Pentagon, Eyeing Iran, Wants to Rush 30,000-Pound Bomb Program

Pentagon, Eyeing Iran, Wants to Rush 30,000-Pound Bomb Program

www.bloomberg.com

By Tony Capaccio

July 31 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Defense Department wants to accelerate by three years the deployment of a 30,000-pound bunker-buster bomb, a request that reflects growing unease over nuclear threats from Iran and North Korea.

Comptroller Robert Hale, in a formal request to the four congressional defense committees earlier this month, asked permission to shift about $68 million in the Pentagon’s budget to this program to ensure the first four bombs could be mounted on stea

(visit the link for the full news article)

It seems that though everything is going the exact opposite direction than what I expected.

By now I thought the Iran issue would be resolved, but we're mass producting even more powerful weapons for the future. I wonder if Iranian war gaming has prepared them for what will be the complete destruction of their military infrastructure within the first two hours of an American military offensive?



www.bloomberg.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Another good link on it..

Proper Fit Of Massive Penetrator Weapon On B-2 Bomber Verified

Northrop Grumman has moved the U.S. Air Force a critical step closer to being able to drop a 30,000 pound penetrator weapon from the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber.

The MOP is a GPS-guided weapon containing more than 5,300 pounds of conventional explosives inside a 20.5-foot long bomb body of hardened steel. It is designed to penetrate dirt, rock and reinforced concrete to reach enemy bunker or tunnel installations. The B-2 will be capable of carrying two MOPs, one in each weapons bay.

So for now they are trying to fit a B-2 with the proper installations to drop those bombs... So they don't even have 1 B-2 ready for bombing.

The military wants this bomb because of the failure the Israeli Airforce had in Lebanon in 2006 bombing Hezbollah underground tunnels.

This will just annhilate anything it touches. Yay. Big Bombs. Thats cool and all, but come on man, whats with all the beef?And Im Ex Military man!
But on the other hand there is the "We Must Have Better Stuff To Stay Safe"excuse.

might be something to do with the fact that irans nuclear facility has been deliberatley built deep underground .

Western intelligence experts believe that Iran's nuclear facilities are so deep underground that it would be difficult for Israel to wipe them out, or even significantly damage them

The facilities, however, are located in tunnels fortified by barriers more than 60 feet thick

www.newsweek.com...

wow, it must be some crazy bombs!!!

Originally posted by grantbeed
might be something to do with the fact that irans nuclear facility has been deliberatley built deep underground .

Western intelligence experts believe that Iran's nuclear facilities are so deep underground that it would be difficult for Israel to wipe them out, or even significantly damage them

The facilities, however, are located in tunnels fortified by barriers more than 60 feet thick

www.newsweek.com...

wow, it must be some crazy bombs!!!

Oh how convienent. We have to go deep to get them so we have to build a bomb that will just eradicate anything. ok.
These Turd burglars.

reply to post by IDK88


If they don't have a strong military, what happened to Iraq and Afghanistan will happen to them.

Originally posted by Common Good

Oh how convienent. We have to go deep to get them so we have to build a bomb that will just eradicate anything. ok.
These Turd burglars.

Not exactly, bunker buster bombs do not "eradicate everything." These bombs are made in a way that they will penetrate deep underground, and at a certain depth they explode. That's why it has to be so heavy.

It won't detonate on impact, it's weight will make it burrow deep underground, and then it explodes underground.

Like this.



Yes, there will be a big explosion also around the bunker in the surface, if there are enough explosives, but it won't be so great that it will destroy a city, more so since most nuclear facilities, and other military bunkers are normally far from cities.

The real threat to a city that might be close by comes from radiation if the bunker buster bomb detonates in a nuclear facility.




[edit on 2-8-2009 by ElectricUniverse]

Here is another example, in a video on how a bunker buster bomb works.
Not a one liner.

www.metacafe.com...

reply to post by ElectricUniverse


Of course they wont kill entire cities, but if modified correctly, they could take out a very large surface area if detonated above ground.

