Bomb that Israel needs to destroy Iranian site key to making nukes
The primary goal of Israel's strikes on Iran is to render Tehran incapable of pursuing nuclear weapons. But can Tel Aviv achieve this goal? For this answer, Israel looks towards its all-weather ally US.Stopping Iran's nuclear programme hinges on whether Israel can destroy the underground uranium enrichment facility at Fordow, south of Tehran. Israel has been unable to cause any major damage to this facility.
Satellite image: Maxar Technologies
advertisementThe International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says Iran has purified uranium up to 83.7 per cent purity at Fordow facility, slightly lower than 90 per cent required to make nuclear weapons.
Centrifuges separating Uranium-235 isotopes from Uranium-238 are located at an estimated depth of 90-meter beneath mountains at the Fordow nuclear facility.Reports says Israel has employed 230-kg MPR 500 rigid surface penetration bombs at this site. But these bombs can penetrate upto 1-meter of enforced concrete. Experts say that only US-made GBU-57A/B 'bunker buster' bombs could make any consequential damage to this site.
These bombs are so heavy that they can be launched only from B-2 Stealth bombers that Israel doesn't have in its fleet, meaning Israel would need the US Air Force dropping these bombs on Fordow.advertisementAs per the Collective Awareness to the Unexploded Ordinance (CAT-UXO) database, GBU-57A/B GPS-guided bombs can penetrate up to 60-meter or 200-feet of enforced concrete.
Since the depth of the facility is greater than the bomb's penetration capability, several of these bombs would need to be dropped to make the facility collapse.Bunker busters are special bombs that can go deeper into the Earth surface and concrete structure before they detonate, causing the structure to collapse.Tune InMust Watch
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