After much speculation, the US has officially joined the conflict between Israel and Iran with a series of airstrikes targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan. President Donald Trump confirmed the campaign using B-2 stealth bombers, along with 6 cross-bunker bombs that hit Fordow and 30 Tomahawk missiles that attacked the remaining two locations.
The bomb used in the airstrike was identified as GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) - one of the most powerful non-nuclear weapons in the US arsenal. According to the US Air Force, GBU-57 is specially designed to penetrate targets located deep underground or reinforced, such as nuclear facilities and military underground tunnels.
The MOP is about 6.2 m long, nearly 80 cm in diameter, weighing nearly 13,600 kg, containing about 2,400 kg of explosives. The MOP's explosives are 10 times more powerful than the previous generation BLU-109 through the bullet. The warhead is wrapped in a special alloy of high-strength steel, allowing the bomb to penetrate up to 60 m deep into the ground before detonating.
The military GPS guidance system helps MOP hit targets with high accuracy, even when the targets are in a strictly protected area or buried deep underground.
Due to its large weight, only the US Air Force's B-2 Spirit aircraft can carry and deploy this type of bomb. Each B-2 can carry two GBU-57s in the inner weapons compartment.
The B-2 Spirit is the first and most prominent stealth bomber in the US, designed to overcome sophisticated air defense systems and attack important targets. The plane can operate at high altitudes, reaching a flight range of up to 6,000 nautical miles without the need for fuel. With a characteristic wing design, composite materials and radar wave absorption coating, the B-2 is difficult to detect on modern air defense systems.
Since its launch in 1989, the B-2 has been used in airstrikes in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. Currently, only the Whiteman Air Force Station in Missouri is deploying the aircraft.
For years, some US lawmakers have proposed supplying GBU-57 and B-2 aircraft to Israel, but the proposal has been controversial because it is concerned that it will further strain the Middle East situation. By directly using GBU-57s in the Iranian attack, the US has sent a clear message about the possibility of destroying the most heavily protected nuclear facilities.
