CNN
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A number of US B-2 bombers seem to have taken off from Whiteman Air Power Base in Missouri on Friday night time and are heading west, in keeping with flight monitoring knowledge CNN has reviewed, as President Donald Trump weighs his military options over a possible airstrike in Iran.
A US protection official mentioned there was no order given to maneuver ahead with any form of operation in opposition to Iran utilizing the B-2s. As of Saturday, the planes are flying over the Pacific and look like headed towards Guam.
Two US protection officers cautioned that any motion of B-2s doesn’t imply an operation is imminent however fairly is meant to offer the president with choices. One other US official mentioned shifting plane generally is a present of power and a deterrent as Trump deliberates.
B-2 bombers are the one aircraft able to carrying the Massive Ordinance Penetrator, which consultants have highlighted as the one sort of bomb doubtlessly able to destroying Iran’s underground Fordow nuclear facility. Every B-2 bomber is ready to carry two of those “bunker buster” bombs, which weigh a formidable 30,000 kilos every.
The motion of the B-2 bombers comes as Trump has spent a lot of the previous week within the State of affairs Room, reviewing assault plans and quizzing officers in regards to the potential penalties of every. The president indicated that his two-week timeline for a choice on US army involvement in Iran is the “most” period of time — and that he might make up his thoughts sooner.
Trump is about to carry a gathering along with his nationwide safety staff within the Oval Workplace on Saturday and Sunday night. The White Home didn’t reply to a request for remark.
On Friday night time, eight US Air Power KC-135 Stratotankers took off from Altus, Oklahoma, in keeping with knowledge from FlightRadar24. Over Kansas the tankers refueled two teams of planes, recognized on air visitors management audio by their callsigns MYTEE11 FLT and MYTEE21 FLT. The callsign MYTEE has previously been associated with particular exercise flights by B-2 bombers, and a number of flight trackers on social media mentioned the planes being refueled had been B-2 bombers out of Whiteman Air Power Base in Missouri.
Flight monitoring knowledge and air visitors management audio reviewed by CNN present the bombers refueled once more off the coast of California, and over Hawaii. Satellite tv for pc imagery taken on Thursday confirmed six KC-135 refueling planes stationed at Diego Garcia, a distant island within the Indian Ocean that could possibly be used to refuel the bombers ought to they proceed onward to Iran.
CNN’s Betsy Klein and Annoa Abekah-Mensah contributed to this report.
