Trump made the announcement during the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, where he discussed US policy in the Middle East and the administration's military procurement plans .
"We have just ordered 22 more upgraded models," Trump said. "The B-2 bombers are incredible. I never fully understood the B-2. You look at it — it's just a wing. I always thought: beautiful, but what does it do? It carries very large bombs" .
The president's remarks referenced the June 2025 operation in which US B-2 bombers struck Iranian nuclear facilities, including the Fordow facility buried inside a mountain . That mission, designated Operation Midnight Hammer, involved seven B-2 bombers flying a 37-hour round-trip from the United States to Iran .
Trump said the aircraft demonstrated their effectiveness during that strike. "If we didn't take them out, they would have had a nuclear weapon within two months," he said in earlier comments about the operation. "They were very close to having the nuclear weapon. We hit them hard, and it was a total obliteration" .
The current B-2 fleet consists of approximately 19 operational aircraft, according to defense reports . The Air Force originally acquired 21 B-2 bombers during the 1990s, with two lost in accidents — one in 2008 and another in 2022 . A third aircraft sustained damage and remains under repair .
The new order would represent a significant expansion of the stealth bomber fleet. Trump had previously mentioned ordering 25 new B-2s during remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January . The number cited Thursday was 22 .
Each B-2 bomber costs approximately $2.4 billion, making it one of the most expensive aircraft ever built . The B-2 remains the only operational aircraft capable of deploying the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a 30,000-pound bunker-buster bomb designed to destroy fortified underground facilities .
The announcement comes as the US military maintains heightened alert status for its B-2 fleet amid ongoing tensions with Iran . According to a February 13 report, the Air Force has kept its B-2 squadron at higher-than-usual readiness levels as the administration considers possible military options .
Trump said Thursday that the United States may decide within approximately 10 days whether to authorize further military action against Iran, noting that negotiations continue .
"We may have to take it a step further, or we may not," Trump said. "Maybe we're going to make a deal. You're going to be finding out over the next probably 10 days" .
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on February 28 . The US has been moving military assets to the Middle East, including additional fighter jets and missile defense systems .
The B-2 Spirit, manufactured by Northrop Grumman, entered service in 1997. Its stealth technology allows it to penetrate heavily defended airspace, and it has an intercontinental range of more than 11,000 kilometers without refueling . The aircraft can carry up to 18 metric tons of precision munitions .
Defense analysts have noted that the B-2's age raises questions about long-term sustainability. The aircraft requires extensive maintenance, with each flight hour necessitating approximately 130 hours of ground work . The bomber's production line closed in the 1990s, and replacement parts have at times required reverse-engineering or 3D printing .
The Air Force is also developing the B-21 Raider, a next-generation stealth bomber designed to eventually succeed the B-2. The B-21 is expected to cost approximately $650 million per aircraft and incorporates more advanced stealth features . Current Air Force plans call for acquiring at least 100 B-21 bombers .
Trump's announcement did not specify a timeline for the new B-2 deliveries or address how the aircraft would be manufactured given the closed production line.