Israel Seeks US' Bunker Buster - 14,000 Kg Bomb, To Hit Iran's Nuclear Sites

As the Israel-Iran conflict enters its fifth day, Benjamin Netanyahu is now seeking the US-made Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), the world's most powerful bunker buster, to take out Tehran's most fortified nuclear sites.

On Tuesday, Iran hit central Israel in retaliation for Israeli strikes on its military infrastructure. While Israel has targeted multiple Iranian nuclear facilities, it hasn't been able to crack the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, a site buried deep under a mountain and built to withstand airstrikes.

Experts say only the 14-tonne MOP, capable of piercing 200 feet of reinforced rock, can damage it. Israel doesn't have the bomb but is reportedly pushing the US for access.

What Is The MOP?

The Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), officially known as GBU-57A/B, is the US military's most powerful non-nuclear bunker buster bomb. Weighing around close to 14,000 kg, it was developed to destroy hardened and deeply buried targets, such as underground bunkers and nuclear facilities.

MOP: Design And Firepower

Designed by Boeing, the MOP is built with a high-strength steel alloy casing that can survive deep penetration through rock and reinforced concrete. It carries a powerful explosive payload of about 2,400 kg, allowing it to destroy deeply buried targets with a delayed-action detonation system. This means it explodes only after it has tunnelled deep into a structure, maximising internal damage.

How Does The MOP Work?

Equipped with GPS and inertial navigation systems (INS), the MOP is designed for high accuracy. Its guidance system ensures the bomb hits within a few metres of its target, even in difficult combat conditions. The bomb can reportedly penetrate up to 200 feet (about 60 metres) of reinforced earth or concrete, making it far more powerful than older weapons like the GBU-28 or BLU-109.

How Is The MOP Deployed?

The B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is currently the only aircraft in the US fleet equipped to carry and deploy the MOP. Each B-2 can carry two MOPs. The upcoming B-21 Raider, still under development, is expected to support the MOP in future missions.

MOP: Testing And Development

The MOP was first developed in the early 2000s by Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin but was paused due to technical and financial hurdles. After the 2003 Iraq invasion exposed the limits of existing bunker busters, the project was revived by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the Air Force Research Laboratory.

Initial testing began in 2004, with static detonations in 2007 at White Sands Missile Range. Boeing was brought in to integrate the bomb with aircraft, and between 2008 and 2010, MOP was successfully test-dropped from B-52s and B-2s.

The programme was handed to the US Air Force in 2011.

In 2012, more trials, including sled tests at Holloman Air Force Base and five weapon drops at White Sands, three live and two inert, all hitting their targets. A classified Pentagon report that year confirmed MOP's effectiveness against hardened underground sites, clearing it for operational use.

The MOP remains under exclusive US control. Any use of the weapon by foreign forces would require direct US involvement or approval.