The U.S. Air Force Wants More 33,000 Pound Bunker Busters

US Air Force personnel and contractors pose in front of a Massive Ordnance Penetrator mock up in 2007. USAF

The Warzone/The Drive: USAF Orders More Upgraded Massive Ordnance Penetrator Bombs Amid Tensions with North Korea

The improved 33,000 pound bunker busters would be a key part of any "bloody nose" strike on the reclusive communist country.

The U.S. Air Force will pay Boeing nearly $21 million to build more of the service’s heaviest conventional bomb, the GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or MOP, following successful tests of a new variant that includes an improved fuze. The huge bunker busters would be an essential component of any strike against North Korea, including a limited operation to try and neutralize its ballistic missile and nuclear weapon capabilities, as well as missions against other potential adversaries with extensive subterranean military infrastructure, such as Iran or China.

The Air Force announced the contract award on Feb. 8, 2018, on the U.S. government’s main contracting website, FedBizOpps, while the Pentagon confirmed it in a routine press release on the same day. The notices do not say how many individual bombs Boeing will build, but note that the company will perform the work entirely at its facilities in St. Louis Missouri and that it should have delivered all of the new MOPs by July 31, 2020. An earlier 2011 contract worth approximately $28 million had paid for eight of the 33,000 pound bombs, but also included orders for various parts and accessories, as well as a redesign of the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber’s rear bomb bay to accommodate the munition. The B-2 is the only platform that would employ the weapon in combat.

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WNU Editor:  I guess the Air Force is getting ready for the worse.

A Look At How Bunker Busting Bombs Are Made

We Are The Mighty: This is why Bunker Buster bombs are made from spent howitzer barrels

It was a common sight during Desert Storm: grainy black-and-white footage of an Iraqi bunker or hanger slowly getting closer and closer to the screen.

Munitions with cameras fed the footage of new, precision-guided “smart bombs” to Americans watching the war at home.

Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi Army used underground facilities beneath layers of sand and reinforced concrete to protect his command and control centers, research labs, and ammo dumps. The U.S. military tasked its defense apparatus to come up with a way to penetrate and destroy these shelters.

Thus, the GBU-28 Bunker Buster bomb was born.

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WNU Editor: The above video is a must see on how these bombs are made.

Bunkers & Bunker Busting Bombs (Video)

Pentagon Redesigns Its 'Bunker Buster' To Combat Iran

Pentagon Redesigns Its 'Bunker Buster' Massive Ordnance Penetrator To Combat Iran -- The Telegraph

US defence planners have rebuilt the country's biggest bomb, the bunker buster, to ensure the country can still destroy Iran's fortified underground nuclear plant.

Pentagon officials have reportedly shown Israeli officials details of the extensive upgrade in recent weeks to convince their allies that time to attack Iran has not run out, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The newspaper reported that engineers had installed cyber warfare capabilities and new explosive targetting designs on the 30,000 lbs device, the Massive Ordnance Penetrator.

Videos of the secret tests of a previous version of the device have been shown to Israels as Americans attempt to explain the changes.

The new bunker buster has a fusing system that intensifies its burrowing power as well as sophisticated new stealth and electronic guidance technology to overcome recent advances in Iran's air defences and electronic warfare systems, the newspaper said.

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More News On The U.S. Military "Upgrading" Their "Bunker Buster" Weapons

Pentagon Bulks Up 'Bunker Buster' Bomb to Combat Iran -- Wall Street Journal
US upgrades bomb to thwart Israel strike on Iran -- Jerusalem Post
Bunker-busting behemoth: Pentagon upgrades bomb with Iranian nukes in mind -- FOX News
America's Biggest Bomb Gets Another Upgrade To Target Iran's Nuclear Fortress -- Business Insider
MOP up: US 'upgrades' biggest bunker buster to calm Israel over Iran -- RT
Why the Pentagon is beefing up its 'bunker buster' bombs -- Keith Wagstaff, The Week

My Comment: This type of news will always get the attention of Iran's defense specialists.

US Air Force Moves Ahead On Bunker-Buster For F-35

Graphics: US Air Force

AFRL Moves Ahead On Bunker-Buster For F-35 -- Ares/Aviation Week

The US Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded two more contracts under the High Velocity Penetrating Weapon (HVPW) program to develop technology for a rocket-boosted bunker-buster that can fit inside an F-35.

Lockheed Martin has been awarded $1.7 million and MBDA $1.3 million, but what they will do for the money has not been revealed. In January, Raytheon received an $11 million contract to develop GPS-degraded guidance technology for the HVPW, including anti-jam GPS, angle-of-attack sensing and RF seeker.

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Update: Air Force to brief industry 4 Oct. on initiative to build 2,000-pound rocket-propelled bunker-busting weapon -- Avionics Intelligence

My Comment: They need to arm the F-35 with something.

US Bunker-Buster Bomb 'Ready To Be Deployed'

This US Air Force photo shows weapon specialistsas they look on as a mock up of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator sits in bomb bay of the B-2 weapons load trainer (AFP Photo)

US Bunker-Buster Bomb 'Ready To Go' -- The Telegraph

The US Air Force's massive 30,000lb bunker-buster bomb critical for striking heavily fortified Iranian nuclear facilities is "ready to go".

Michael Donley, the US Air Force Secretary, said that the bomb "if it need to go today", would be available.

"We continue to do testing on the bomb to refine its capabilities, and that is ongoing," he said "We also have the capability to go with existing configuration today."

The endorsement of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) – the world's largest conventional bomb – comes after concerns were raised that the weapon still needed refining if was to be effective against Iran's deepest installations.

