U.S. Air Force B-2 stealth bombers have departed from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri with aerial refuelling support from eight KC-135 Stratotankers.
The aircraft appear to be heading toward Diego Garcia, a strategic U.S. military base in the Indian Ocean.
Flight tracking data shows two groups of four tankers each linking up with the bombers over Kansas. The B-2 aircraft were using the callsign “MYTEE21,” which has previously been associated with stealth bomber missions.
The movement comes during a wider repositioning of U.S. military assets toward Europe and the Middle East. In recent weeks, dozens of American aircraft, including fighters, tankers, and surveillance platforms, have been deployed to the region. Two U.S. Navy supercarriers are also operating forward, along with other naval and air force elements.
The B-2 Spirit is designed for long-range strike missions and is capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear weapons. It is the only U.S. aircraft specifically designed to penetrate heavily defended targets such as underground facilities.
The presence of eight tankers supporting the mission indicates an extended-range operation. While the Department of Defense has not officially confirmed the destination or objective, the scale and coordination of the flight suggest a pre-planned deployment.
At present, there is no indication of an imminent strike. However, the timing of the movement is significant given the current tensions surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme and U.S. posture in the region.
The context
The B-2 Spirit is a long-range stealth bomber operated by the United States Air Force. It is designed to penetrate advanced air defense systems and deliver both conventional and nuclear weapons. The aircraft is capable of flying over 6,000 nautical miles without refuelling and can carry up to 40,000 pounds of ordnance internally. Its stealth profile allows it to evade radar detection, making it suitable for high-risk strike missions against well-defended targets. The B-2 has been in service since the late 1990s and plays a key role in long-range strategic operations.
The B-2 is equipped to carry the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a heavy precision-guided bomb designed to destroy deeply buried targets. This 30,000-pound weapon can penetrate through layers of soil, rock, and reinforced concrete before detonating. The bomber can carry two of these munitions at a time, allowing it to engage fortified structures in a single sortie. This capability gives the B-2 a unique role in targeting underground facilities that are beyond the reach of conventional bombs or cruise missiles.
Several Iranian nuclear sites, including the Fordow facility, are located underground and protected by layers of reinforced material. These sites are believed to be beyond the reach of most air-delivered weapons, except for those carried by aircraft like the B-2.
There was me getting hopeful because the latest satellite images showed the B2’s were gone from Diego Garcia.
Suddenly the worlds most strategic military base has become a liability not an asset and moving the very few very delicate stealth bombers you have to an island within Irans ballistic missile envelope seems hubris at best.
Never thought I would be on the same side as Steve Bannon and Marjorie Taylor Greene and praying for TACOS
Amazing speed and reactions Jim, I’m guessing you have a new article notification audible indication device ?
“One Ping”.
Hi Jim, most of the open source intel including the congressional research service ( which is very well respected) would suggest the maximum possible range for the Iranian medium range missile program is around 2000km, because is based around a group of missiles with a length of 16-18 m, a diameter of 1.2 m, and an overall launch weight of 16,000- 23,600 kg which the energy density of liquid and solid fuels means at best a 2,000 km range..
Most of their medium range ballistic missiles are Shahab3 variants.. liquid fuel 16,000kg missiles based on NK tec, max range for most of these is 1200km they have a reduced payload increased range version that will hit almost 2000km.
Their best operational MRBM is the Sejjil, that’s a 23,600kg solid fuel, two stage sub orbital booster.. but it’s still only 1.25m diameter and 18m long for two stage sub orbit booster physics says that’s a 2000km missile.. some have speculated they may be able to stretch to 2400km with reduced payload..
But it’s way off the 3800km to DG
What Iran has been threatening is the Sejjil 3 programme.. this is a 3 stage version of the Sejjil that would get about a 4000km range making it an IRBM.. now Iran has been working on designing this..but no one has ever seen one and it’s never even yet got to the test fire phase.. so essentially Iran is almost certainly bluffing.. because if it had a 4000km range IRBM it would have test fired the thing as a deterrent to the US and European interference.
They’d have to hit something first.
I’d bet any missiles they fire at DG just plop in the ocean.
The Israelis are systematically dismantling Irans military with precision strikes and the Iranians have caused what damage to the IDF?
They fire into an area and hope they hit something.
Backward, just like the mighty Iraqis were shown to be in both Gulf Wars.
