Female Pilot in Major U.S. Military Operation: A Symbol of Contrast with Misogynistic Regimes

Photo: Reuters

In the U.S. military operation against Iran’s nuclear facilities, a female pilot flew one of the advanced B-2 bombers; an event that has received wide coverage in Persian-language media and once again highlighted the stark contrast between opportunities for women and their severe deprivation under misogynistic regimes.

According to American media, this female pilot took control of one of nine stealth B-2 bombers during the operation known as “Midnight Hammer.” These bombers participated in attacks on nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The complex operation lasted 37 hours and targeted Iran’s underground facilities with the launch of 14 GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs.

The name of the female pilot has not yet been disclosed, but her participation in the operation is significant not only militarily, but also politically and culturally, especially for women in countries like Iran and Afghanistan, where under religious and misogynistic governments, they are deprived of even their most basic rights.

While women in Iran are not only denied professional opportunities, particularly in military and technical fields, but also face discrimination, repression, and sometimes deadly violence due to their choice of clothing; and in Afghanistan, women are completely deprived of education, work, travel, and participation in public life, the image of a female pilot in a top-secret mission becomes a symbol of the capability, determination, and freedom of women in equal and open systems.

These bombers, supported by more than 125 warplanes and Tomahawk missiles launched from submarines, targeted Iran’s underground facilities.

Persian-language media, including those based abroad, have interpreted this event not only from a military perspective but as a symbol of the stark contrast between two views of women: women as a driving and pioneering force in open societies, and women as forbidden, confined, and silenced in repressive systems.