"They said penetrate..."
Posted on 07/26/2012 4:34:15 PM PDT by Jyotishi
The GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or MOP, a massive 30,000-lb bomb that can destroy deeply buried bunkers, has been upgraded and ready to be carried by the U.S. Air Force B-52, B-1 and B-2 bombers.
“If it needed to go today, we would be ready to do that,” he said. “We continue to do testing on the bomb to refine its capabilities, and that is ongoing. We also have the capability to go with existing configuration today” Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said on Jul. 25.
The GBU-57 is a 20 foot long GPS-guided bomb believed to be able to penetrate 200 feet down before exploding and began development after Gulf War 2 after it was found that earlier versions had poor ground penetration.
Although the type of upgrades it received were not made public, the bomb should have been equipped with new fusing and tail fins needed to give it a greater ground penetration.
The bunker buster bomb can be used to destroy nuclear facilities (as those in Iran – those for which the weapon was improved) as well as bunkers that protect chemical, biological and nuclear weapons (as those in Syria).
Along with an improved bomb, even new tactics have been developed to wipe out very well protected bunkers buried underground.
Caption - A B-52 releases a test version of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) during a test of the weapon over White Sands Missile Range, N.M. in 2009 (DoD Image)
Photo - http://cencio4.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/b-52_releases_the_mop_during_a_weapons_test.jpg
"They said penetrate..."
IIRC, you claimed ownership of this tool on a thread of similar title years ago.
As long as it's ready by mid-October for Obama’s big surprise.
> As long as it’s ready by mid-October for Obama’s big
> surprise.
Romney can steal the thunder before October by saying something like, “Our military has announced an upgraded bunker buster. Iran and Syria had better shape up.”
“Romney can steal the thunder before October by saying something like, “Our military has announced an upgraded bunker buster. Iran and Syria had better shape up.””
What Romney REALLY NEEDS to say NOW is that he “hopes that any military action before the election will be warranted and not based on politics” or something like that.
He needs to start inoculating himself from the almost sure-bet of Obama wagging the dog.
> He needs to start inoculating himself from the almost sure-
> bet of Obama wagging the dog.
Well put!
Dear God, I think she’ll scare them into submission!
BUMP for later read
I wonder what a one-two punch with that bomb would do. China syndrome?
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