Tel Aviv: This weapon system will play a critical role if and when the US attacks the Iranian nuclear sites. The US preparations for an attack on the Iranian nuclear sites will involve the use of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP)/GBU-57 Bunker Buster Bomb.
The MOP/GBU-57A/B is a precision-guided bomb weighing 13.6 tons, known as a ”bunker buster” and is exclusively utilised by the United States Air Force.
According to Western experts that asked not to be identified, the GBU-57 is capable of penetrating some of the most fortified and sensitive military installations globally, without crossing into nuclear threshold, making it one of the most formidable bombs in the Western arsenal.
The MOP/GBU-57 can penetrate up to 60 metres of reinforced concrete (5,000 psi), 40 metres of moderately hard rock, and 8 metres of highly reinforced concrete (10,000 psi).
No other bomb or missile with similar penetration capabilities exists worldwide.
According to the experts, the MOP/GBU-57 bomb characteristics are:
Configuration: A heavy elongated body, with 4 fixed lifting surfaces (Struts) and 4 rear folded steering lattice fins
Total weight of the bomb: 13.6 tons
Explosive weight in penetrator: 2.423 tons, or about 18% of the penetrator itself
Dimensions: Length – 6.2 metres, Body diameter – 800 mm
Assessed Max. Range: Over 50 km
Guidance: Combined advanced GPS receiver and good IMU
Accuracy: Estimated impact error up to 3m CEP
Experts say that the typical flight pattern of the bomb release from the belly of B-2, open rear 4 wings glides toward the target with vertical approach.
The experts point to the drawbacks of the MOP/GBU-57. Despite the GBU-57s high effectiveness, it comes with several significant limitations. The main drawback is that it can only be deployed from B-2 bombers, of which the US Air Force has a mere 19 in service. Each B-2 can carry only 2 of these bombs.
The USE stockpile of MOP/GBU-57 bombs is restricted, with estimates suggesting only a few dozen are available (up to 20 units were delivered by 2015).
The MOP/GBU-57 is currently the most potent and effective bunker buster designed for deeply buried targets.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
