B-2 Bomber Gets Boeing's New 30,000-Pound Bunker-Buster Bomb

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Zwaarste bom ter wereld staat paraat

Door: Stieven Ramdharie − 18/02/13

Het is de Iraanse leiders niet ontgaan: de zwaarste bom ter wereld is operationeel. Die 'moeder aller bommen' bevindt zich in handen van aartsvijand Amerika, liggend in een peperdure B-2 in Missouri, op slechts veertien uur vliegen van Teheran. .

De luchtmacht in de VS heeft tests afgerond met een nieuwe versie van de bijna 14.000 kilo zware Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). Dit is de enige conventionele bom die Irans belangrijkste ondergrondse nucleaire installatie, Fordo bij Qom, in de as kan leggen.

Hoewel Washington ontkent dat de megabom gericht is tegen Iran, is de bekendmaking dat de MOP nu operationeel is een duidelijk signaal aan Teheran. Namelijk dat de tot 2009 geheime verrijkingsfabriek Fordo, verborgen in een berg onder 100 meter gesteente, vanaf heden kwetsbaar is.

De bunker buster is zo zwaar - zes keer zo zwaar als zijn voorganger - dat hij maar door één vliegtuig kan worden vervoerd: de B-2 stealthbommenwerper. 'We zijn bevoegd om dit wapen op de B-2 te gebruiken', zei luchtmachtgeneraal James Kowalski onlangs in Washington over de mijlpaal.

Modernere centrifuges
Kowalski sprak die woorden tegen de achtergrond van onverminderde spanningen rond Irans nucleaire programma. Teheran maakte woensdag bekend dat het modernere centrifuges in gebruik heeft genomen in Natanz, na Fordo het belangrijkste doelwit van een Amerikaanse of Israëlische preventieve aanval. 'We zullen doen wat noodzakelijk is om te voorkomen dat ze kernwapens krijgen', waarschuwde president Obama opnieuw.

De MOP, die al sinds 2004 wordt getest, moest vorig jaar in allerijl worden aangepast. Nadat het Pentagon 245 miljoen euro had gespendeerd aan twintig bommen rezen er twijfels of de MOP wel in staat was om goed verborgen doelwitten zoals Fordo uit te schakelen. Voor nog eens 61 miljoen euro werd de bom aangepast om de diepste bunkers te kunnen vernietigen.

'Het ultieme wapen tegen diep verborgen kernwapens', noemt het Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) van het Pentagon, initiatiefnemer van het wapen, de bijna 7 meter lange bom. Volgens DTRA heeft de technologische superioriteit van de Amerikaanse krijgsmacht een keerzijde: de vijand duikt diep onder de grond om in tunnels of bunkers massavernietigingswapens te maken of op te slaan.

Na de ontdekking van de Fordo-fabriek in 2009, die is gebouwd in een berg, zette het Pentagon vaart achter de megapenetratiebom. Amerikaanse functionarissen hebben, anoniem, toegegeven dat de MOP vooral gericht is tegen Iran. 'We denken dat we ze effectief kunnen aanvallen als dat nodig is', zei een voorzichtige Defensie-minister Panetta in september.

Aanval
Het operationeel worden van de megabom betekent dat alleen de VS in staat zijn Fordo zwaar te treffen. Israël dreigt al jaren met een preventieve aanval op Fordo en Natanz. De zwaarste bom waarover Jeruzalem beschikt, is echter de 'slechts' 2.000 kilo zware GBU-28, eveneens uit de VS. Iran pocht dan ook dat Israël niet in staat is om de installatie te vernietigen.

Zelfs als Washington dat zou willen, is leverantie van de MOP aan Jeruzalem niet mogelijk omdat de Israëli's alleen beschikken over F-15's en F-16's. Verkoop van de 1,6 miljard euro kostende B-2, waarvan de VS er nog twintig hebben, is uit den boze. Het hightechtoestel, dat bedoeld was als nucleaire bommenwerper voor langeafstandsmissies, is niet bestemd voor export.

'De slechtste optie is niets doen', zegt de Amerikaanse defensiedeskundige en docent aan Columbia University Austin Long vanuit New York. 'De op een na beste is een Israëlische actie. De beste optie is dat de VS de klus klaren.'

Het beschikbaar komen van de MOP betekent dat de B-2, die intern nog werkt met jaren-tachtigtechnologie, nog lang niet wordt afgeschaft. Het Pentagon wil de bommenwerpers, die non-stopmissies uitvoeren vanuit Missouri, nu voor zo'n 1,5 miljard euro moderniseren en inzetten tot 2058.

