Latest news with #B2Bomber
CBS News
13 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
What to know about the MOP and the B-2, the bunker-buster bomb and plane that could be used to strike Iran
B-2 Spirit Bombers: The planes that could be used to target Iran's Fordo nuclear site Israel's strikes against Iran have killed a number of its top nuclear scientists and battered its nuclear facilities, but complete destruction of Iran's ability to make weapons-grade uranium is believed to be out of reach — unless the U.S. agrees to help. At least one key uranium enrichment site, Fordo, has so far been unscathed. Located 300 feet beneath a mountain and protected by Russian-produced air defenses, Fordo is believed by military experts to be key to Iran's nuclear program. Nuclear non-proliferation experts say this is where Iran has tried to enrich uranium for weapons purposes and expand its stockpile of enriched uranium. Israel's best chance at destroying the facility at Fordo could lie with a U.S.-produced bomb that's so heavy that it can only be dropped by a U.S. plane. At a hearing Wednesday, Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire raised this with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. "It's being reported that the president is being asked to consider providing the bunker-buster bomb that is required to be carried only by the B-2 Bomber and would require a U.S. pilot," she said, asking Hegseth whether he had been asked to provide President Trump with options for striking the Middle East. He declined to answer. Mr. Trump is considering joining Israel's offensive against Iran, and approved attack plans Tuesday, but has not made a final decision, CBS News has reported. The White House said Thursday that the president would make a decision on whether to order a strike within the next two weeks. Sources told CBS News that the president had discussed the logistics of using bunker-buster bombs as he weighs whether to wade into the conflict between Iran and Israel. Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb In this photo released by the U.S. Air Force on May 2, 2023, airmen look at a GBU-57, or the Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb, at Whiteman Air Base in Missouri. U.S. Air Force via AP, File The bomb that Shaheen was referring to is the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, known as a MOP. It is designed to attack "deeply-buried facilities and hardened bunkers and tunnels," according to the Air Force. It's guided by military GPS and is meant to reach and destroy targets in well-protected facilities. The MOP measures about 20.5 feet in length and 31.5 inches in diameter, according to the Air Force. It weighs in at just under 30,000 pounds, including about 5,300 pounds of explosive material. The Air Force says that the MOP's explosive power is over 10 times that of its predecessor, the BLU-109. It's designed to penetrate up to 200 feet underground before exploding. The warhead is encased in a special high-performance steel alloy, which is meant to enable it to carry a large explosive payload while maintaining the penetrator case's integrity during impact, according to an Air Force fact sheet. Boeing developed the GBU-57, and as of 2015, the aerospace company had been contracted to produce 20 of them, according to the Air Force. Because of the GBU-57's weight — it's the heaviest bomb produced by the U.S. — the B-2 Spirit is currently the only aircraft in the Air Force that is equipped to carry and deploy it. B-2 Spirit A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber lands at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. Steve Parsons/PA Images via Getty Images One of the key attributes of the B-2 Spirit is its stealth — it's able to evade air defenses and reach heavily defended targets. It's aerodynamically efficient and its internal weapons bays can carry two of the GBU-57 bombs. Because of what the Air Force refers to as the plane's "low-observable technologies," the B-2 Spirit has a "high level of freedom of action at high altitudes." It's built with a combination of "reduced infrared, acoustic, electromagnetic, visual and radar signatures." This, along with composite materials, special coatings, wing design and other classified processes, make the B-2 difficult for even the most sophisticated defense systems to detect and track. Without refueling, its range is about 6,000 nautical miles. The B-2 took its first flight in 1989, in California, but now, Whiteman Air Force Base, in Missouri, is the only B-2 base. It's been used for airstrikes in the Kosovo War, in Afghanistan and in Iraq. The prime contractor for the B-2 is Northrop Grumman. For years, some lawmakers and defense experts have suggested that the U.S. provide Israel with GBU-57 bombs and jets capable of carrying them — but the idea is controversial, with critics arguing the move would be provocative.
