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Reuters
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
How US military power looms over the Israel-Iran conflict
If Trump decides to use U.S. forces against facilities like Fardow, he may opt to send the U.S. Air Force's B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. The bomber's internal weapons bays are specifically designed to maintain stealth characteristics while accommodating large ordnance loads which could include two GBU-57A/B MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator), a 30,000-pound precision-guided 'bunker buster' bomb. The MOP represents the largest conventional bomb in the U.S. arsenal, specifically engineered to defeat hardened underground bunkers. Its massive size provides unmatched bunker-penetration capability, while the weapon's 20.5-foot length and GPS-guided precision targeting system enable accurate strikes against specific underground facilities. Its penetration capability of over 60 metres (200 feet) through hardened concrete makes it effective against the world's most protected underground installations.
Times
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Times
How a US strike on Iran could unfold, step by step
Shortly after 10pm in the middle of the Indian Ocean, four B-2 Spirit stealth bombers take off under the cover of darkness, heading to Iran. Each of the bombers is capable of carrying two Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs) — 6m-long, 13.6-tonne bombs that can smash through layers of rock and destroy underground bunkers. They have never been fired in anger. The sheer weight of the bombs means the journey from Diego Garcia, a joint UK-US base, could take longer than planned. Nevertheless, the pilots aim to arrive by 3.30am at the target: Fordow, Iran's most heavily fortified nuclear site. The time is chosen because it is when the enemy is at its weakest. 'Between 2am and 4am is the best time to attack … whether that's with a machinegun or dropping a bomb on their head,' explains a former fast jet pilot. 'Human beings,' he adds, 'don't work well in the small hours.' President Trump has said he will decide within two weeks whether to strike Iran. This is how the US could do it. Decoys and back-up Before the aerial cavalry arrive the US is likely to deploy other aircraft, possibly F-35s, that can hit multiple targets at the same time and thereby draw resources away from the real target. Then in would go the B-2s … … the only aircraft certified to carry the MOP, also referred to as the GBU-57, which is capable of penetrating hundreds of feet of mountain rock. The Israelis would probably also deploy a cyberattack to sabotage the command and control elements of the Iranian military. Decoys, in the form of flares or chaff, could be used to divert air defence systems away from the jets in what a British military source described as 'a series of co-ordinated complex events to max out the enemy'. Israel's destruction of Iranian missile defence systems has allowed it to dominate the skies, meaning B-2s and other aircraft would probably be met with little resistance. 'To have that ability to be flying over Tehran with a couple of jets, and a couple of drones, and only having two surface-to-air missiles fired at you in the last couple of days, is astonishing,' the military source said. Only two of the B-2s may be needed, each dropping two bombs, to successfully destroy Fordow; the other two would be there for back-up. The bunker buster The MOP is the most powerful non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal, a precision-guided 'bunker buster'. It is designed to destroy targets buried so deep no other conventional weapon could reach them. Dropped from a B-2 stealth bomber flying at high altitude, it is thought to accelerate to a speed faster than sound, using sophisticated fins to home in on a preset target. Its pointed nose is designed to pierce hardened layers of rock, concrete and steel. Though the bomb's precise capabilities are classified, the initial impact is estimated to deliver as much as 900 megajoules of kinetic energy, roughly equivalent to a fully laden Boeing 747 slamming into a barrier at 170mph — the difference being that with the bomb, this energy is concentrated on a tiny area. GETTY IMAGES Sheer kinetic force will take it through up to 60m of reinforced concrete or hard rock. Only then does its explosive charge, thought to weigh about 2.5 tonnes, detonate. The blast is intended to collapse or cripple the target. Fordow is buried up to 100m beneath a mountain, shielded by concrete and steel. That suggests a strike would require at least two perfectly aligned impacts — possibly many more. Fred Fleitz, a former chief of staff at the National Security Council and deputy assistant to President Trump in 2018, told the BBC he believed the US administration had in mind using three to four of the bunker buster bombs. There would be no need for troops on the ground to assess the damage, he said, because the mountain would collapse. He said: 'The mountain shaking is going to do enormous damage to the centrifuge machines that are very sensitive and very carefully balanced — there will be nothing left of this mountain.' The fallout risk The geopolitical fallout may be intense, but scientists see little risk of widespread radioactive contamination from a strike on the Fordow uranium enrichment plant. If the site is using natural uranium that has not come from a nuclear reactor, the main radioactive materials present will be different forms of uranium (U-238, U-235 and U-234), along with two short-lived by-products: thorium-234 and protactinium-234. All are at the lower end of the scale when it comes to radioactive danger, according to Mark Foreman, a nuclear chemist at the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. 