Teheran is gewaarschuwd: de B-2's kunnen in ruim 28 uur Fordo bereiken, de MOP lanceren en terugkeren. Dit alles zonder dat de Iraanse radar het 'spookvliegtuig' ontdekt en de Iraanse F-14's het kunnen neerhalen. In de oorlogen waarin de B-2's zijn ingezet, zoals Kosovo en Irak, is nooit een toestel verloren gegaan.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2668/Buitenland/article/detail/3395644/2013/02/18/Zwaarste-bom-ter-wereld-staat-paraat.dhtml

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

The Pentagon's New 30,000-lb MOP Bomb Is Ready To Go

David Cenciotti and Robert Johnson, The Aviationist|Jan. 15, 2013

Senior Pentagon officials told Congress the nation's largest conventional bomb, the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), is ready for action.

The Air Force said as much back in June after rushing the MOP back to Boeing for $82 million in modifications and enhancements, but this report puts it on the books as deployable ordnance.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/pentagon-michael-gilmore-report-congress-massive-ordnance-penetrator-mop-bomb-ready-aviationist-2013-1#ixzz2I3Tg5uw0

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Donley: New bunker-busting bomb ready to use

By Jeff Schogol - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jul 25, 2012

The Air Force's 30,000-pound behemoth bunker buster is ready to be used if needed, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said Wednesday.

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2012/07/airforce-donley-MOP-072512/

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Pentagon Seeks Mightier Bomb vs. Iran .

By ADAM ENTOUS And JULIAN E. BARNES

WASHINGTON—Pentagon war planners have concluded that their largest conventional bomb isn't yet capable of destroying Iran's most heavily fortified underground facilities, and are stepping up efforts to make it more powerful, according to U.S. officials briefed on the plan.

The 30,000-pound "bunker-buster" bomb, known as the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, was specifically designed to take out the hardened fortifications built by Iran and North Korea to cloak their nuclear programs.

But initial tests indicated that the bomb, as currently configured, wouldn't be capable of destroying some of Iran's facilities, either because of their depth or because Tehran has added new fortifications to protect them.

Doubts about the MOP's effectiveness prompted the Pentagon this month to secretly submit a request to Congress for funding to enhance the bomb's ability to penetrate deeper into rock, concrete and steel before exploding, the officials said.

The push to boost the power of the MOP is part of stepped-up contingency planning for a possible strike against Iran's nuclear program, say U.S. officials.

The Defense Department has spent about $330 million so far to develop about 20 of the bombs, which are built by Boeing Co. The Pentagon is seeking about $82 million more to make the bomb more effective, according to government officials briefed on the plan.

Some experts question if any kind of conventional explosives are capable of reaching facilities such as those built deep underground in Iran. But U.S. defense officials say they believe the MOP could already do damage sufficient to set back the program.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal Thursday, acknowledged the bomb's shortcomings against some of Iran's deepest bunkers. He said more development work would be done and that he expected the bomb to be ready to take on the deepest bunkers soon.

"We're still trying to develop them," Mr. Panetta said.

President Barack Obama has made clear that he believes U.S. and international sanctions can curb Iran's nuclear program if they are given more time to work. At the same time, however, Mr. Obama has asked the Pentagon to come up with military options.

In Tuesday's State of the Union address, Mr. Obama said: "Let there be no doubt: America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal." Iran denies it is trying to develop atomic weapons.

The U.S. has sought in recent weeks to tamp down tensions with Iran, but the Pentagon is at the same time pushing ahead with contingency planning.

"The development of this weapon is not intended to send a signal to any one particular country," Pentagon press secretary George Little said. "It's a capability we believe we need in our arsenal and will continue to invest in it."

Officials said the planned improvements to the MOP were meant to overcome shortcomings that emerged in initial testing. They said the new money was meant to ensure the weapon would be more effective against the deepest bunkers, including Iran's Fordow enrichment plant facility, which is buried in a mountain complex surrounded by antiaircraft batteries, making it a particularly difficult target even for the most powerful weapons available to the U.S.

Developing an effective bunker-buster is complicated in part because of the variables, experts say. Penetration varies depending on factors such as soil density and the types of stone and rock shielding the target.