Khaleej Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Why Iran's well-protected nuclear site Fordow remains 'difficult target' for Israel
[Editor's Note: Follow the KT live blog for live updates on the Israel-Iran conflict.] Iran's most heavily fortified nuclear site, Fordow, was built deep inside a mountain to protect it from an attack. Only the US military has the 30,000-pound bomb capable of even reaching it. The bomb is commonly known as a 'bunker buster' because it is designed to destroy deep underground bunkers, or well-buried weapons in highly protected facilities. It is believed to be the only air-delivered weapon that would have a chance of destroying the site. The bomb has a much thicker steel case and contains a smaller amount of explosives than similarly sized general-purpose bombs. The heavy casings allow the munition to stay intact as it punches through soil, rock or concrete before detonating. Its size — 20 feet long and 30,000 pounds — means that only the American B-2 stealth bomber can carry it. Conventional wisdom has been that Israel can't destroy Fordow on its own. The United States has blocked Israel from getting the bunker buster, and while Israel has fighter jets, it has not developed heavy bombers capable of carrying the weapon. But Israel can come close by hitting more accessible power generation and transmission plants that help run the facility, which contains Iran's most advanced centrifuges, military officials said. In conjunction with Israel's aerial bombardment of Iran, going after the Fordow-adjacent plants could significantly slow down the ability of Iran's most protected nuclear facility to keep enriching uranium. The Israeli military and covert operatives could also look for other ways to disable the site, including destroying the entrance to it. Attacking Fordow is central to any effort to destroy Iran's ability to make nuclear weapons. In March 2023, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that it had discovered uranium that had been enriched to 83.7% purity in Fordo — close to the enrichment level, 90%, necessary for nuclear weapons. Iran, which is a signatory to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, has maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. The U.S. Air Force is moving refueling tankers, aircraft and additional warplanes to support any additional U.S. operations in the Middle East, U.S. officials said. But President Donald Trump has not, at the moment, moved to reverse years of US policy on providing Israel with the bunker buster bombs. 'We've had a policy for a long time of not providing those to the Israelis because we didn't want them to use them,' said Gen. Joseph Votel, who was commander of U.S. Central Command during Trump's first term. Instead, the United States viewed its bunker buster bomb largely as a deterrent, a national security asset possessed only by America, but not one that, if made available, might encourage Israel to start a war with Iran. Iran built the centrifuge facility at Fordow knowing that it needed to bury it deep to prevent it from being attacked. In 1981, using F-15 and F-16 fighter jets, Israel bombed a nuclear facility near Baghdad as part of its effort to stop Iraq from acquiring nuclear weapons. That facility was above ground. 'The Iranians fully understood that the Israelis would try to get inside their programs, and they built Fordow inside of a mountain a long time ago to take care of the post-Iraq problem' presented by the 1981 strike, said Vali Nasr, an Iran expert who is a professor at Johns Hopkins University. Over the years, the Israelis have cooked up a variety of plans to attack Fordow in the absence of US-supplied bunker busters. Under one of those plans, which they presented to senior officials in the Obama administration, Israeli helicopters loaded with commandos would fly to the site. The commandos would then fight their way inside the facility, rig it with explosives and blow it up, former US officials said. Israel successfully mounted a similar operation in Syria last year when it destroyed a Hezbollah missile production facility. But Fordow would be a much more dangerous endeavor, military officials said. US officials say now that Israel has gained air supremacy over much of Iran, Israeli attack planes could circle over Fordow and render it inoperable, at least temporarily, but not destroy it. 'The Israelis have sprung a lot of clandestine operations lately, but the physics of the problem remain the same,' said Gen Kenneth F McKenzie Jr, who was in charge of the Iran war plans when he ran the Pentagon's Central Command after Votel. 'It remains a very difficult target.' Israel has options without US help David A Deptula, a retired three-star Air Force general who planned the U.S. air campaigns in Afghanistan in 2001 and in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, agreed that Israel has options that would not require American help. For example, Israeli special forces 'could insert/apply or otherwise use a variety of means to disable the facility,' he said. Yechiel Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the United States, hinted at those options Sunday on ABC News' 'This Week.' 