13,000 kg, penetrates 60 m into the soil before exploding: The massive bunker buster the US has dropped on Fordo
US President Donald Trump has said that the American military has completed airstrikes on three sites in Iran, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict with Israel.
The airstrikes hit a key uranium enrichment site, Fordo, which had remained unscathed in Israeli attacks so far and is believed to be key to Iran's nuclear program.
Located 300 feet beneath a mountain, Fordo is where Iran has allegedly tried to enrich uranium for weapons purposes and stockpile the enriched uranium.
The two sites of Natanz and Esfahan, which were earlier struck by the Israeli Air Force, were also hit by the Americans.
Trump said in a Truth social post that 'a full payload of bombs' was dropped on Fordo.
Israel's best chance at destroying the facility at Fordo required an American produced bomb, which is so heavy that it can only be dropped by a US B2 Spirit bomber. The latest bombing seems to have achieved that target, even though the extent of damage at Fordo is still unknown.
The bomb used by the Americans to target Fordo is called the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or MOP. It is designed to attack 'deeply-buried facilities and hardened bunkers and tunnels', and is meant to destroy targets in well-protected facilities. Israel, or any country other than the US, does not have bombs that can penetrate a site as deep as Fordo.
The MOP measures about 20.5 feet in length and 31.5 inches in diameter and weighs about 13,000 kg, according to the US Air Force.
It is designed to penetrate up to 60 m of earth before exploding. The warhead is encased in a special high-performance steel alloy, which is meant to enable it to carry a large explosive payload while maintaining the penetrator case's integrity during impact, according to an Air Force fact sheet.
The Fordo site is about 90 metres in depth. It is not clear how much damage the bombings have done in Fordo.
Aerospace company Boeing developed the GBU-57, and as of 2015, it had been contracted to produce 20 of them, according to the Air Force quoted by CBS.
Anil Sasi is National Business Editor with the Indian Express and writes on business and finance issues. He has worked with The Hindu Business Line and Business Standard and is an alumnus of Delhi University. ... Read More
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
31 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Iran-Israel war: Tehran fires missiles at Israel after U.S strikes; Israel launches counterattacks
A short time ago, the US military carried out massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime, Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Everybody heard those names for years as they built this horribly destructive enterprise. Our objective was the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's number one state sponsor of terror. Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier. For 40 years, Iran has been saying, death to America, death to Israel. They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs with roadside bombs – that was their speciality. We lost over a thousand people, and hundreds of thousands throughout the Middle East and around the world have died as a direct result of their hate, in particular, so many were killed by their general, Qassem Soleiman. I decided a long time ago that I would not let this happen. It will not continue. I want to thank and congratulate Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. We worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before, and we've gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel. I want to thank the Israeli military for the wonderful job they've done, and most importantly, I want to congratulate the great American patriots who flew those magnificent machines tonight, and all of the United States military on an operation the likes of which the world has not seen in many, many decades. Hopefully, we will no longer need their services in this capacity. I hope that's so. I also want to congratulate the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan 'Razin' Caine – spectacular general – and all of the brilliant military minds involved in this attack. With all of that being said, this cannot continue. There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight's was the most difficult of them all by far, and perhaps the most lethal, but if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed, and skill. Most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes. There's no military in the world that could have done what we did tonight, not even close. There has never been a military that could do what took place just a little while ago. Tomorrow, General Caine, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, will have a press conference at 8 am at the Pentagon, and I want to just thank everybody, and in particular, God. I want to just say we love you, God, and we love our great military. Protect them. God bless the Middle East. God bless Israel, and God bless America. Thank you very much. Thank you.
New Indian Express
31 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
16 hurt, building hit in Israel after Iran missiles: rescue services
JERUSALEM: At least 16 people were hurt and at least one impact was reported in central Israel after Iran launched two waves of missiles at the country following the US bombing of its nuclear sites, rescue services and reports said. Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service said in a statement that it had "evacuated 16 people to hospital, including a 30-year-old man in moderate condition after being wounded in the upper body by shrapnel". Public broadcaster KAN 11 showed images of a devastated building surrounded by mounds of rubble that it said was in central Israel, following the two waves of missiles launched at Israel from around 7:30 am (0430 GMT). Sirens rang around the country after the Israeli army reported the incoming missiles, with air defences activated shortly afterwards, causing loud explosions heard in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Israeli police reported "the fall of weapon fragments" in a northern area encompassing the port of Haifa, where local authorities said emergency services were heading to an "accident site". Reporting on missile strikes is subject to strict military censorship rules in Israel, but at least 50 impacts have been officially acknowledged nationwide and 25 people have been killed since the war began with Iran on June 13, according to official figures. Coastal hub Tel Aviv, the southern city of Beersheba and the northern port Haifa have been the three areas most frequently targeted by Iran. Israel's sophisticated air defences have intercepted more than 450 missiles along with around 1,000 drones, according to the latest figures from the Israeli military.
Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
Trump warns Iran of retaliatory action after US bombed 3 nuclear sites with 'bunker busting' bombs - The Economic Times Video
On June 21, 2025, the United States conducted airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. While confirming the USAF action, President Donald Trump described the operation as "successful," stating that B-2 stealth bombers, likely carrying GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator "bunker buster" bombs, targeted these sites, with a focus on the heavily fortified Fordow facility. The strikes were part of an escalation in the Israel-Iran conflict, with the U.S. directly joining Israel's efforts to disrupt Iran's nuclear program.