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More News On The US Air Force's Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP)

Air Force’s Mega-Bunker-Buster Bomb Is Finally Ready -- Danger Room
The Air Force's 30,000 Pound Bunker-Busting Bomb Is Ready For Action -- Business Insider
Pentagon’s 30,000-pound bunker-buster ‘superbomb’ ready for use -- RT
After delays, massive US bunker-buster available -- Jerusalem Post
US Air Force: Bunker buster ready for use -- YNet News
The Air Force’s 30,000-Pound Super Duper Bomb Is Ready to Rock Iran -- Gizmodo
Pentagon: 30,000-Pound 'Bunker Buster' Bomb Ready for Use -- Newsroom
Amid Threats to Iran, US Air Force Says Bunker-Busters Ready To Go -- Antiwar.com

U.S. Air Force's 30,000 Pound Bunker Busting Bomb Ready For Deployment

Boeing’s mega-bunker-buster bomb during its first explosive test at White Sands Missile Range, 2007. Photo: Wikimedia

Air Force’s Mega-Bunker-Buster Bomb Is Finally Ready -- Danger Room

Just as the U.S. returns its attention to concealed weapons of mass destruction programs in Syria and (possibly) Iran, the Air Force is saying its mega-weapon for blowing up hidden factories of death is finally ready.

That would be the Massive Ordnance Penetrator — all 30,000 destructive pounds of it. It’s an absolutely ginormous bomb designed to convince rogue regimes that there is no redoubt for the manufacture of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons buried deep enough to escape the U.S. Air Force.

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More News On The Air Force's Massive Ordnance Penetrator Bomb Ready For Deployment

The Air Force's 30,000 Pound Bunker-Busting Bomb Is Ready For Action -- Business Insider
Pentagon’s 30,000-pound bunker-buster ‘superbomb’ ready for use -- RT
After delays, massive US bunker-buster available -- Jerusalem Post
US Air Force: Bunker buster ready for use -- YNet News
The Air Force’s 30,000-Pound Super Duper Bomb Is Ready to Rock Iran -- Gizmodo

Are America`s Shipment Of Bunker Busting Bombs To Israel Defective?

Test personnel with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency prepare to offload the Massive Ordnance Penetrator for a static test at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. (Photo: DTRA)

Bunker Buster Bombs From US May Be Defective -- Jerusalem Post

Israel concerned that recently purchased laser-guided bombs may carry defective fuses that could cause premature detonation.

Israel is seeking clarifications from the United States to ensure bunker buster bombs it recently purchased are not carrying defective fuses that could cause their premature detonation.

Last week the US settled a lawsuit against a defense contractor for allegedly supplying it with faulty fuses.

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My Comment: I can see the eyebrows going up on this one. For more info on the GBU-28`s defective fuses, go here.

Boeing’s New 30,000-Pound Bunker-Buster Bomb Delivered To The Air Force

Boeing 30,000-pound bunker buster bomb. Allroya.com

B-2 Bomber Gets Boeing’s New 30,000-Pound Bunker-Buster Bomb -- Bloomberg

The U.S. Air Force has taken delivery of a new 30,000-pound bomb from Boeing Co. (BA) that’s capable of penetrating deeply buried enemy targets.

The huge bunker buster, dubbed the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, is built to fit the B-2 stealth bomber. The Air Force Global Strike Command started receiving the bombs in September, Air Force spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jack Miller said in a short statement to Bloomberg News.

The deliveries “will meet requirements for the current operational need,” he said.

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More News On The Deployment Of Boeing’s New 30,000-Pound Bunker-Buster Bomb

Weighing in at 30,000 pounds, a new bomb for US -- AFP
Air Force Receives Anti-WMD Bunker Buster Bombs -- Global Security Newswire
Air Force gets super bombs to attack Iran? -- RT
US Air Forces get super-heavy bunker buster bombs -- Voice of Russia
US reveals its new bunker-buster bombs -- Ynet News
Pentagon’s New Bunker Busters Not for Iran -- Bloomberg

Israel Secretly Receives 55 Bunker Busting Bombs From The U.S.

U.S. Quietly Supplies Israel With Bunker-Busting Bombs -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has quietly supplied Israel with bombs capable of destroying buried targets, like terrorists’ arms caches or perhaps sites in Iran suspected of being part of that nation’s nuclear weapons program, American officials said Friday.

The administration’s transfer of bunker-busting bombs, first reported in an online article by Newsweek, began in 2009. American officials who confirmed the shipments spoke on the condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. They declined to comment on the number of bombs that had been supplied to Israel or on their capabilities.

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More News On Israel Receiving Bunker Busting Bombs From The U.S.

Obama Sold Israel Bunker-Buster Bombs -- Daily Beast
Report: Obama gave 'bunker-busters' to Israel -- Politico
US 'sold bunker-busting bombs to Israel' -- SKY News
Iran: Obama Sold 55 Anti-Bunker Bombs To Israel -- AGI News
Obama Weak on Israel? Unprecedented Sale of Bunker-Busting Bombs Suggests Otherwise -- IBTimes
The Bunker Busters and the Measure of Support for Israel -- Jonathan S. Tobin, Commentary

My Comment: Apparently this is not as big of a story as others are saying.

Pentagon Orders Massive Bunker-Busters for Underground WMD

From The Danger Room:

North Korea may be readying another nuclear test — one of many reasons why the Pentagon is stepping up efforts to neutralize hardened bunkers, packed with weapons of mass destruction. It’s a tricky problem; to do it, you need something out of the ordinary. Which is why the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency has an ambitious goal of developing a bunker buster five times as strong as the current models by the end of the year, and ten times more powerful by 2013. They’re doing it with a combination of improved guidance, “novel payloads”… and much bigger bombs.

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My Comment: These weapons are being built for a reason .... U.S. military planners are indicating to the leadership that these are the tools that they would need to neutralize the type of hardened targets in North Korea or Iran.