'Natural, depleted and enriched uranium only have a very small ability to induce cancer in humans and animals,' he said. 'I estimate that a person would be required to swallow about 30 or 40 grammes of uranium to give themselves a radiation dose similar to the yearly limit for a British or European radiation worker.' However, there will be other, more serious chemical threats. Fordow is thought to be working with uranium in the form of a gas called uranium hexafluoride. If it comes into contact with water or moist air, it forms solid particles of other uranium compounds and also hydrofluoric acid. 'Hydrofluoric acid is exceptionally harmful,' Foreman said. It will pass through skin and soft tissue. Inside the body it will bind aggressively to calcium and magnesium ions. These elements are essential for heart and muscle function, meaning that exposure can lead to cardiac arrest. In concentrated form it causes chemical burns that destroy flesh and bones.' Uranium hexafluoride is a heavy molecule unlikely to travel far, however, especially if the plant is buried with millions of tonnes of rock. That suggests the dangers would be localised. Ready for retaliation? If Iran responded, the US would be prepared. In less than a week the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its strike group, with nine air squadrons and an escort force of destroyers, will arrive in the region, joining the USS Carl Vinson strike carrier group. 'If America was to do that [use the B-2s] and Iran then lashes out, that is where you need a blanket — that makes sure US and partner interests in the region are covered off by an enormous amount of firepower in the region,' a British military source said. The scale of America's naval presence is vast. Its firepower could be augmented by Britain's 14 Typhoon jets at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, which the US may use as a base for its refuelling aircraft. America's bases and other military installations across the Middle East, where some 40,000 American service personnel are stationed, are likely targets for retaliation. Perhaps the most significant is in Qatar, home to the forward headquarters of US Central Command, which is responsible for American military operations in the Middle East, central Asia and parts of south Asia. Also vital to US interests is the base in Bahrain, home of the US navy's fifth fleet. There are, meanwhile, 100 British troops in Iraq, along with Americans, who are at risk of being targeted by Iranian-backed proxies on the ground. This is the potential backlash the British are most worried about. There has also been an increase in American involvement in Syria since the collapse of the Tehran-friendly Assad regime in December. Some 1,000 US troops are in the country, largely to operate against the remnants of Isis. In addition, Tehran's military planners may look at targets in Jordan, which has in the past contributed to shooting down Iranian missiles aimed at Israel.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why Israel wants US bunker busters to hit Iran's Fordow nuclear site
US President Donald Trump says he is still weighing his options regarding United States military intervention amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran. Standing on the South Lawn of the White House on Wednesday, Trump said, 'The next week is going to be big,' adding that Iranian officials are eager to negotiate. However, he warned them that 'it's very late to be talking,' after they reached out to him. Officials and experts have suggested that the US's 30,000-pound (13,000kg) bunker buster bomb is the only weapon capable of destroying the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, a facility believed to be central to Tehran's nuclear programme and carved deep into a mountain. The United States is the only country to possess these bombs, which it delivers using B-2 bombers. If deployed against Iran, it would represent a major shift from primarily intercepting missiles on Israel's behalf to conducting active offensive strikes against Iran. 'Bunker buster' is a general term for bombs designed to destroy targets located deep underground that conventional bombs cannot reach. The US military's most powerful bunker buster is the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator. Weighing about 30,000 pounds (13,600 kg), including a 2,700kg (6,000-pound) warhead, this precision-guided bomb is made of high-strength steel and built to penetrate up to 200 feet (61 metres) underground before exploding. The B-2 Spirit, a US stealth bomber, is currently the only aircraft designed to deploy the GBU-57 and can carry two bunker buster bombs at a time. The US Air Force says multiple bombs can be dropped sequentially, either by the same aircraft or by several, allowing each strike to burrow deeper, amplifying the overall impact. Israel also operates US-made bunker busters, including the GBU-28 and BLU-109, which are typically dropped from fighter jets such as the F-15. These weapons, however, have a much shallower penetration range and are not capable of reaching extreme depths of fortified sites like Iran's Fordow nuclear facility. In 2024, Israel reportedly used successive BLU-109 bombs to kill Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in his underground headquarters in Beirut. Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, located about 95km (60 miles) southwest of Tehran, is built into the side of a mountain, reportedly up to 80-90 metres (260-300 feet) underground, to survive air strikes and bunker buster attacks. Construction of the Fordow facility is believed to have begun in about 2006, and it became operational in 2009, the same year Iran officially acknowledged it. Under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, Iran agreed to halt enrichment at Fordow and convert the site into a research centre. However, after the US withdrew from the agreement in 2018, Iran resumed uranium enrichment at the facility. Iran has insisted its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes. Fordow is reportedly defended by Iranian and Russian surface-to-air missile systems, though those defences may have already been targeted in Israel's ongoing strikes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has framed the campaign as a mission to dismantle Iran's missile and nuclear capabilities, describing them as an existential threat. Officials have confirmed that Fordow is a key target. 'This entire operation … really has to be completed with the elimination of Fordow,' said Yechiel Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the United States, in an interview with Fox News. Israel is believed to have destroyed the above-ground section of Iran's uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, the country's largest nuclear site. According to the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the resulting power loss may have also caused damage to the underground enrichment halls at the facility. Before and after satellite imagery reveals the extent of the damage at Natanz. Israeli attacks have also damaged the Isfahan enrichment facility in central Iran. On Monday, Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, said there was a possibility of both radiological and chemical contamination from the damaged Natanz site. Speaking at an emergency IAEA session in Vienna, Grossi said radiation levels remain normal outside Iran's Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites, both of which were hit in Israeli strikes. However, he warned that ongoing military escalation increases the risk of a radiological release. Fordow is located about 32 kilometres (20 miles) south of the city of Qom, Iran's seventh-largest city with a population of some 1.4 million and a major religious and political centre.
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Why Israel wants US bunker busters to hit Iran's Fordow nuclear site
US President Donald Trump says he is still weighing his options regarding United States military intervention amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran. Standing on the South Lawn of the White House on Wednesday, Trump said, 'The next week is going to be big,' adding that Iranian officials are eager to negotiate. However, he warned them that 'it's very late to be talking,' after they reached out to him. Officials and experts have suggested that the US's 30,000-pound (13,000kg) bunker buster bomb is the only weapon capable of destroying the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, a facility believed to be central to Tehran's nuclear programme and carved deep into a mountain. The United States is the only country to possess these bombs, which it delivers using B-2 bombers. If deployed against Iran, it would represent a major shift from primarily intercepting missiles on Israel's behalf to conducting active offensive strikes against Iran. 'Bunker buster' is a general term for bombs designed to destroy targets located deep underground that conventional bombs cannot reach. The US military's most powerful bunker buster is the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator. Weighing about 30,000 pounds (13,600 kg), including a 2,700kg (6,000-pound) warhead, this precision-guided bomb is made of high-strength steel and built to penetrate up to 200 feet (61 metres) underground before exploding. The B-2 Spirit, a US stealth bomber, is currently the only aircraft designed to deploy the GBU-57 and can carry two bunker buster bombs at a time. The US Air Force says multiple bombs can be dropped sequentially, either by the same aircraft or by several, allowing each strike to burrow deeper, amplifying the overall impact. Israel also operates US-made bunker busters, including the GBU-28 and BLU-109, which are typically dropped from fighter jets such as the F-15. These weapons, however, have a much shallower penetration range and are not capable of reaching extreme depths of fortified sites like Iran's Fordow nuclear facility. In 2024, Israel reportedly used successive BLU-109 bombs to kill Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in his underground headquarters in Beirut. Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, located about 95km (60 miles) southwest of Tehran, is built into the side of a mountain, reportedly up to 80-90 metres (260-300 feet) underground, to survive air strikes and bunker buster attacks. Construction of the Fordow facility is believed to have begun in about 2006, and it became operational in 2009, the same year Iran officially acknowledged it. Under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, Iran agreed to halt enrichment at Fordow and convert the site into a research centre. However, after the US withdrew from the agreement in 2018, Iran resumed uranium enrichment at the facility. Iran has insisted its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes. Fordow is reportedly defended by Iranian and Russian surface-to-air missile systems, though those defences may have already been targeted in Israel's ongoing strikes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has framed the campaign as a mission to dismantle Iran's missile and nuclear capabilities, describing them as an existential threat. Officials have confirmed that Fordow is a key target. 