Boeing received a contract in 2009 to fit the weapon on the U.S.'s B-2 Stealth Bomber. The Air Force began receiving the first of the bombs in September, a time of growing tensions with Iran. The Air Force has so far contracted to buy 20 of the bombs, and more deliveries are expected in 2013, after additional tests are made.

Should a decision be made to use the MOP as currently configured, it could cause "a lot of damage" to Iran's underground nuclear facilities but wouldn't necessarily destroy them outright, Mr. Panetta said.

"We're developing it. I think we're pretty close, let's put it that way. But we're still working at it because these things are not easy to be able to make sure that they will do what we want them to."

Mr. Panetta added: "But I'm confident, frankly, that we're going to have that capability and have it soon,"

The decision to ask now for more money to develop the weapon was directly related to efforts by the U.S. military's Central Command to prepare military options against Iran as quickly as possible, according to a person briefed on the request for additional funds.

A senior defense official said the U.S. had other options besides the MOP to set back Iran's nuclear program. "The Massive Ordnance Penetrators are by no means the only capability at our disposal to deal with potential nuclear threats in Iran," the official said.

Another senior U.S. official said the Pentagon could make up for the MOPs' shortcomings by dropping them along with other guided bombs on top of a bunker's entry and exit points—provided the intelligence is available about where they are all located.

Successful strikes on bunker entry and exit points could prevent an enemy from accessing such a site and could cause enough damage to stop or slow enrichment activity there.

"There is a virtue to deepness but you still need to get in and out," the senior U.S. official said.

The Pentagon was particularly concerned about its ability to destroy bunkers built under mountains, such as Iran's Fordow site near the Shiite Muslim holy city of Qom, according to a former senior U.S. official who is an expert on Iran.

The official said some Pentagon war planners believe conventional bombs won't be effective against Fordow and that a tactical nuclear weapon may be the only military option if the goal is to destroy the facility. "Once things go into the mountain, then really you have to have something that takes the mountain off," the official said.

The official said the MOP may be more effective against Iran's main enrichment plant at Natanz but added: "But even that is guesswork."

The Pentagon notified Congress in mid-January that it wants to divert around $82 million to refine the MOP, taking the money from other defense programs. The decision to sidestep the normal budget request process suggests the Pentagon deems the MOP upgrades to be a matter of some urgency.

Mr. Panetta said Iran wasn't the only potential target. "It's not just aimed at Iran. Frankly, it's aimed at any enemy that decides to locate in some kind of impenetrable location. The goal here is to be able to get at any enemy, anywhere," he said

Mr. Panetta and former Defense Secretary Robert Gates have argued that a military strike would at best delay Iran's nuclear development for a few years. Advocates of a strike say such a delay could be decisive by buying time for other efforts to thwart the program.

According to Air Force officials, the 20.5 foot-long MOP carries over 5,300 pounds of explosive material. It is designed to penetrate up to 200 feet underground before exploding. The mountain above the Iranian enrichment site at Fordow is estimated to be at least 200 feet tall.

Israel has large bunker-buster bombs but the U.S. hasn't provided the MOP to any other country.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203363504577187420287098692.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

[VandeWiel]

Kan je zo'n bom ook met een nucleare kop uitrusten ? dan heb je wel meteen die hele fabriek aan diggelen.

De bedoeling van deze zware bommen is juist dat je geen kernkop nodig hebt

Conventionele "vervanging" van A-wapens.

[IPA NG]

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Pentagon's New Bunker Busters Not for Iran or 'Any One Country'
November 17, 2011, 12:53 AM EST

Nov. 16 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. military doesn't have Iran or any particular country in mind as it buys 20 of Boeing Co.'s new 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs, the Defense Department spokesman said today.

The huge weapon, dubbed the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, is built to fit the B-2 stealth bomber. The Air Force Global Strike Command started receiving the first of the bombs in September, the service said Monday.

The MOP gives the U.S. an enhanced ability to destroy deeply buried military facilities, such as those Iran is using to shelter its nuclear activities from possible attack by Israel or the U.S.

The bomb "gives us a far greater capability to reach and destroy an enemy's weapons of mass destruction that are located in well-protected underground facilities," spokesman Navy Captain John Kirby told reporters today.

Asked if the Iranian government should take a message from the Air Force delivery announcement, Kirby said the bomb "is not aimed at any one country. It's to develop a capability we believe we need."