Well to be fair the estimated CEP is about 100m so they will hit something on DG in the broad sense, just not necessarily the thing they were aimed at… most of these systems genesis is in early Russian SRBMs and they were in reality designed as delivery vehicles for tactical nuclear weapons.. so accurate in the original designs was secondary.
I’d give the Iranians a bit more credit than that – interesting footage of what can only be described as a Hypersonic Weapon strike on Tel Aviv the other night.Impossible to determine what the Target was, but it hit a City within Israel,that is a frightening prospect in itself.
Was it real, or CGI?
Read an article that there’s a lot of that springing up, all pro Iran of course.
The photo of a supposed crashed Israeli F35 is hilarious, looking at the specs of people crowding round it, you’d fit 200 people in the cockpit!
Yes, any strike on a built up area is scary.
But I’m talking military vs military.
What has Iran actually hit? A few bases I recall, shot down a few Drones, and?
They’re all bark for me, but yes, I know one csn underestimate an enemy.
Cannot find that hypersonic footage for sure. Youtube has endless vids saying Iran is destroying Israel, Israel being erazed.
Its all propaganda political warfare cobblers. The reality is its the other way round.
It’s been posted on X – no community notes or claims of CGI that ive seen.
Hi M8. I’ve just seen that George is getting branded as being a rabid far left wing biased Glaswegian over on X by some Reform bloke called Clive. Jesus he’s obviously never read our comments 🤭
Hi mate.
I saw that.
Disappointing from Reform.
Reformers are generally rage-driven nutters that will launch attacks on anyone if dog-whistled to do so.
Checking facts first is an anathema to them, ironically a trait they share with the nutters at Palestinian Action…
Good summation, not sure I would wish to risk 1/3rd of my irreplaceable B2’s on hoping that Iran is not ready on a longer range missile however.
Seems almost criminal to have no hardened shelters on the island and very limited if any missile defence.
There are also other avenues open to Iran for attack purposes from small boats to drones.
If the US makes a move to attack Iran then Iran is entirely legally justified in attacking Diego Garcia. For all the bluster Iran isn’t actually in violation of any treaties including the NPT America has no legal right to attack them.
Pilling up the very small number of bombers that can carry the only weapon able to reach Irans enrichment facilities on a single island with very limited defence seems like Hubris.
I believe the US military faced a similar issue on another island in the middle of an ocean in 1941.
However this time history may not be so kind to America in terms of justification for the attack by the opponent.
Is Diego Garcia a US Sovereign base or is it just leased from another country that has no involvement with acts of war against Iran?
No need to fret. Seems they were deployed to Guam for the attack.
Slightly off topic but actually rather interestingly related to each topic.
“We” are currently hurtling at break neck speed towards the magic 1,000,000th Comment mile stone figure (data collected using tools provided).
Looking forward to seeing the awards for, Best comments, Most active commentators, Most interactions, Most comments attracted, Best newcomer so on and so forth.
“There’s a whole World to explore out there and it’s calling you”.
I get the the award that counts… the award for the best award.
I think the USA will have to become involved- a huge and concerted B2 bomber raid to destroy and collapse Iran’s deeply buried nuclear facilities is the only way to ensure Iran’s nuclear weapon ambitions are curtailed for a while. I’m not a supporter of Israel but they are doing the West a favour here.
Without US B2 delivering the bunker busting MOP GBU-57’s the Iranian facilities damage in Israeli strikes albeit massive to surface infrastructure will not destroy the deep buried facilities. Within a few short years the facilities could be repaired and back up and running again.
Why can Iran never have a nuclear weapon? Just imagine the Houthis, Hamas or Hezbollah armed with nuclear weapons or Iran itself- they would categorically threaten Western friendly nations in the middle east and could theoretically supply Islamist terrorists to attack key Western cities, facilities or populations. It is frankly a threat we could really do without- we have enough problems with the enemy within- eg Lefties leaning stupidly towards supporting Islamist movements on the pretext of those poor people needing their support.
Israel is a tiny nation.
One nuke and its gone.
Iran, like Russia, at least has space.
To be honest when it comes to nation states and nuclear weapons space is overrated.. modern nation states exist because of cities and essential stop existing if their major cities do as well.. about 40% of the population of Iran lives in its 10 major cities.. it then has a further 8 minor cities with around half a million population.. remove those from the map and Iran stops being a nation..
