B-2 stealth bombers on the tarmac at Diego Garcia<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The presence of the bombers comes as the United States continues an intense airstrike campaign targeting Yemen\u2019s Houthi rebels. The B-2 has been used in combat to target the Houthis in the past<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Diego Garcia base is south of India and within striking distance of both Iran and Yemen.<\/p>\n Tensions also remain high between Iran and the U.S. over Tehran\u2019s rapidly advancing nuclear program. The B-2 would be crucial in potentially bombing Iran\u2019s underground nuclear sites<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a look at the B-2 deployment \u2014 and the wider regional tensions in the Mideast amid the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip<\/a> \u2014 by the numbers<\/p>\n The six B-2s deployed to Diego Garcia make up nearly a third of all the B-2s America has in its arsenal.<\/p>\n That\u2019s how many times the U.S. military has acknowledged using the B-2 in Yemen since the Israel-Hamas war began.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the number of pilots in a single B-2 bomber.<\/p>\n That\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n That\u2019s how many B-2 bombers are in the U.S. Air Force fleet.<\/p>\n That\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the number of people the Houthis say have been killed so far in the new U.S. airstrike campaign targeting Yemen.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the wingspan in feet (52 meters) of a B-2.<\/p>\n That\u2019s roughly the number of U.S. airstrikes conducted since March 15 against the Houthis, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt<\/a>.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the number of nautical miles (11,112 kilometers) the B-2 can be flown without refueling<\/p>\n That\u2019s the weight in kilograms (27,125 pounds) of the GBU-57, known as the \u201cMassive Ordnance Penetrator<\/a>,\u201d the bomb the B-2 can carry that could strike Iran\u2019s underground nuclear sites<\/a>.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the ceiling in feet (15,240 meters) the B-2 can fly.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the estimated cost of a single B-2 in U.S. dollars.<\/p>\nOne-third<\/h2>\n
1<\/h2>\n
2<\/h2>\n
6<\/h2>\n
19<\/h2>\n
21<\/h2>\n
65<\/h2>\n
172<\/h2>\n
200<\/h2>\n
6,000<\/h2>\n
12,300<\/h2>\n
50,000<\/h2>\n
1.1 billion<\/h2>\n