Global Courant 2023-05-22 15:15:19
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — As tensions with Iran have escalated over its nuclear program, the US military this month posted photos of a powerful bomb designed to penetrate deep into the Earth and destroy underground facilities used could be used to enrich uranium.
The United States Air Force released rare images of the weapon, the GBU-57, known as the “Massive Ordnance Penetrator.” Subsequently, the photos were deleted – apparently because the photos revealed sensitive details about the weapon’s composition and impact.
The publication of the photos comes as The Associated Press reported that Iran is making steady progress in building a nuclear facility likely beyond the reach of the GBU-57, which is considered the U.S. military’s last-ditch weapon. to disable underground bunkers.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT AMERICA’S MASSIVE PENETRATOR?
The US developed the Massive Ordnance Penetrator in the 2000s as concerns grew about Iran hardening its nuclear sites by building them underground.
The Air Force posted footage of the bombs on the Whiteman Air Force Base Facebook page in Missouri. The base is home to the fleet of B-2 stealth bombers, the only aircraft capable of deploying the bomb.
In a caption, the base said it received two Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs so that a munitions squadron there could “test their performance”.
It’s not the first time the Air Force has released photos and videos of the bomb that coincided with growing bitterness with Tehran over its nuclear program. In 2019, the US military released video of a B-2 bomber dropping two of the bombs. The Air Force did not respond to requests for comment on why it posted — and removed — its most recent set of photos.
WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM THE PHOTOS?
The latest photos revealed templates on the bombs that listed their weight as 12,300 kilograms (27,125 pounds). It also described that the bomb contained a mix of AFX-757 – a standard explosive – and PBXN-114, a relatively new explosive compound. Rahul Udoshi, a senior weapons analyst at Janes, an open-source intelligence firm.
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The weight of the bomb, judging by the stenciling, shows that most of it comes from its thick steel frame, which allows it to chew through concrete and dirt before exploding. However, it remains unclear what the exact effectiveness of the weapon would be.
The Warzone, an Internet news site, first reported the publication of the photos. The AP contacted Whiteman Air Force Base and the Air Force’s Global Strike Command with questions about the footage. Within a day, the Facebook message was gone.
Udoshi said the Air Force probably shot them down because they revealed too much data about the bombs. “Immediate removal from the internet without comment (or) justification means there is a possible expiration date,” Udoshi said.
WHAT ROLE WOULD THIS BOMB PLAY IN THE POSSIBLE ATTACK ON IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM?
The AP reports this via satellite images on Monday Planet Labs PBC reveals that Tehran has dug tunnels into the mountain near the Natanz nuclear site in central Iran. Excavation mounds at the site suggest the facility could be between 80 meters (260 feet) and 100 meters (328 feet) underground, according to the experts and AP’s analysis.
Experts say the size of the construction project indicates Iran could likely use the underground facility to enrich uranium as well — not just to build centrifuges. Those tubular centrifuges, arranged in large cascades of dozens of machines, rapidly spin uranium gas to enrich it. Additional machines would enable Iran to quickly enrich uranium under the protection of the mountain.
That could be a problem for the GBU-57: In previous descriptions of the bomb’s capabilities, the Air Force has said it can rip through 60 meters (200 feet) of soil and cement before detonating.
CAN THE UNITED STATES STILL TRY TO DROPP THE BOMB?
U.S. officials have discussed using two such bombs in succession to ensure a site is destroyed. But even then, the new depth of the Natanz tunnels is likely to pose a serious challenge.
Complicating any U.S. military strike is that the B-2 has been grounded since December when one caught fire after crash landing. The U.S. could still fly the plane “if there is an operational need,” said Colonel Brus E. Vidal, a spokesman for the Air Force’s Global Strike Command.
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Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.
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The Associated Press receives support for nuclear safety coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