It’s the same with Russia.. yes it’s big but it’s big with a whole lot of nothing.. remove 20 cities and you have essentially removed the Russian state.
With modern air and missile defences there can also be an advantage to being small and dense. Any nuclear weapon Iran develops will have to be able to get past Iron dome.
The only way to do that is with mass which means Iran will need a lot of nuclear weapons maybe hundreds and they will have to be more advanced than simple uranium fission weapons.
Israel can glass all of Iran when ever it sees fit and there is no technology on earth that can defend such a large target.
The UK can learn from this. Traditionally in a nuclear war our small size and dense population was a draw back but now it’s a positive. You could defend most of the populated areas in the uk with four to eight ABM systems.
Russia doesn’t have hundreds of weapons to throw at just the UK and the UK is too small to justify an arms race with.
Russia has its S500 providing ABM for Moscow so why can’t a UK version of SAMP/T with Aster 30 and 45 providing high altitude terminal intercept for London, the Midland’s, Central Scotland and the trans Pennine area. What’s to stop us just quietly buying hundreds if not thousands of missiles for the system without starting an arms race.
HMG?
It’s a damning demonstration of their targeting ability when they hit the Soroka Hospital on Thursday night and a road junction nearby on Friday night, they are both in BerSheba but they claim both were military targets.
What they are probably targeting is the IDF Southern Command HQ but failing miserably. So I suspect the chances of them hitting a narrow atoll 2,500 miles away as zero, what’s more they deployed a THAAD Battery there a couple of weeks ago.
I’m just wondering if they will send 4 more or B52’s to Fairford.
If RIAT gets cancelled I’m sending Trump the bill 🤬
According to intelligence Iran was preparing capability to launch 1000 ballistic missiles, after the collapse of their proxies defense strategy, the moved to ballistic and nuclear strategies
Statisically one in ten of Iranian missile strikes in Israel are penetrating Iron Dome, Sling, Arrow whatever – a surprisingly large number, considering just one appropriate nuclear warhead on a missile getting through, would mean curtains for any city or small state. No wonder Israelies cant sleep at night.
The whole cities matter in nuclear war is why China has an advantage.. it’s got 115ish cities with over 1 million populations the US I think has 10 essentially in a counter value exchange ( the type that will end a nuclear war) the U.S. would need to destroy 10 times more cities than china..
And remember to kill a city you airburst.. which is far less impactful from a fallout cloud.
If you really want to kill a city in a counter value exchange you ground detonate. Try and get as much radioactive debris over the areas as possible.
Counter value on cities is almost always about maximum blast and thermal radiation damage on the structure of the city.. much of the ionising radiation effects of fallout are gone within a few days and weeks.. complete destruction is for ever and you kill the most people by destroying their shelter.
If you look at the historic information on targeting of cities it’s almost always airburst. Ground burst is saved for hardened military sites generally.
Let’s say you popped off a topol SS25 warhead over central London ( 800KT) and airburst it it will destroy around 134Km2 of buildings and kill 929,000 people.. you ground burst that same bomb you kill around 600,000 people and destroy around 56km2 of buildings … essentially airburst on a city is double bubble bombing.
Information on blowing up central London was provided by NUKEMAP from Alex Wellersten the most fascinating nuclear bomb simulator.. you can pop in your weapon of choice, victim city and various other parameters then Nuc away.
Jim they don’t have to even hit Israel to really harm it. The Israelis don’t seem to be using their Arrows but Davids Sling and Iron domes so 2 to 125 miles, looking at all the available videos most intercepts seem to be at a height of a few 000 metres.
Even if you hit it the missiles debris keeps on going and if the warhead is shielded it could just keep going till it’s at the right height.
So 1 missile with a Nuclear warhead in a launch of 12 would either get through or be intercepted as an Airburst over Israel. Groundburst is mainly used for deep or hardened targets, for a city you use an Airburst (see Hiroshima / Nagasaki for how that went).
The blast and fallout would be horrendous but it’s the EMP that would cause the greatest problem, daft as it sounds modern electronics are far more susceptible than the old valve tech of 1945.
So no radio, gps, gsm, most hospital equipment fried and most modern vehicles stuffed !
Israel’s best defence isn’t its missile shield as it will always fail it’s the fact that in the aftermath Iran is obliterated !
