'Welcome home boys!': Video shows US' B-2 bombers returning after 36-hours Iran strike

The US Air Force's B-2 Spirit stealth bombers were involved in strikes on Iran's nuclear sites on Saturday. The bomber have safely returned to the United States after a 36-hour operation, the White House said on Monday.

In a video posted on X, the White House said that the B-2 bombers have safely touched down at Whiteman AFB in Missouri.

"God bless the United States Military — the greatest force for freedom the world has ever known," the caption read.

The Pentagon’s official rapid response team also reposted the clip, and wrote, "Welcome home boys!"

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Three Iranian nuclear sites were struck in a "very successful attack," President Donald Trump said on Saturday, adding that the crown jewel of Tehran's nuclear program, Fordow, is gone. The B-2 is one of America's most advanced strategic weapons platforms, capable of entering sophisticated air defenses and delivering precision strikes against hardened targets such as Iran's buried network of nuclear research facilities.

B-2 Spirit specifications

The US B-2 costs about $2.1 billion each, making it the most expensive military aircraft ever built. Made by Northrop Grumman, the bomber, with its cutting-edge stealth technology, began its production run in the late 1980s but was curbed by the fall of the Soviet Union. Only 21 were made after the Pentagon's planned acquisition program was truncated.

The bomber's range of over 6,000 nautical miles (11,112 km) without refueling enables global strike capabilities from continental US bases. With aerial refueling, the B-2 can reach virtually any target worldwide, as demonstrated in missions from Missouri to Afghanistan and Libya and now Iran.

Its payload capacity of more than 40,000 pounds (18,144 kg) allows the aircraft to carry a diverse array of conventional and nuclear weapons. The bomber's internal weapons bays are specifically designed to maintain stealth characteristics while accommodating large ordnance loads which could include two GBU-57A/B MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator), a 30,000-pound precision-guided "bunker buster" bomb.

Reports said six bunker buster bombs were used on Iran's Fordow research site.

(With Reuters inputs)