VIDEO: B-2 stealth bomber stranded in Hawaii after Iran decoy mission

A B-2 Spirit stealth bomber deployed in a deception operation meant to distract observers from a real strike on Iran was forced to make an emergency landing in Hawaii.

The incident occurred during a complex mission on June 21, in which several B-2 bombers were seen flying west over the Pacific Ocean, closely trailed by a formation of aerial refueling tankers. While public trackers believed the aircraft were en route to Guam, this western maneuver turned out to be a strategic misdirection, an effort designed to exploit open-source intelligence watchers and obscure the actual strike package heading eastward across the Atlantic.

One of the B-2s involved in the feint, operating under the callsign MYTEE 14, diverted to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, which shares space with Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam. The aircraft is still on the ground, as shown in a video posted by David Martin (@Sir_DavidMartin), who captured the bomber parked on an apron with a security escort nearby.

These unplanned diversions are not new for the B-2 fleet, which remains in service despite being costly, highly complex, and increasingly maintenance-intensive. In a similar case in 2023, another B-2 was stranded in Hawaii for an extended period following an emergency, which later coincided with a months-long grounding of the entire fleet after a crash at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.

When asked about the bomber’s diversion, Charles Hoffman, Chief of Media Operations for Air Force Global Strike Command, offered no specific details. “We will not comment on movement, deployment or posturing of forces,” he stated. “Air Force Global Strike Command maintains the capability to provide global strike anywhere, at the time of the President of the United States’ choosing.”

Currently, only 19 B-2s remain in active service, making them one of the US military’s most limited and high-value platforms. Though infamously expensive and once criticized as a procurement disaster, the stealth bomber has since become a cornerstone of America’s long-range strike capabilities. “Nobody would argue 30 years later it wasn’t an absolutely pivotal investment,” military analyst Tyler Rogoway wrote in a June 23 post.

To extend the aircraft’s viability, the Air Force has been upgrading the B-2 with modernized systems, cockpit enhancements, and efforts to reduce the operational costs of its sensitive radar-absorbent coatings. These upgrades aim to bridge the gap until the next-generation B-21 Raider becomes fully operational.

The B-21, which is intended to eventually replace the B-2 fleet, is widely viewed as a critical program for the future of American airpower. Unlike its predecessor, the B-21 is reportedly on schedule and within budget, encouraging signs for a system expected to operate in larger numbers and with greater survivability in contested environments.

As for the diverted B-2 in Honolulu, its current status remains unclear. Depending on the nature of the malfunction, repairs could take days, or much longer, due to the logistical challenges of servicing such a specialized aircraft so far from its home base.