US Pilots Describe Striking Iran's Fordo Nuclear Facility

Operation Against Fordo Nuclear Facility

• 🎯 The U.S. military conducted strikes on Iran's Fordo nuclear facility, using Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs.
• 💥 The operation was designed to penetrate the heavily fortified, underground facility.
• 💡 General Dan Caine stated that the weapons functioned as designed, meaning they exploded, and were guided to their intended targets.
• 👁️ Trailing pilots reported witnessing the brightest explosion they had ever seen, which illuminated the area like daylight.

Mission Execution and Bomb Functionality

• 🛠️ The weapons were built, tested, and loaded properly, and released on correct parameters.
• 🚀 The operation involved using events inside the facility to deliver six bunker buster bombs.
• ⚡ In one instance, the cap of a shaft was forcibly removed by the first weapon, allowing subsequent weapons to enter and explode deep within the complex.

Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) and Intelligence

• 📊 The Joint Staff does not perform Battle Damage Assessment; this is handled by the intelligence community.
• ⚠️ General Caine reiterated that it is too early to definitively assess the full impact or state that Iran's nuclear program was obliterated.
• 📉 An early Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessment, rated as low confidence, was based on preliminary information.
• 😔 The speaker expressed sadness that the morale of intelligence analysts who produced the initial report may have been negatively impacted.

Pilot Testimony and Visual Evidence

• 🌟 Pilots described the explosion as being so bright it looked like daylight.
• 🎬 Video footage was shown depicting bunker-busting bombs going down into the facility, with one underground view appearing devastated.
• 🧐 While the test footage was impressive, the actual operational impact remains unknown without boots on the ground.

Iranian Preparations and Potential Impact

• ⏳ In the days before the attack, Iranians attempted to cover shafts with concrete to prevent an attack.
• 🚚 It is acknowledged that a dozen trucks left the facility a couple of days before the attack, suggesting potential movement of materials.
• ❓ Questions remain about the extent to which Iran's nuclear program was decimated, with the full impact yet to be determined.