What is the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, also known as the ‘bunker buster’?
President Trump’s National Security Council will be providing him with a range of options for a potential strike on Iran’s Fordo nuclear facility — if he chooses to go for military action. But the site is a difficult and hardened target, built deep under a mountain.
If Trump chooses to take a shot at this facility, he will likely need to rely on one of America’s rarest weapons — the so-called “bunker buster.”
There are actually a few weapons that can be described as such, but Fordo will require the biggest one: the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, which can only be dropped by a B-52 or B-2 bomber.
Related to the GBU-43 Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, sometimes known as the “Mother of All Bombs,” the MOP weighs about 30,000 pounds and is more than 20 feet long.
Precision-guided and purpose-built for striking at heavily-fortified targets buried deep underground, it has only been in the U.S. arsenal for a little more than a decade.
The actual capabilities of the MOP are a state secret, but experts believe it can penetrate at least 200 feet below the surface before it detonates. Moreover, MOPs can be stacked — so to speak — to effectively drill down to a target located deeper than 200 feet.
Fordo is located at an estimated 260 feet below the surface, meaning two MOPs would likely be required.
Given that only America’s largest strategic bomber aircraft can deliver such a massive weapon to its target, use of the MOP is not without risk.
U.S. bombers would require clear skies, making air superiority crucial. Trump of course has claimed control of the sky over Tehran, and Israel has been striking air defenses. The path may already be clear.
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