I do find the US posture interesting, because it’s all based around the massive build of threat that an enemy can do nothing about, essentially the I can hurt you when I like but you can do nothing to me.. this has worked very well for the last 35 years and is essentially inbuilt in the US geostrategic toolbox.
Now this if fine against a nation like Iran, but what will happen when it tries it again a nation like china.. a nation that can both reach out and touch the US in the most devastating way possible but is now essentially starting to be able to reach out touch any US base or asset anywhere with calibration.
Not only that china has a contrasting paridgm to the US and other nations like Russia or European nations, it does not seek to deter with over exaggerated claims like Iran and Russia or like the west deter with proven capabilities..it hides its capabilities behind shadows and plans for strategic surprise, because its looking alway at the most advantageous position to start a war of strategic surprise and essentially the 8 new type 93b SSNs means that china can attack any U.S. base and I’m pretty sure china would have not a single qualm about starting a war with a mass barrage against all of the US indo-pacific bases.
So the U.S. needs a new way in a new world as planting irreplaceable strategic assets in an exposed base would not be a deterrent to china it would be a red flag to a bull.. or an open vault door.
You do know those 8 new Type 93 SSNs aren’t even as quiet as a 1980s Akula or Switsurecclass SSN don’t you?
They are currently easily detected, easy to track and therefore easy to target.
Plus 8 “new” SSNs Vs 60+ USN proven technologically advanced subs of updated Los Angeles, Sea Wolf or Virginia class.
In the submarine warfare field the USN and allies have a gigantic technological advantage.
Don’t be in any doubt about that fact
Mr bell, they are at about the level of a flight 1 L.A.. and that is all they need..finding a flight one L.A. in the middle of the pacific or Indian Ocean is simply not happening. All they need to do is get lost in the great occeans.. because they have 2000km range cruise missiles..
Yes they would struggle to penetrate a modern western ASW screen.. but let’s be clear as well a flight 1 L.A. could it just risks destruction doing it. But they will not go any where near an ASW screen they will hide mid occean ans they will strike strategic targets from 2000km away..or attack less protected surface targets..all. While sucking US resources away from the core battle.
China has far more resources numbers wise than the U.S it was only missing the bit that allowed it to move strategic threats across the globe.. so spreading the smaller number of US resources.
One of the major issues is that the US certainly has the capability to find them in the pacific if not track them and they might stand out like a sore thumb in the Atlantic but the US has little if any assets to track such submarines in the Indian Ocean.
The issue USN have is that they have hit an aging cliff with the L.A. class boats..essentially discribed L.A. class crisis it has 20 left in commission all but 2 of them are over 30 years old, by 2027 there will be less than 16 left in 2028/29 about 10 and by 203031 probably the last 5 that commissioned in 1995/96 will be deleted.
Like the UK the U.S. stopped building SSNs on the 1990s the last L.A. was laid down in 1989 and the first Virginia class was not laid down until 1999. They then only laid down 9 between 1999and 2010. Then 17 between 2010 and 2020 and even worse they have only laid down 5 between 2020 and 2025..
So at present the US has 47 ( 20 L.A., 24 Virginia and 3 seawolf) commissioned attack boats, 16 of those are either dry docked or tied to a pier without a diver certificate with a 3 year backup in maintaining, so the available force is 31. At present the US maintenance facilities are not available to keep up with demand.
If we look at
2027 it will have 16 LAs 27 Virginia class and 3 sea Wolf for 46
2028/29 it will have 10 LAs 28-29 virginia class, 3 sea Wolf for 41-42
2030 it will have 5 LAs 32 Virginia class 3 sea Wolf for 40 SSNs
2031 will see 2 LAs 34-35 Virginia class 3 sea Wolf for 39-40 SSNs
2032 will see 37 Virginia class 3 sea Wolf 40 SSN
By that point in 2032 china will be sitting on 16 type 93s and around 8 type 95s then the 40-50 AIP boats they need to keep track of add in 10 Russian SSNs and then you have the two Chinese and one Russian SSBN flotillas that need monitoring.. that’s a lot for 40 SSNs to keep an eye on
That is assuming the limited numbers of Chinese nuclear powered attack boats armed and able to deploy cruise and ballistic missiles are allowed to break out into the open ocean and arent followed through the limited number of choke points the PLAN subs have to traverse to get into open ocean.
