified to carry it. Israel doesn't have any heavy bombers, stealthy or otherwise, capable of carrying such gigantic bombs. Its only manned stealth aircraft is the F-35 Lightning II strike fighter, which, of course, is far too small to carry the MOP in its internal bay or on any external hardpoints. (Israel's lack of any heavy bombers even led analysts to question the feasibility of Israel dropping a GBU-57s out of the back of its turboprop C-130 Hercules transport planes!) The Bunker Buster Act isn't the first proposal to furnish Israel with strategic air power—Gottheimer already proposed it twice in the last three years—and probably won't be the last if it doesn't pass. In a June 19 editorial, Michael Oren, Israel's ambassador to the United States from 2009 to 2013, recalled that he repeatedly requested Washington sell Israel at least one B-52 Stratofortress bomber, confident that it dismiss out of hand any request for its much newer B-2 or B-1 Lancers. 'By selling us even one B-52, I told White House officials, the United States would be sending an unequivocal message to the Iranian regime regarding America's commitment to preventing Iran from producing nuclear bombs,' Oren wrote. In the piece, he recounted twice requesting the B-52 in 2013 and for a third time in 2018 to no avail. It's worth recalling that the U.S. never exported any of its three strategic bombers, meaning that even a sale of the vintage B-52 would have proven unprecedented. An April 2014 Wall Street Journal editorial similarly advocated that the U.S. should supply surplus B-52s to Israel, although called for a dozen rather than just one, along with MOPs. The latter case was derided shortly thereafter as 'a silly little proposal with approximately zero chance of actually being implemented.' Such criticism of proposals to supply Israel with the B-52 highlighted that iconic bomber's lumbering speed and complete lack of any stealthiness, which would have left it highly vulnerable to Iranian air defenses and even Iran's aged air force. Nevertheless, Israel's 12 days of airstrikes rendered much of Iran's air defense capabilities wholly ineffective. Furthermore, the Israeli Air Force helped clear a path for the U.S. Air Force B-2 strike on June 22, Operation Midnight Hammer, by targeting air defenses across southern Iran in the preceding 48 hours. While using a B-52 for such a mission would have proven much more risky than using the B-2, Israel could undoubtedly have conducted an operation like Midnight Hammer independently had it possessed B-2s. It may have even proven capable of striking those nuclear sites with B-52s, given the extent to which it degraded Iranian air defenses. After all, it already excelled at suppressing enemy air defenses with its fighter jets. Israeli fourth-generation fighters even operated in Iranian airspace without any losses throughout the war. Logistical and technical considerations aside, the supply of B-2s and MOPs to Israel could be promoted politically as a way of avoiding America becoming entangled in another Israel-Iran War. In his editorial, published three days before Midnight Hammer, Oren also argued that had Washington granted his B-52 request, 'Israel would not be in a position of wondering whether the United States will perform the task for us.' 'We would mitigate the claims, now being made by both the left and the right in the United States, that Israel is dragging America into another endless Middle Eastern war,' he added. As stated above, Operation Midnight Hammer was the first time the United States directly entered a war on the side of Israel. Typically, it has supplied or sold Israel the means and munitions to fight its conflict by itself. An apt example of this was Operation Nickel Grass during the October 1973 Arab-Israeli War, when the Nixon administration airlifted large quantities of hardware, including fighters and tanks, to directly replenish heavy Israeli losses as the war was still raging. U.S. pilots flew fighter jets directly to Israel and gave them to their Israeli counterparts but did not directly participate in any combat. After the U.S. successfully convinced Israel not to retaliate to Iraq's Scud missile attacks during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Washington rewarded it with supplies of surplus F-15 and F-16 fighter jets along with AH-64 and UH-60A helicopters. If the Bunker Buster Act ultimately passes—and again, that's a big if—a U.S. provision of B-2s and MOPs could indicate Washington has reverted to that long-established pre-June 22 status quo. In other words, while the Israel-Iran War may not have been a one-off, direct U.S. military involvement in support of an Israeli offensive could well have been precisely that.