Originally posted by Common Good

Of course they wont kill entire cities, but if modified correctly, they could take out a very large surface area if detonated above ground.

But that's not what bunker buster bombs do. They are not modified to detonate at the surface since then it won't be a bunker buster bomb. If it detonates on the surface it is just a bomb.

Originally posted by Common Good
Of course they wont kill entire cities, but if modified correctly, they could take out a very large surface area if detonated above ground.

One would essentially have to redesign the MOP for it to be effective in such a role. This is unnecessary given that the current inventory has had that threat scenario covered for quite some time. Furthermore, there are perfectly legitimate military reasons and situations where the availability, and deployment, of such a weapon is totally appropriate and necessary.

You're thinking of something akin to the GBU-43/B (MOAB) which is designed specifically for above ground detonation. Although it weighs less than the MOP, it carries more explosive material. And before that we can mention the BLU-82B "Daisy Cutter" from the Vietnam era. Or several WWII munitions which fit the characteristics of being large and having dual penetrating and surface burst modes.

[edit on 2-8-2009 by WestPoint23]

For the sake of the Iranian people, I hope the Mullahs don't try the same thing that Saddam Hussein tried. Surely, there is not reason to expect the outcome of this type of game to be different.

I suppose something is getting very desperate and they just might use Iran WMDs as bait for a trap. A trap that's about to get busted up and Islamic Republic of Iran kicked over on its side. The Israeli's should watch their step as well; surely they see what has happened to the British

...playing these games with the Americans for a second time in 6 years doesn't seem too clever if you ask me.

[edit on 2-8-2009 by IDK88]

reply to post by IDK88


That is some big ass bomb......... wouldn't like to be in the vicinity when that thing drops!!!!!

As I read several things occur to me.

1) This "could" be a non-nuclear method of getting to little kimmy and his nukes.

2) This could be used to distroy Irans nuclear bomb making program without using nuclear bunker busters.

3) it's to big to be carried by a fighter/bomber craft.

I am thinking it would take like F-111 or B-52 or B-2 sized craft to carry and drop it.

4) Isreal has no craft that big/well armed and well defended to drop this weapon.

So very interesting........

P.S. could this have to do with the US telling Isreal to leave the military attacks on Iran to the US????

reply to post by IDK88


The US needs some kind of false flagger to get the ball rolling. I guess they could just blame 9/11 on Iran.

I thought we were going to go on Aug. 17, 2005 and then again in October, 2007. Too much time has passed. The Russians are ready to resupply Iran.

The Pentagon can't even be bothered to prove why they need new weapons anymore. Now all they need to do is claim there is a "secret" nuclear program deep underground to justify spending money in more destructive weapons. We've completely lost control of the sickos that run the US military.

Seems like this would be one of the most easiest things to defend against. Anyone remember that weapon that shoots millions of little bullets in the blink of an eye???????? It was amazing. The machine was loaded in a a special innovative way i.e. one bullet behind another. And they were fired with an electrical charge. It was astounding and scary. Seems like if Iran can manufacture nuclear energy they can devise a way to easily explode these bunker busters before they can explode underground.

reply to post by Zosynspiracy


By definition, bunker busters are designed to penitrat both earth and steel reinforced concrete.

they are designed with heavy tips, 30-100 pounds, seriously.
(when you consider the distance they fall, you see all the energy that gets builtup to aid in penitration.

They are designed to not explode until they reach a given depth.

Save for deeper, thicker wall and maybe some form of reactive armor, no real way to stop them.

What everyone is seeming to forget is that the threat is not Iran. We can stop them right now if we wanted to. The real threat is Russia. Remember Russia is the one who has supported (financially and technologically) the Iranian nuclear program. I highly doubt that they'd be pleased with the U.S. bombing Iran's nuclear facility. In fact, I think it safe to say that there would be grave repercussions from the Russians if you get my drift.

All this is is added incentive to submit to the "unconditional" talks with the West. Israel is chomping at the bit to attack them, this buys time.

[edit on 2/8/2009 by Iamonlyhuman]