It was a common policy to station attack subs outside these choke points in the cold war and to then tag onto the patrolling submarine and follow it- often undetected, any mischief the sub being followed gets quite unexpectedly blown out of the water by its pursuing attack sub. The USN Sea Wolf and Virginia classes are both very good at this and well trained.
Couple of issues with that argument Mr Bell
The first one being SSNs don’t need use the indopacific choke points, they can simply transit through the southern ocean..or even up into the artic occean. I bet tracking or detecting anything in the Antarctic circumpolar currents are a bitch.
Secondly US SSNs getting tied up in the shallows and enclosed waters around the indopacific choke points and South China Sea tracking Chinese’s SSNs is a good way to loss boats to the Chinese AIP fleet… whose whole purpose is to loiter around and deny a specific area to SSNs.
The U.S. SSN fleet is hitting a massive crisis point just as china is winding up.. it’s called the Los Angeles class dilemma and it means that by about 2028 the USN will be down to about 40-41 SSNs with about 16 of those in dry dock or tied up without a dive certificate.
It essentially did what we did and stopped producing SSNs for decade and then when it did only produced them slowly.. so now it’s going to have a good 5-7 years with fleet of around 40 boats.. just as china is racing to 75 SSNs and AIP boats.
Now the other issue is the USN has to think about the Atlantic, pacific (west and East) , artic ocean, Indian Ocean ( western and eastern) and tracking 2 flotillas of Chinese SSBNs and two floatilas of Russian SSBNs.. china only really needs to worry about the western pacific that is it’s core battleground.. it can then us all the other oceans to distract and spread the USN.. that’s is why it’s developing its SSN fleet and carriers and buckets of large surface escorts.. in any fight these have little use to china in the enclosed seas of the western pacific compared to a cheapo corvette or electric boat… the whole point is these expensive strategic weapons is to create risk and to stop the USN being able to concentrate.. to have any hope of surviving a battle in the western pacific the USN would need to concentrate everything it could.. and it’s best effort would be 5-6 carrier battle groups and around 20 SSNs.. it would be hurling that at the forces the PLAN have developed for fighting in the china seas.. 75 corvettes, 150 missile boats and around 50 conventional powered attack submarines as well as its land based fighters. It’s problem is that it will also need to hunt down all those Chinese SSNs as well as the 1-2 Chinese carrier battle groups and 90+ cruisers, destroyers and frigates in surface action groups.. the further PLAN can send strategic assets and the more damage they can do the more difficult it will make the USNs job of concentrating a force needed to fight and survive in the western pacific..
Nothing is now easy for the USN.. the PLAN built a disposable force to fight a campaign to the death with the USN in the western pacific.. they are now creating forces that will even prevent the USN from being able to concentrate to fight that western pacific bloodbath.
You’re missing out on the fact the US is investing a lot in large unmanned submarines that will be completely autonomous and carry munitions. Like mobile minefields. The US isn’t just relying on their manned subs and P-8s.
Hi Patrick..sadly china seems to be a bit ahead of the game in this area as well it’s got 5 confirmed very large autonomous submarine programmes at present and unlike western systems they are armed with torpedo tubes..
The unmanned systems are also more advantageous to china… because it’s closer to the battlefield ( the china seas) and autonomous systems are not strategically mobile..unless carted on a bigger platform..
Hi Mr Bell numbers matter as does trajectory and industrial capacity and from a geographic point of view the US is getting on the wrong end of it..
So let’s just take SSN tec first.. now as I said a type 93B is about as quite as a flight one L.A. or a victor 3.. but and this is a very very big but.. it has a duel reactor, that means twice the reactor noise, but essentially they have managed to get a duel reactor SSN down to the same silencing as a flight one L.A…. Just cogitate on what that means for their wider silencing tec.. their rafting and their tiles are good.
The very last thing holding them back was they could not get decent energy density out of their reactors.. their second generation reactors were essentially giving 75MW when you need 150-200MW for a 7000ton, 30knt SSN. Sadly for the balance of world power the Russians handed them the design for a portable 200MW reactor and china has now built on that an produced an SSN sized 200MW reactor that they are putting in the type 95.. which most people believe they have now laid down.. everyone that knows is pretty sure that the type 95 will be at the standard of an improved Akula or even a Virginia.. ( they have after all made a functional threat from a duel reactor SSN) .