Daily Telegraph
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Telegraph
Pentagon releases jaw-dropping footage showing how 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs work
Don't miss out on the headlines from Innovation. Followed categories will be added to My News. The Pentagon released stunning footage on Thursday showcasing exactly how 30,000-pound heavy-duty bunker-buster bombs work such as the ones used against Iran's nuclear sites demolished fortified targets deep underground. The video showed a GBU-57 series MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator) crashing into a target and kicking up a massive plume of dust moments before a blinding inferno appeared in a shaft during a test detonation. A GBU-57 series Massive Ordnance Penetrator is seen crashing into a target. Picture: Department of Defense The 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs demolish fortified targets deep underground. Picture: Department of Defense Pilots who dropped the MOPs on Iran called the blast 'the brightest explosion' they ever saw, saying, 'it literally looked like daylight'. The MOPs used in the strike — which can only be dropped by a B-2 Stealth Bomber — were developed in 2009 after the US learned of the existence of the Fordow uranium enrichment plant. The bunker buster bombs do not leave craters like traditional bombs. Picture: Department of Defense A US Air Force B-2 Spirit landing after supporting Operation 'Midnight Hammer'. Picture: US Air Force/AFP 'Unlike a normal surface bomb, you won't see an impact crater because they're designed to deeply bury and then function,' Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lt. Gen. Dan Caine explained to reporters during a press briefing on Thursday. 'Five [weapons] were tasked to enter the main shaft moved down into the complex at greater than a thousand feet per second, and explode in the mission space … All six weapons at each vent at Fordow [uranium enrichment plant] went exactly where they were intended to go.' Another angle displayed during the briefing showed an MOP hitting a target in slow motion and cutting through the arched interior of a second ventilation shaft without detonating as it moved its way deeper through the test facility. 'A bomb has three effects that causes damage: blast, fragmentation and overpressure,' he explained. 'In this case, the primary kill mechanisms in the mission space was a mix of overpressure and blast. 'Imagine what this looks like six times over.' Unidentified pilots inside a B-2 cockpit. Picture: US Air Force How the US bomber pilots reacted Lt. Gen. Caine explained that the heroic pilots who helped drop the bombs on three of Iran's nuclear facilities in a super-secret mission over the weekend were awed by the explosive power of the devices. 'We know that the trailing jets saw the first weapons function and the pilots stated, 'This was the brightest explosion that I've ever seen. It literally looked like daylight,'' he said. He also emphasised that the MOPs don't leave 'impact' craters — shooting down scepticism that the mission wasn't successful. Satellite images released after the mission show six holes where the deep-diving bombs appeared to have penetrated the mountain above Iran's Fordow nuclear plant. The press conference was seemingly intended to disabuse reporting on a leaked 'low confidence' Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessment that Iran's nuclear program may have only been set back months, Lt. Gen. Caine played jaw-dropping footage of a MOP attack. A poster of the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant is displayed. Picture:/AFP Prior to developing the GBU-57, the military had assessed that it didn't have a 'weapon that could adequately strike and kill this target'. 'The crews that attacked Fordow were from the active duty Air Force and the Missouri Air National Guard,' Lt. Gen. Caine said of the pilots. 'The crews ranked from captain to colonel, and most were graduates of the Air Force weapons school headquartered at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. I will state for the record that there is no beach volleyball or football at the Air Force weapons school,' he added, making a Top Gun reference. Lt. Gen. Caine had a video call with the crews recently and noted that there were both men and women involved in the daring attack. 'This felt like the Super Bowl, the thousands of scientists, airmen and maintainers all coming together,' he remarked. 'One last story about people. When the crews went to work on Friday, they kissed their loved ones goodbye, not knowing when or if they'd be home. Pete Hegseth, left, with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Picture:/AFP 'Late on Saturday night, their families became aware of what was happening, and on Sunday, when those jets returned … their families were there, flags flying and tears flowing. I have chills, literally talking about this.' The country's highest-ranking military officer underscored that 'our forces remain on a high state of readiness in the region, prepared to defend themselves'. 'Our adversaries around the world should know that there are other DTRA [Defense Threat Reduction Agency] team members out there studying targets for the same amount of time, and we'll continue to do so,' he said of the group that developed the MOPs to use against Fordow. At one point during the briefing, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who raged at the press repeatedly, was pressed about why he congratulated the 'boys' for the successful mission. 'I'm very proud of that female pilot, just like I'm very proud of those male pilots — and I don't care if it's a male or female in that cockpit, and the American people don't care,' Mr Hegseth clapped back. 'We don't play your little games.' This article originally appeared on NY Post and was reproduced with permission Originally published as Pentagon releases jaw-dropping footage showing how 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs work
News.com.au
26-06-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Pentagon releases jaw-dropping footage showing how 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs work
The Pentagon released stunning footage on Thursday showcasing exactly how 30,000-pound heavy-duty bunker-buster bombs work such as the ones used against Iran's nuclear sites demolished fortified targets deep underground. The video showed a GBU-57 series MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator) crashing into a target and kicking up a massive plume of dust moments before a blinding inferno appeared in a shaft during a test detonation. Pilots who dropped the MOPs on Iran called the blast 'the brightest explosion' they ever saw, saying, 'it literally looked like daylight'. The MOPs used in the strike — which can only be dropped by a B-2 Stealth Bomber — were developed in 2009 after the US learned of the existence of the Fordow uranium enrichment plant. 'Unlike a normal surface bomb, you won't see an impact crater because they're designed to deeply bury and then function,' Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lt. Gen. Dan Caine explained to reporters during a press briefing on Thursday. 'All six weapons at each vent at Fordow [uranium enrichment plant] went exactly where they were intended to go.' Another angle displayed during the briefing showed an MOP hitting a target in slow motion and cutting through the arched interior of a second ventilation shaft without detonating as it moved its way deeper through the test facility. 'A bomb has three effects that causes damage: blast, fragmentation and overpressure,' he explained. 'In this case, the primary kill mechanisms in the mission space was a mix of overpressure and blast. 'Imagine what this looks like six times over.'