'We have a number of contingencies, which will enable us to deal with Fordo,' he said. 'Not everything is a matter of taking to the skies and bombing from afar.' 'Huge international consequences' Even if Trump were to authorize American B-2 stealth bombers to drop the 30,000-pound bombs, McKenzie said, there would be several technical, highly classified challenges in coordinating such a strike with Israel. A decision to use the American bunker busters would also have huge international consequences, Votel said. For one, there could be nuclear contamination from such a bombardment that could endanger civilians. 'I think there would also certainly be fallout internationally over the idea that the United States joined Israel in what would be viewed as an illegal attack on the sovereignty of Iran,' Votel added. And Iran could widen its retaliation to US troops and other American targets in the region and beyond, military analysts say. The United States would be back on war footing in the region. Trump has made clear that he has little interest in more military misadventures in the region, and he is seeking not to alienate a noninterventionist wing of supporters firmly opposed to more U.S. involvement in a Middle East war.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Target: Iran. US forces are ready to deliver the second heaviest bunker buster ever made
The US armed forces have made various significant moves in recent days and months, clearly in preparation for strikes on Iran. First, in March, B-2 Stealth bombers were deployed to Diego Garcia in the middle of the Indian Ocean – a good base for operations against Iran. The B-2s cost more than a billion dollars each and the US only has 19 of them (21 were built but two have been wrecked in accidents): they are only used for the most important operations. In this case, however, the B-2s were probably not deployed because of their stealth technology. The Israelis alone appear to have suppressed Iranian air defences to the degree that they can operate more or less at will in Iran's airspace, mostly not using stealthy aircraft. The US would clearly be able to do this too. The significant thing about the B-2 for this mission is that it's the only aircraft operationally certified to carry the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, the MOP – America's most powerful deep penetration bunker buster. The MOP is so large and weighty (6m long and over 14 tonnes) that only heavy bombers like the B-2 can carry it. In the Western world, only the US has heavy bombers. This is the reason that only the US has such weapons. Israel could easily build a MOP, but it could not easily obtain an aircraft capable of dropping it. The reason that a MOP is relatively easily built is that it is fairly unsophisticated. A MOP is mostly just a sharpened rod of solid hardened steel: only two-and-a-bit tonnes of its mass is explosive charge. Dropped from high in the stratosphere, it hits the ground going at many times the speed of sound and penetrates to great depths before exploding – exactly how deep is a secret but the figure of 60m is often mentioned. This might or might not be sufficient to reach the very deepest parts of the underground Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow and Natanz, and the Iranians are believed to be tunnelling even deeper, so there is some pressure on Trump – especially from the Israelis – to use the MOP while it is still effective. Some would see the MOP as a historical anomaly. It was developed in the noughties, but such weapons were last used for real in WWII. The British 5-tonne 'Tallboy' and 10-tonne 'Grand Slam' penetrators – designed by Barnes Wallis of Dambusters bouncing-bomb fame, and referred to as 'earthquake bombs' – were used against various hard targets such as U-boat pens. An even more monstrous weapon, the 20-tonne American T-12, arrived too late to see war service. The T-12 remains the largest ever weapon of this type, relegating today's MOP to second place. The MOP, however, benefits from modern smartbomb guidance technology, meaning that it is much more accurate than the various 1940s bunker busters. Now we're seeing more moves indicating that US action may be imminent. The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and her strike group are on their way into the Indian Ocean: the USS Carl Vinson and her group are already in the Red Sea. On Monday, a large formation of more than 20 air-to-air tanker planes was seen departing the US eastern seaboard on flight trackers: such a deployment would be likely if major air operations were expected. And of course, President Trump has now left the G7 summit early after spending just a day in Canada, stating that Tehran should be evacuated and that he's seeking an outcome 'better than a ceasefire'. 'They should have done the deal. I told them, do the deal,' Trump told reporters. 'So I don't know. I'm not too much in the mood to negotiate.' Since then he and others in his camp including Vice President J D Vance have appeared to prepare their supporters for the idea of American intervention. All the military pieces are now in place. It's looking likelier and likelier that the MOP is about to see its first operational use.