As for numbers.. they have build the most extensive and modern nuclear submarine production plant in the world.. it’s a masterpiece of mass production ( yes mass production of SSNs).. it has 20 bays for laying down and assembly of nuclear boats.. it has separate small module construction bays ( 5-6 units) and 5-6 large module construction bays as well as 2 reactor bays.. as well as a quieting and paining bay.. so the small and large modular construction bays feed the Modules into the 20 assembly bays.. the two reactor bays then feed in the reactors and finally when the sub is completed it’s goes through the quieting and paining bay and is launched.. this set up has launched 8 subs in 2.5 years and it’s not slowing down..infact worse case predictions are it could hit 6-8 per year.. on top of that it has 2 AIP sun yards that’s can knock out a couple of electric boats a year. The U.S. has been managing around 1.2 per year and is not actually able to replace its loss rates.. and so at about 2028 will be down to 41 SSNs.. at a time china will be approaching the high 70s in its submarine force.
By 2030 the US will need to consider
16 SSNs that can go anywhere hide and strike with 2000km range cruises
6 Slightly shit SSNs that will still need tracking and hunting down in the vast occeans of the indo pacific
40+ electric boats
6-8 SSBNs to keep track of
To manage that it will have just over 40 SSNs
If china keeps cracking on and it flips to the Type 95 after 16 type 93bs.. by the mid 2035s china would have a very very potent SSN force
16 type 93bs
16-20 type 95s
40ish modern AIP even possibly auxiliary nuclear powered electric boats.
Z
That’s encouraging, if China is going to wait until the 2030s to make its move, all the better, it might have slipped your notice but NATO is currently undergoing a crash rearmaments programme. So will be ready to support our allies in Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand as needed.
Also how do you know the type 93B SSNs are as quiet as a flight one LA class from the 1970s/1980s? I cannot find anything to indicate a comparative study has been undertaken, except for a single article in the “Business Insider” that’s hardly Jane’s Defence is it?
All I know is China in 2021 for the QE CBG deployment tried to send 3 of its SHANG class SSKs into an ambush position in front of the UK carrier. These were easily detected, tracked and reportedly could have been sunk at range by the Merlin’s, Lynx wildcats or the accompanying astute class sub. So numbers matter- agree but not if they are just cannon fodder and a carrier battle group can so easily detect them and sink them in large numbers without even breaking into a sweat.
Again it’s all context as I said the type 93 and type 93A are not really able to defeat a modern ASW screen.. in war china is not going to use them that way.. because they are not very good.. the type 93b is a lot better.. remember they have put electric boats right up the arse of US carriers before.. surfacing and waving.
A solid read is the US war colleges “China Maritime Report No. 30: A Brief Technical History of PLAN
China Maritime Report No. 30: A Brief Technical History of PLAN
Nuclear Submariness”
The only error in the report is that it mis names the T93B as the T95.. because at that point everyone thought the T93B was the T95.. it basicly puts the 2015 Chinese SSN ( a type 93b ) smack between a victor 3 and an Akula.. and an Akula was always considered a bit better than a flight 1 L.A. sound wise.
In other news Bahrain, Qatar, Brazil, India, Hungary and Mauritius are all attending the St Petersburg Economic Forum where Putin has said ‘Ukraine is ours’.
Is that F35B still stuck in India?
It was a few days ago.
I’d be worried.
Don’t know. Not seen anything. So much going on right now it’s a blur. I have to believe Khomeini will do a deal in order to avoid massive aerial bombardment. Trouble is the deal will involve his ‘early retirement’. Is there still accommodation on Elba?
😄 I think the Americans will go in myself now Israel has started.
As Israel often says, we are doing you all a favour, and doing something no one else had the ability or will to do. I agree with them.
I don’t believe a thing Iran says, considering their actions with Hammas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.
My point would always be that Iran has plenty of sun for solar, why do they Nuclear power if not for a bomb, especially at the risk of massive destructive war.. logic tells me the answer
It’s not acceptable for mad mullahs to have Nukes. We’ve seen the bluster from the crimlin about Nukes, but the reality is that they won’t use them. Chairman xi has forbidden it. India agrees.
It’s clear to them that they would lose more than they would gain.
Mad mullahs are not subject to the same calculus, so can’t be trusted with nukes.
I don’t believe a word Iran says either. They say they only want to use nuclear power for civilian purpose, but no one knows of a civilian application for 60% enriched uranium. Like Adrian says, they have plenty of sun and space for solar, so why nuclear? It doesn’t add up.
