On Saturday night, President Donald Trump announced that American fighters had dropped bombs on three Iranian nuclear sites, and the United States officially entered the war more than a week after Israel’s first attack.
Trump disclosed the bombing on social media before 8pm, 8pm, saying that the “full payload” of the bomb had been dropped on Fordo. Fordo is an underground facility, and two other sites considered important to the country’s nuclear programme, and “all planes are currently outside of Iran’s airspace.”
Trump and his administration are considering US involvement following the Israeli attacks in Iran on June 12, with particular interest from Israeli officials of the American-made “Bunkerbuster” bomb. It is unclear whether only US-made B-2 fighter jets capable of carrying these bombs are used in attacks.
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Israel’s penetrating weapons cannot reach these underground facilities. US officials are not allowed to publicly speak to USA Today because they require a massive 30,000-pound weapon intruder (MOP) bomb, or “bunkerbuster.”
Here’s what you need to know about this “Bunker Buster” bomb, the GBU-57.
What are massive weapon intruders?
According to the US Air Force, a large weapons intruder (MOP) is a weapons system designed to destroy weapons of mass destruction in well-protected facilities. It can only be delivered by US B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber.
How deep is the “Bunker Buster” bomb?
The Guided Bomb Unit (GBU) 57, also known as the “Bunker Buster,” is a large, GPS-guided penetrating weapon designed to attack deeply buried targets such as bunkers and tunnels, according to the Department of Defense office for weapon testing and evaluation. It weighs 30,000 pounds, and although previous reports suggest that 200 feet can be invaded into the ground, there may have been many renewals of bombs over the past few years, including a $21 million renewal agreement in 2019, and its reach and other features have increased.
Contributions: Cybele Mayes-Osterman and Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today; Reuters.
Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA Today. You can contact her kapalmer@usatoday.com And with x @Kathrynplmr.
