US wants bunker-buster fast, denies Iran is reason

[toomuchtime_]

The Pentagon is speeding up delivery of a colossal bomb designed to destroy hidden weapons bunkers buried underground and shielded by 10,000 pounds of reinforced concrete.

Call it Plan B for dealing with Iran, which recently revealed a long-suspected nuclear site deep inside a mountain near the holy city of Qom.

The 15-ton behemoth — called the "massive ordnance penetrator," or MOP — will be the largest non-nuclear bomb in the U.S. arsenal and will carry 5,300 pounds of explosives. The bomb is about 10 times more powerful than the weapon it is designed to replace.

The Pentagon has awarded a nearly $52 million contract to speed up placement of the bomb aboard the B-2 Stealth bomber, and officials say the bomb could be fielded as soon as next summer.

Pentagon officials acknowledge that the new bomb is intended to blow up fortified sites like those used by Iran and North Korea for their nuclear programs, but they deny there is a specific target in mind.

"I don't think anybody can divine potential targets," Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said. "This is just a capability that we think is necessary given the world we live in."

The Associated Press: US wants bunker-buster fast, denies Iran is reason

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - drop one o' dem new bunker-buster bombs on top o' ol' Ammerjabberjob's head...

Pentagon: Bunker-buster bomb better than before
January 15, 2013 Efforts to improve the performance of the U.S.’s heaviest “bunker-buster” bomb have succeeded, according to the Pentagon’s testing chief.

Tests of the 30,000-pound (13,600-kilogram) Massive Ordnance Penetrator made by Boeing demonstrated the redesigned weapon “is capable of effectively prosecuting selected hardened, deeply buried targets,” Michael Gilmore, the Pentagon’s director of operational testing, said in a report to Congress. Pentagon officials have said the bomb could be used if the U.S. decides to attack Iran's nuclear program, with its deeply buried and hardened Fordo uranium enrichment facility that holds a stockpile of enriched uranium. While Gilmore didn’t mention any specific uses for the bomb, he said it is intended to hit targets “requiring significant penetration” that are located in “well-protected facilities.”

The testing assessment is the first public discussion of the bomb’s capabilities since early last year, when the Pentagon disclosed a need to improve it. Testing of modifications involved five bomb drops from B-2 stealth bombers at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico from June to October and two ground tests, according to Gilmore’s annual report on Pentagon testing, which he sent to Congress on Jan. 11. The bomb is six times bigger than the 5,000-pound bunker- buster that the U.S. Air Force and the Israeli Air Force have in their arsenals to attack deeply buried nuclear, biological or chemical sites.

Israel’s Intentions

Israel has said it may launch an attack on its own, raising questions about whether it could effectively halt Iran's nuclear program unless the U.S. joined in with the bigger bomb. Iran, which is under pressure from economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. and the European Union, has said its nuclear program is for civilian purposes. U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Herbert Carlisle cited the 30,000-pound bomb at an industry conference in March as among U.S. capabilities in a potential attack on Iran. The bomb made by Chicago-based Boeing has “great capability and we are continuing to make it better,” he said. “It is part of our arsenal if it is needed in that kind of scenario.”

‘Hard Target’

 

[skookerasbil]

A very humane weapon.............destruction is absolute and instantaneous. Dang.....if you are within 1 mile of the blast, it sucks your lungs out.


Vid of its smaller cousin the MOAB............just sIcK.........

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsQdeAeOEg4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsQdeAeOEg4[/ame]



I love posting up shit like this........the reaction by the limpwristers on this board......just totally appalled.


Snap out of it s0ns and smell the maple nut crunch of the real world.

 

[Franticfrank]

Whether its for Iran or not, its always useful to have something like this in the arsenal. And if it did ever come to a US strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, this weapon in tandem with the B-2 should prove highly effective.

 

[SteadyMercury]

Whether its for Iran or not, its always useful to have something like this in the arsenal.

Yup. If you discover a need for your military, address it.

Even if Iran's facilities are what brought attention to this need today, this weapon would be useful in the future against any deep hardened target.