(UK, 22nd) Over the past week, there has been widespread attention on the US’s GBU-57 'Massive Ordnance Penetrator' (MOP), a guided bomb believed to be the main weapon in a potential US strike against Iran’s underground nuclear facilities.
According to BBC weapons analyst Chris Partridge, the GBU-57 is currently one of the world’s most powerful conventional penetrator weapons, designed specifically for destroying deeply buried and heavily fortified targets. At present, only the United States possesses the capability to deploy this type of bomb operationally, with the delivery platform being the B-2 'Spirit' stealth bomber based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.
Although the US has not formally confirmed details of any such missions, multiple reports indicate that at least six B-2 bombers have taken off from Whiteman Air Force Base. The timing of their movements closely coincides with the timeline of this round of strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, drawing intense external scrutiny.
On the tactical level, the deployment of the GBU-57 is highly sophisticated. Operatives first lock onto target coordinates, loading precise location data into the bomber’s navigation system before transmitting it to the weapon itself. The GBU-57 uses satellite guidance for precise targeting and is typically released from high altitude (usually about 50,000 feet), relying on gravity to attain immense kinetic energy, which enables it to penetrate thick earth layers and reinforced concrete structures.
The bomb’s casing is specially reinforced to maintain structural integrity during high-velocity impact. Its tail section is equipped with a delayed-fuse system, which can be set to detonate at a specific depth, releasing its internal 2,400 kg high-explosive payload for devastating effect on underground targets.
Experts note that destroying deeply buried facilities like Fordow often cannot be accomplished with just a single bomb. Operations may require multiple GBU-57s used in concert: the first bomb opens a penetration channel, followed by successive bombs precisely dropped along the same trajectory to ensure the thorough destruction of the target’s core structures.
This method of 'multiple strikes on the same coordinate point' demands extremely high accuracy in guidance, tactical coordination, and ballistic design, highlighting both the technical complexity and strategic resolve underlying such an operation.
According to BBC weapons analyst Chris Partridge, the GBU-57 is currently one of the world’s most powerful conventional penetrator weapons, designed specifically for destroying deeply buried and heavily fortified targets. At present, only the United States possesses the capability to deploy this type of bomb operationally, with the delivery platform being the B-2 'Spirit' stealth bomber based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.
Although the US has not formally confirmed details of any such missions, multiple reports indicate that at least six B-2 bombers have taken off from Whiteman Air Force Base. The timing of their movements closely coincides with the timeline of this round of strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, drawing intense external scrutiny.
On the tactical level, the deployment of the GBU-57 is highly sophisticated. Operatives first lock onto target coordinates, loading precise location data into the bomber’s navigation system before transmitting it to the weapon itself. The GBU-57 uses satellite guidance for precise targeting and is typically released from high altitude (usually about 50,000 feet), relying on gravity to attain immense kinetic energy, which enables it to penetrate thick earth layers and reinforced concrete structures.
The bomb’s casing is specially reinforced to maintain structural integrity during high-velocity impact. Its tail section is equipped with a delayed-fuse system, which can be set to detonate at a specific depth, releasing its internal 2,400 kg high-explosive payload for devastating effect on underground targets.
Experts note that destroying deeply buried facilities like Fordow often cannot be accomplished with just a single bomb. Operations may require multiple GBU-57s used in concert: the first bomb opens a penetration channel, followed by successive bombs precisely dropped along the same trajectory to ensure the thorough destruction of the target’s core structures.
This method of 'multiple strikes on the same coordinate point' demands extremely high accuracy in guidance, tactical coordination, and ballistic design, highlighting both the technical complexity and strategic resolve underlying such an operation.