I agree I think the US is waiting on further degradation of Irans, air defences then its moab time for Fordow.
Other reports suggest that an offer of storage was extended and rejected. Without evidence…
As of today it is still in India.
So it didn’t run out of fuel. A sitting duck for inspection ala Firefox.
And your point is? Just because they attend an economic event in Russia doesn’t mean they endorse all of Putin’s policies, though that’s the optics that Putin will be hoping so.
So congrats on falling into that trap….
Little surprised the B1 can’t carry this bunker buster weapon ?
Article states B2 can carry up to 40000 lbs but then states can carry two 30000lb bombs
B2 can carry 40k internally. I suspect the two 30k are carried externally.
Different eras of innovation and manufacture. B2 already ‘replaced’ Bone in Strategic Command affections.
Sorry that I don’t have time to check the B1 bomb bay stats against MOP size and weight so don’t know if it would even fit..
The Times is now quoting UKDJ on this article now.
Yes. I heard them quoting this article on Times Radio at about 9:30 this morning. The presenter said that they were working to do their own verification on the report but that UK Defence Journal was “a reputable publication, to say the least” so you got a pretty complementary shout-out on national radio there George.
Well if they get shot down it’s their own fault
There’s a reason Israel isn’t going Into Iranian airspace anymore – since Sunday
I thought Israel did another round of strikes earlier today?
It did, he is just spouting nonsense.
The Israelies have got to do something. A 10% Iranian penetration of their air defences is terrible and no country can exist with that sort of threat when just one penetration
by a. nuclear warhead could derail the whole nation….especially by an enemy who would prefer paradise to life on Earth!
The US has just bombed Iran, a state of war now exists between the US and Iran, so that’s its then
To tell the truth the state of war existe more or less since 1979.
Calm down, Francis.
Article is now OBE, the US has evidently bombed up to three Iranian nuclear sites. POTUS to brief country at 0300 UTC.
Ummm…er… presuming that this action will arouse the competitive spirit of the Iranians, who will probably mine the Strait of Hormuz wondering how many Hunt Class vessels are still in the RN inventory, whether any Sandown Class can be reactivated, and how mature the new, semi-autonomous USV/USV really are at this point? Casual questions that my Uncle Sam will be posing shortly. Nothing like an escalating ME conflict to enliven a Saturday evening. Sorry lads, believe we have just dropped everyone into it, including the innocent bystanders. It has hit the fan.
Fordo was reportedly hit by up to 6 GBU-43 B MOAB
Bleak Mouse,
Minor correction:. Published accounts indicate US usage of a combination of Tomahawks and MOPs (GBU-57B).
I knew it was something that went boom
If TACO won’t support us in Europe to keep Ukraine free, why should we bother helping TACO after he starts a new war in the Middle East?…
Don’t insult and let down your allies and then expect them to run to help you when you start a new unnecessary war.
It is Europe that insulted them. Europe signs a defence treaty with obligations and then do not complies with it.
Utterly wrong on many levels. It’s rare to see such a truly ‘fact-free’ post. 😂
• “Europe” did not sign anything. NATO is comprised of separate sovereign nations, each of which individually applied to join or were founding members.
• Most joined before 2006, which was when the 2% commitment was made.
• Many members, such as the UK, have long met that commitment.
• Some members have been exceeding both the 2% and the USA’s spending % before TACO took office.
“Many members” and you list one… lets talk about Germany, France, Italy , Spain, Low Countries….
I listed the UK because this is “UK Defence Journal”… 🤦🏻♂️😂
At least you didn’t argue about being shown to be wrong on the other facts.
But as you don’t appear to know how to use Google…
• Poland 4.1%
• Estonia 3.4%
• Latvia 3.4%
• Lithuania 3.2%
• Greece 3.0%
• Finland 2.4%
• Denmark 2.4%
• U.K. 2.3%
• Romania 2.3%
• North Macedonia 2.2%
• Norway 2.2%
• Bulgaria 2.2%
• Germany 2.1%
• Hungary 2.1%
• Czech Republic 2.1%
• Turkey 2%
• France 2%
• Netherlands 2%
• Albania 2%
• Montenegro 2%
• Slovakia 2%
All of this BEFORE TACO was enthroned as king in January.