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Bunker-buster bomb draws focus as Trump weighs Iran options
U.S. President Donald Trump has a wide range of military assets in the Middle East and across the globe to bring to bear in a potential fight against Iran as he weighs one of the most momentous foreign policy decisions of his administration. That arsenal includes powerfully destructive bombs, long-range stealth bombers, an aircraft carrier strike group, Navy destroyers and U.S. troops — offering Trump multiple options if he decides to intervene more directly in support of Israel. Some resources like the B-2 bomber are in the U.S. while other assets are either in the region or on the way. It's unclear whether Trump will deepen U.S. involvement beyond helping Israel defend against Iranian air attacks as he has done in recent days. On Tuesday afternoon, the president gathered his national security staff for a White House Situation Room meeting. The administration, though, has been surging military resources to U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Pentagon's operations in the region. And forces already in the area include naval and air power that could play a crucial role in any U.S. action against Iran. The Islamic Republic has already suffered its worst assault in decades, with Israel's strikes on the country's nuclear and military infrastructure damaging key facilities and killing senior personnel. One weapon, though, is seen as particularly effective if the situation were to escalate and draw the direct involvement of the U.S. The Massive Ordnance Penetrator or "MOP' — better known as the bunker-buster bomb — weighs 30,000 pounds and is the world's largest precision-guided weapon. The GPS-directed bomb, assembled by Boeing, has been touted repeatedly as the only weapon capable of delivering a knockout blow to Tehran's atomic ambitions, which would require a successful strike on the heavily protected enrichment site at Fordow. Hidden beneath a mountain and believed to be buried around 60 to 90 meters deep, many experts believe that damaging Fordow can be achieved only by the MOP — a weapon the U.S. alone possesses. Each bunker buster can be independently targeted and released, "making it possible to deliver a MOP right on top of another MOP,' said Rebecca Grant, a Lexington Institute analyst. Grant said drone surveillance in the area could also help the military "refine the strike' at the last minute and noted that Iranian nuclear facilities such as Fordow have been studied by the U.S. for years. The decision on whether to use that weapon is poised to be one of the most critical Trump makes. The bomb could alter Iran's decision-making over its nuclear program and because its deployment would involve American planes and pilots it would place the U.S. at the center of an offensive military action. "If Israel can achieve that result through its operations, that is the best case,' said Daniel Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel and onetime deputy assistant defense secretary. "But if it requires U.S. participation to target the Fordow facility, that has to be on the table for President Trump to consider.' A B-2 stealth bomber drops a laser guided bomb during a training run in April 1998. | USAF / Getty Images / via Reuters Deploying the MOP would involve another crucial military asset, the B-2 stealth bomber, which can carry two of them. The B-2 would fly thousands of miles from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to deliver the bombs deep within Iran. The U.S. demonstrated the power of its B-2 fleet in October, when bombers flew from Whiteman to hammer Iran-backed Houthi weapons facilities buried underground. Earlier this year, as many as six B-2s were spotted on a runway on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in a deployment that was interpreted by many as a message to both Iran and the Houthis. The Air Force said those aircraft returned to their base in May. U.S. Central Command, which oversees the longstanding U.S. military presence in the Middle East, would play a key role in any operations on Iran, with responsibility for a force spread across multiple countries, including Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and drawing on troops from different military services and special operations forces. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has "directed the deployment of additional capabilities' to the command. The administration is also sending as many as 20 KC-135 and newer KC-46 aerial refueling tankers to undisclosed locations, according to a defense official, helping extend the range of U.S. air power. Those resources would offer Trump additional flexibility in determining his course of action. U.S. personnel in the region, including Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy servicemembers, number 40,000-45,000, according to the most recent Central Command figures. The Navy is also poised to be a critical component, with resources that can both aid any action on Iran and have already been employed to help protect Israel from retaliatory