'This entire operation … really has to be completed with the elimination of Fordow,' said Yechiel Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the United States, in an interview with Fox News. Israel is believed to have destroyed the above-ground section of Iran's uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, the country's largest nuclear site. According to the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the resulting power loss may have also caused damage to the underground enrichment halls at the facility. Before and after satellite imagery reveals the extent of the damage at attacks have also damaged the Isfahan enrichment facility in central Monday, Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, said there was a possibility of both radiological and chemical contamination from the damaged Natanz site. Speaking at an emergency IAEA session in Vienna, Grossi said radiation levels remain normal outside Iran's Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites, both of which were hit in Israeli strikes. However, he warned that ongoing military escalation increases the risk of a radiological release. Fordow is located about 32 kilometres (20 miles) south of the city of Qom, Iran's seventh-largest city with a population of some 1.4 million and a major religious and political centre.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
US B-2 bombers, bunker-busters and alternatives
WASHINGTON, June 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force's B-2 Spirit stealth bomber represents one of America's most advanced strategic weapons platforms, capable of entering sophisticated air defenses and delivering precision strikes against hardened targets such as Iran's buried network of nuclear research facilities. The U.S. military is ready to carry out any decision that President Donald Trump may make on Iran, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday, adding that Tehran should have heeded the president's calls for it to make a deal on its nuclear program prior to the start of Israel's strikes on Friday. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected Trump's demand for unconditional surrender on Wednesday, and the U.S. president said his patience had run out, though he gave no clue as to what his next step would be. B-2 SPIRIT SPECIFICATIONS: The U.S. B-2 costs about $2.1 billion each making it the most expensive military aircraft ever built. Made by Northrop Grumman (NOC.N), opens new tab the bomber with its cutting-edge stealth technology, began its production run in the late 1980s but was curbed by the fall of the Soviet Union. Only 21 were made after the Pentagon's planned acquisition program was truncated. The bomber's range of over 6,000 nautical miles without refueling enables global strike capabilities from continental U.S. bases. With aerial refueling, the B-2 can reach virtually any target worldwide, as demonstrated in missions from Missouri to Afghanistan and Libya. Its payload capacity of more than 40,000 pounds allows the aircraft to carry a diverse array of conventional and nuclear weapons. The bomber's internal weapons bays are specifically designed to maintain stealth characteristics while accommodating large ordnance loads which could include two GBU-57A/B MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator), a 30,000-pound precision-guided "bunker buster" bomb. The two-pilot crew configuration reduces personnel requirements while maintaining operational effectiveness through advanced automation systems. The B-2's stealth technology incorporates radar-absorbing materials and angular design features that minimize detection by enemy air defense systems. Its radar cross-section is reportedly comparable to that of a small bird, making it nearly invisible to conventional radar. MASSIVE ORDNANCE PENETRATOR (MOP): The 30,000-pound MOP represents the largest conventional bomb in the U.S. arsenal, specifically engineered to defeat hardened underground bunkers. Its massive size requires the B-2 to carry only one or two MOPs per mission, but provides unmatched bunker-penetration capability. The weapon's 20.5-foot length and GPS-guided precision targeting system enable accurate strikes against specific underground facilities. Its penetration capability of over 200 feet through hardened concrete makes it effective against the world's most protected underground installations. CONVENTIONAL PAYLOADS: Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) provide the B-2 with precision conventional strike capability against fixed targets. These GPS-guided weapons can be deployed in large numbers, with the bomber capable of simultaneously engaging multiple targets with high accuracy. Joint Standoff Weapons (JSOW) extend the aircraft's engagement range while maintaining stealth characteristics during approach. These glide bombs allow the B-2 to strike targets from outside heavily defended airspace perimeters. Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) offer long-range precision strike capability with their own stealth features. The extended-range JASSM-ER variant provides strike options against targets over 500 miles (805 km) away. NUCLEAR PAYLOAD CAPABILITIES: The B-2 Spirit serves as a key component of America's nuclear triad, capable of delivering strategic nuclear weapons with stealth and precision. The aircraft can carry up to 16 B83 nuclear bombs.
