B-2 Spirit bombers safely returned to Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri following a 36-hour mission that struck three Iranian nuclear facilities, the White House confirmed Sunday. Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC) shares surged 5.28% to $524.00 in overnight trading on Robinhood’s 24-hour service.

What Happened: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the operation “historic,” marking the longest B-2 mission since 2001 and the first operational use of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP).

Seven B-2 bombers were launched from the continental United States and struck the Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities between 6:40 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. Eastern time Saturday.

“Our B-2s went in and out of these nuclear sites without the world knowing at all,” Hegseth said, praising the operation’s operational security and precision timing.

The mission involved deception tactics, with part of the strike package flying west into the Pacific as a decoy while the main force proceeded east with minimal communications. Each bomber carried two crew members and completed multiple in-flight refuelings during the 18-hour flight to target areas.

See Also: US Issues Worldwide Caution After Strikes On Iran’s Nuclear Sites: State Department Warns Of Airspace Closures, Travel Chaos And Rising Threats To Americans Abroad

Why It Matters: More than 125 U.S. aircraft participated, including stealth bombers, fighters, refueling tankers, and a guided missile submarine.

President Donald Trump announced the “spectacular military success” via Truth Social Saturday evening, stating the objective was “destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity.” The strikes followed Iran’s withdrawal from scheduled negotiations and refusal to engage in nuclear talks.

“The great B-2 pilots have just landed, safely, in Missouri. Thank you for a job well done!” Trump wrote.

Northrop Grumman is showing strong momentum and a consistent upward price trend across short-, medium-, and long-term timeframes, according to Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings. However, the stock scores poorly on valuation metrics. Click here to see the full stock breakdown.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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