strikes. The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group has been in the region of the Arabian Sea for seven months. The ship carries about 3,000 sailors, according to the Navy, with another 2,000 in its air wing. The air wing boasts an extensive array of military hardware, including F-35 and F-18 fighter jets, EA-18 aircraft that can disrupt enemy radar and communication systems, E-2Ds with advanced radar to help identity threats more quickly, as well as Osprey tiltrotor aircraft and Sea Hawk helicopters. In addition to the centerpiece carrier, the group also includes a guided-missile cruiser, the USS Princeton, and guided-missile destroyers. Another strike group headed by the USS Nimitz is scheduled to relieve the Vinson and is currently in the Indo-Pacific, offering additional forces. The Navy has three Aegis missile defense destroyers in the Eastern Mediterranean — the USS Arleigh Burke, USS The Sullivans and the USS Thomas Hudner, with two more vessels arriving shortly, according to a defense official. Two additional destroyers are in the Red Sea. A U.S. official said the Arleigh Burke and The Sullivans fired numerous SM-3 anti-ballistic missile interceptors over the weekend to help defend Israel. An Army unit in the region also fired THAAD interceptors at Iranian ballistic missiles, according to another official.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Fetterman urges Trump to 'take out' Iran's nuclear sites
Democrat Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman is divorcing himself from the rest of his party on a key foreign policy position. Fetterman passionately articulated his support for Israel amid its conflict with Iran, Tuesday, encouraging the United States to do all they can to assist its ally in the Middle East. During a Fox News appearance Tuesday, Fetterman called out Iran for harboring terrorists who have attacked Israel, while also urging the United States to stand by their strongest ally in the Middle East. 'Well, I think the reality is that you have a nation that just is in a position where they have to be held accountable for what they've done,' Fetterman noted. He added that he's the 'only one constantly calling' for Trump to use B-2 stealth bomber planes and 'gigantic bunker busters' and partner up with Israel to take out Iran's nuclear sites for good. Later on in the segment, Fetterman spoke to the caliber of the opportunity to stop Iran becoming even more aggressive and obtaining a nuclear weapon. 'Taking out Iran at this point is necessary if you ever have a chance to have any real peace in the Middle East,' Fetterman stated. 'I think it's a great start with the 30,000 pound bunker busters. I'd just keep dropping them until you can actually confirm what exactly happened to them,' he said. The senator added that Iran can 'never' be allowed acquire a nuclear weapon. America Reports host Bill Hemmer noted that Fetterman is the only Democrat urging the United States to get involved in Iran . 'All your Democratic colleagues aren't on board with you,' Hemmer stated. Independent Vermont Senator and past Democrat Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders wrote on X Monday that 'the US must not be dragged into another illegal Netanyahu war – either militarily or financially.' Sanders also fully put the full blame for starting the war squarely on the shoulders of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu. Fetterman has been one of the most vocal backers of of Israel in their war with Hamas , which has earned the ire of some of his Democrat colleagues who are more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. Ahead of the G7 Summit in Alberta, Canada Monday morning, Trump was asked by members of the media how intimately he and Netanyahu were working together. 'We've always supported Israel' Trump responded, later adding that 'Israel is doing very well right now.' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also told Fox News host Brett Baier this weekend that Israeli intelligence has evidence to support that Iran was behind the assassination attempts on President Donald Trump in 2024. 'You just said Iran tried to assassinate President Trump twice. Do you have intel that the assassination attempts on President Trump were directly from Iran?' host Bret Baier pressed the Israeli Prime Minister. 'Through proxies, yes. Through - through their intel, yes. They want to kill him. Look, he's enemy number one. He's a decisive leader, ' Netanyahu replied. It was unclear if Netanyahu was referring to post-election attempts foiled by the FBI in November. Trump also survived attempts on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania in July last year, and at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in September. The Daily Mail reported last year that Trump has been a target of Iran ever since the slaying of military leader Qasem Soleimani. During the campaign, Trump asked for military planes and a larger Secret Service detail to protect him from Iranian threats. In September 2024, Trump said he would blow Iran 'to smithereens' if he was back in the White House and there were attempts by Tehran.
