Here’s An Idea: Sell the B-2 Stealth Bomber to Israel

Key Points and Summary – A new bipartisan bill, the “Bunker Buster Act,” has been introduced in the US House of Representatives to authorize the President to supply Israel with the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) and the aircraft required to deliver it.

-That can only mean one platform by default: the B-2 bomber.

-The legislation, introduced by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Mike Lawler (R-NY), aims to equip Israel with the capability to independently destroy Iran’s most deeply buried nuclear facilities, such as Fordow.

-This comes after the US used the 30,000-pound bombs in its own recent strike against Iran.

B-2 Bomber for Israel? 

One of the biggest reasons why the U.S. went ahead and attacked Iran’s nuclear sites last month was that Israel had been bombing the sites for over a week, was that the U.S. has a certain weapon — the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), known as a “bunker buster”— that Israel does not possess.

The U.S. dropped 14 MOPs on the heavily fortified Fordow nuclear site, which could not be reached by most other bombs, although whether or not those strikes succeeded at destroying the Fordow site remains a matter of some contentious disagreement. 

Now, bipartisan legislation has been introduced to potentially supply Israel with those weapons.

U.S. Representatives Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Mike Lawler (R-NY) have introduced a bill called the “Bunker Buster Act,” which “authorizes the president to support Israel’s defense by providing the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), or ‘bunker buster’ bomb, and the aircraft required to deploy it — to take out Iran’s underground nuclear infrastructure.”

“Equipping Israel with this capability directly strengthens American national security by eliminating Iran’s pathway to a nuclear weapon,” the Congressmen said in their announcement.

Is This a Legit Pitch or Not? 

The idea seems to be that if another strike on Iran’s nuclear sites were necessary, Israel could do it, rather than requiring the U.S. to carry it out, as it did last month.

“The recent U.S. strikes using bunker buster bombs degraded Iran’s deep underground nuclear facilities. While diminished, Iran remains committed to enriching uranium and developing a nuclear weapon. In the face of ongoing threats, it is imperative to equip Israel with maximum deterrence so Iran cannot move ahead with their nuclear program.”

It’s unclear whether this is a legislative proposal with actual momentum to become law or if it’s more of a messaging bill, introduced by a pair of lawmakers strongly associated with advocacy on behalf of Israel.

The Times of Israel reported that Gottheimer had introduced similar proposals in both 2022 and 2024, before both the recent U.S. attacks and the return of Trump to the White House, but the legislation did not progress either time.

As pointed out by Dropsite News, Lawler and Gottheimer also co-sponsored the “IGO Anti‑Boycott Act.” The bill “expands the 2018 export-control law to make it illegal for U.S. citizens or companies to support or comply with boycotts of Israel fostered by international governmental organizations (like the U.N. or E.U.),” with fines of up to $1 million and prison time attached.

The bill, per that report, “was pulled amid First Amendment concerns.”

The B-2 Question: Sell This Bomber to Israel? 

There is one obvious problem with the proposal: The U.S. plane that carried out the Iran strikes is the B-2 bomber, which appears to be the only one capable of delivering the bunker-buster bombs.

And giving the B-2 to Israel, to say the least, would be a massive challenge.

The U.S. has only 19 of them and, per Fox News, “it does not transfer custody of its B-2 stealth bombers to any of its allies.”

Additionally, the B-2 bomber production lines were shut down long ago. Decades ago, in fact.

So, it would seem, for now, the proposed legislation has no real way to happen unless something dramatic were to occur.

Lease the B-2 Bomber? 

The B-21 Raider is the B-2’s expected successor, and there has been some speculation about whether or not the U.S. will sell the B-21 to allied countries once it enters service in the 2030s.

Former Ambassador and Mideast peace negotiator Dennis Ross pitched the idea of leasing the B-2 bomber to Israel for a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. That never happened.

In 2021, Ross wrote an op-ed, “To Deter Iran, Give Israel a Big Bomb.”

“Of course, the White House would need to reach a firm understanding with the Israelis about triggers for the bomb’s use. But being prepared to provide Israel with such a fearsome weapon and leasing the B-2 bomber to deliver it would send a powerful message. The Iranians may doubt whether the U.S. would follow through on its threats; they won’t have any trouble believing the Israelis will,” Ross wrote.

And yet, at least for now, don’t expect Israel to get B-2 stealth bombers to hit Iran at least now for the moment.

About the Author: 

Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.

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