Brahmand NewsPrevious Article
Brahmand NewsNext Article

US deployment of B-2 bombers near Mideast by numbers

DUBAI (AP): Satellite images analysed Wednesday by The Associated Press show the deployment of at least six nuclear-capable B-2 bombers to Camp Thunder Bay on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

The presence of the bombers come as the United States continues an intense airstrike campaign targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels. The B-2 has been used in combat to target the Houthis in the past.

Tensions also remain high between Iran and the US over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear programme. The B-2 would be crucial in potentially bombing Iran's underground nuclear sites.

Here's a look at the B-2 deployment — and the wider regional tensions in the Mideast amid the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip — by the numbers.

One-third

That's nearly the number of B-2s now forward deployed to Diego Garcia, which is within striking distance of both Iran and Yemen.

1

That's how many times the US military has acknowledged using the B-2 in Yemen since the Israel-Hamas war began.

2

That's the number of pilots in a single B-2 bomber.

6

That's the number of B-2 bombers seen on Diego Garcia in images from Planet Labs PBC from Wednesday. The number seen has been rising in satellite photos analysed by the AP since last week.

19

That's how many B-2 bombers are in the US Air Force fleet.

21

That's the number of B-2 bombers initially built, but one was destroyed in a crash in 2008 and another was retired after being damaged in a 2022 crash.

65

That's the number of people the Houthis say have been killed so far in the new US airstrike campaign targeting Yemen.

172

That's the wingspan in feet (52 metres) of a B-2.

200

Over that is the number of US airstrikes conducted since March 15 against the Houthis, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

6,000

That's the number of nautical miles (11,112 kilometres) the B-2 can be flown without refuelling.

12,300

That's the weight in kilograms (27,125 pounds) of the GBU-57, known as the “Massive Ordnance Penetrator," the bomb the B-2 can carry that could strike Iran's underground nuclear sites.

50,000

That's the ceiling in feet (15,240 metres) the B-2 can fly.

1.1 billion

That's the estimated cost of a single B-2 in US dollars.

Other Related News

India, Chile agree to begin negotiations for trade pact

India and Chile have announced starting negotiations on a comprehensive economic partnership pact as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font held wide-ranging talks focusing on boosting the ties in areas of trade, defence, critical minerals and health.

BRAHMOS Missile Systems

Headlines

Brahmand World Defence Update 2024

Brahmand World Defence Update

Image Gallery

Main Menu
 Comment TagsColor of comment tags right next to article titles Links ColorColor of Hyperlinks Background ColorBackground color & image
Background TextureChoose Background Texture