The bomb is the U.S. military's largest conventional penetrator. It's six times bigger than the 5,000-pound bunker buster that the Air Force now uses to attack deeply buried nuclear, biological or chemical sites.

Chicago-based Boeing is manufacturing the bomb, which was successfully demonstrated in March 2007. Twenty bombs have already been contracted, said Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Melinda Morgan, a Pentagon spokeswoman.

200 Feet Penetration

Little authoritative information has been published about the bomb's capability. A December 2007 story by the Air Force News Service said it has a hardened-steel casing and can reach targets as far into the ground as 200 feet before exploding.

The 20-foot-long bomb contains 5,300 pounds of explosives and is guided by Global Positioning System satellites, according to a description on the Web site of the Pentagon's Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

"Designed to penetrate supposedly untouchable facilities in one piece, the MOP will defeat our adversaries's WMD before they leave the ground," DTRA said.

Iran's suspected nuclear weapons facilities are dispersed over a broad area. Iran has repeatedly asserted that its nuclear program is for peaceful civilian goals, such as power generation.

Iran is following the lead of China, Russia and North Korea in protecting its Natanz and Qom nuclear facilities by moving them underground, the Defense Intelligence Agency director, Lieutenant General Ronald Burgess, told a Senate panel in February.

Hardened Facilities

"Buried, hardened facilities and improved air defenses are key elements of Iran's extensive program to protect its nuclear infrastructure from destruction," Burgess said.

"The spread of western tunneling technology and equipment is contributing to a rise in construction by countries and organizations that have not previously used modern techniques," he said.

Authorities in Tehran announced recently that they're moving some uranium enrichment from a more vulnerable site at Natanz to a location at Qom that is 90 meters (295 feet) under rock, said David Albright, who is founder and president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington.

--With assistance from Viola Gienger in Washington. Editors: Steven Komarow, Terry Atlas

To contact the reporter on this story: Tony Capaccio in Washington at acapaccio@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva at msilva34@bloomberg.net

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-11-17/pentagon-s-new-bunker-busters-not-for-iran-or-any-one-country-.html

[Enforcer]

Weer een vlaggetje voor Iran dat op rood gaat.

30,000 pond, dat is een flinke knal... Een MOAB is 18,700 pondjes....

200ft is zo'n 66 meter.
Als die Iraniërs hun fabriekjes echt 90 meter onder de grond hebben zitten, kom je dus nog wel een stuk tekort. Maar het zal inderdaad voor de Iraniërs wel weer een slik momentje zijn.

Als je er eerst eentje op gooit en de grond is los en voor een goed deel weg, dan kan nr 2 de bunker mogelijk wel bereiken.

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Kan je zo'n bom ook met een nucleare kop uitrusten ? dan heb je wel meteen die hele fabriek aan diggelen.

Waar een wil is, is een weg.... maar daarmee is wel het hek van de dam en zet je de poorten naar een onbeheersbaar conflict volledig open.

[Oorlogsvis]

Kan je zo'n bom ook met een nucleare kop uitrusten ? dan heb je wel meteen die hele fabriek aan diggelen.

[Nikehercules]

Wel een grappig plaatje. Als je dus uit gaat van '' moderate hard rock' kom je tot 40 meter. Trouwens nog een enorm eind.

Echt een onvoorstelbaar eind is dat.

[VandeWiel]

200ft is zo'n 66 meter.
Als die Iraniërs hun fabriekjes echt 90 meter onder de grond hebben zitten, kom je dus nog wel een stuk tekort. Maar het zal inderdaad voor de Iraniërs wel weer een slik momentje zijn.

Ik denk dat als een zware bom op 30 meter afstand ontploft een "fabriekje" aardig staat te schudden. Lijkt me niet gezond voor die fijngevoelige apparatuur.

[Nikehercules]

mijn beeldscherm was te klein voor de foto van die GROTE bom welke gedropt wordt uit de B52  :crazy:  :lol:   

Haha ja klopt, was ff aan het klote, heb een vervaning

[Harald]

mijn beeldscherm was te klein voor de foto van die GROTE bom welke gedropt wordt uit de B52  :crazy:  :lol:   

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

200ft is zo'n 66 meter.
Als die Iraniërs hun fabriekjes echt 90 meter onder de grond hebben zitten, kom je dus nog wel een stuk tekort. Maar het zal inderdaad voor de Iraniërs wel weer een slik momentje zijn.

Het is weer een prima moment om dit "nieuws" naar buiten te brengen.