By the numbers: US deployment of B-2 bombers as tensions ramp up with Houthis and Iran
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Satellite images analyzed Wednesday by The Associated Press show the deployment of at least six nuclear-capable B-2 Spirit bombers to Camp Thunder Bay on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
The presence of the bombers comes 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.
The Diego Garcia base is south of India and within striking distance of both Iran and Yemen.
Tensions also remain high between Iran and the U.S. over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. 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
The six B-2s deployed to Diego Garcia make up nearly a third of all the B-2s America has in its arsenal.
1
That’s how many times the U.S. 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 analyzed by the AP since last week.
19
That’s how many B-2 bombers are in the U.S. 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 U.S. airstrike campaign targeting Yemen.
172
That’s the wingspan in feet (52 meters) of a B-2.
200
That’s roughly the number of U.S. 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 kilometers) the B-2 can be flown without refueling.
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 meters) the B-2 can fly.
1.1 billion
That’s the estimated cost of a single B-2 in U.S. dollars.
By JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press
