By. Scott Jackson
April 18th, 2025
Since yesterday the online chatter has been that the U.S. Airforce has deployed the stealth B-2`Spirit’ bomber to drop GBU-57/B MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator) Bunker-busting bombs on Houthi targets in Yemen.According to two U.S. officials who spoke to defense outlet, TWZ, earlier today, this is not true.
This rumor started from a Fox News segment that claimed that the B-2s had been “dropping the 30,000 pound bunker busting bombs since April”.
The destruction caused by a GBU-57 is not what we are currently seeing from available images of US strikes in Yemen.
The B-2 is the only bomber certified to carry these massive bombs at the moment however the B-21 Raider is also planned to be used for this task. Right now a single B-2 can only carry 2 of the large bombs.
The B-2 has a large arsenal of conventional (and nuclear) munitions that it can carry. MK82 and 84 general purpose dumb bombs (up to 80 of the 500pound MK82) as well as the JDAM GPS guided variants of these weapons(80 of those as well) Also available are the bunker busting weapons like the GBU-28. the CBU-87 Combined effects cluster Munition. The B-2 can also carry a number of longer range standoff weapons like the JASSM and the AGM-171 LRSO (Long Range Stand off Weapon). Any of these above weapons is more likely to have been deployed in plave of the MOP which has a very specific purpose and a very low stockpile.
While the B-2 is operating in Yemen it would make sense for the US to be using a less scarce munition. The open munitions portal, an invaluable website that tracks weapons debris across different conflicts, shows several different weapons that seem to be used with some regularity. The AGM-154 JSOW as well as the RGM/UGM Tomahawk cruise missile. We also see a number of Paveway weapons which is likely what the B-2’s are bringing to the fight however that’s just an educated guess.
I believe the bombers were brought to the area as more of show of strength to Iran during the ongoing nuclear negotiations between Iran and the U.S. The bombers (at least 6 of them) location at the base in Diego Garcia also gives them the ability to strike at targets across the Middle East, Russia and China.
Currently, apart from the B-2s the U.S. has deployed a large number of assets into the region that have carried out strikes on the Houthis in Yemen. Two aircraft carriers and their strike groups as well as a number of land based fighters and multi mission aircraft.
Thank you for reading. I hope you get as much out of what I’m doing here as I get out of making these reports. If so I would invite you to join my Patreon. Doing that would help me more than I can describe. I’ve kept it as cheap as possible to become a member. It’s only a $1.00. However a dollar from even half of my Facebook followers would be a life changing amount of money for me and for this page.
Thank you for all the support over the years and as we continue to grow and evolve.
-Scott
Global Conflict Reporting 
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