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Euronews
9 hours ago
- Business
- Euronews
What is the US ‘bunker bomb' that could be deployed in Iran?
The use of a powerful American 'bunker bomb' against Iran's nuclear facilities continues to weigh over the country's conflict with Israel. CNN reported that US President Donald Trump is warming to the idea of using military assets to strike Iranian nuclear facilities and that he is 'not much in the mood to negotiate with Iran'. One of the potential weapons that the US military has at its disposal, the GBU-57 A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), could reach one of Iran's key nuclear sites, which is buried deep in a mountain. Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, said on state TV on Thursday that Iran 'will have to use its tools to both teach a lesson to aggressors and defend its national security and national interests,' if the US decides to intervene in the conflict. The GBU-57 MOP is a weapons system that is designed to attack 'hard and deeply buried targets such as bunkers and tunnels,' according to a 2024 US Air Force report. An archived fact sheetfrom the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) says it is a '30,000 pound (13.6 tonnes) class penetrator bomb,' that is approximately 20.5 feet long and has a diameter of 31.5 inches. The DTRA said the weapon can carry over 5,300 pounds of explosive material and delivers '10 times' the explosive power of its predecessor, the BLU-109. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) first contracted Boeing for the MOPs in 2004 with an initial contract worth $30 million (€26.2 million). The weapon was developed in three stages, the DTRA continued. The Air Force received the first bombs for testing in 2011, according to a report from the San Francisco Chronicle. The ordnance has been tested at the White Sands Missile Range, a military base in the US state of New Mexico. The Fordo Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP) is buried deep under a mountain near Qom, Iran, and is believed to be one of Iran's key uranium enrichment facilities for it's nuclear weapons programme, according to Heather Williams, director of the project on nuclear issues at US-based Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS). Rafael Mariano Grossi, the IAEA's director general, said on June 16 that there is so far no damage to the Fordo site, unlike the one at Natanz, which saw its pilot fuel enrichment plant destroyed. A recent report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimates that 166.6 kilograms of 60 per cent enriched uranium of the total 408.6 kilograms that Iran has at that enrichment percentage was produced at Fordow. Uranium needs to be enriched to roughly 90 per cent to become a nuclear weapon but experts have previously said that Iran could create weapons at 60 per cent enrichment. Israel lacks the ordnance to take out Fordow on its own, but 'multiple strikes' from the US GBU-57 that are mounted on B-2 bombers 'could destroy the facility,' Williams said. If President Trump decides to use the GBU-57, it could 'constitute direct support for Israel and have the potential to escalate and drag the US into another war in the region,' Williams wrote. There are other options that Israel could use to get to Fordo, Williams continued, like continual strikes at the facility by GPU-28 or BLU-109 weapons that can burrow into a target and could target above-ground entrances or exits to the facility. As the conflict between Israel and Iran approaches the first-week mark, both countries are leaning into cyberspace to launch attacks. A possible Israeli-linked hacking group has claimed responsibility for disrupting operations at an Iranian bank and flooding the crypto market with approximately $90 million (€77 million) in stolen funds. Meanwhile, Israeli officials reported fake messages sent to the public alerting them of terrorist attacks against bomb shelters to sow panic. Both countries are also known for having a long history of cyberattacks against each other, according to US-based cybersecurity firm Radware. 'In the days since the fighting began, government-backed hackers, patriotic hacktivists, online propagandists, and opportunistic cybercriminals have all been active,' the company said in its threat alert dated June 18. The anti-Iranian hacking group with possible ties to Israel,Gonjeshke Darande, or 'Predatory Sparrow,' claimed an attack on one of Iran's most prominent banks, Bank Sepah, this week, according to a statement they published on X. Iranian media reported at the time that people had difficulties accessing their accounts, withdrawing cash or using their bank cards. The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Bank Sepah in 2018 for supporting Iran's military. The hacking group then went after Nobitex, one of Iran's main cryptocurrency exchanges. The group claimed they burned $90 million from accounts that belong to the Israeli regime and, by Thursday morning, had posted the source code for the platform. In a statement on X posted on Wednesday, Nobitex claimed that the assets were transferred to a wallet 'composed of arbitrary characters,' an approach they say 'deviates significantly from conventional crypto exchange hacks'. 'It is clear the intention behind this attack was to harm the peace of mind and assets of our fellow citizens under false pretences,' Nobitex wrote. Nobitex estimates the amount stolen is closer to $100 million (€87 million) The Iranian government has asked people to delete the social messaging app WhatsApp and has begun internet blackouts that have taken the country offline for 'over 12 hours' due to 'Israel's alleged 'misuse' of the network for military purposes,' according to internet monitoring companies Netblocks and Censys. Iran's Tasnim News Agency, a news service associated with the Iranian military, claimed the Internet blackouts are 'temporary' due to the 'special conditions of the country,' and that it will come back when the 'situation returns to normal'. Gonjeshke Darande has been linked to other cyber attacks in Iran, like the 2010 Stuxnet attack. Stuxnet was a computer virus that damaged or destroyed the centrifuges, a key component used to enrich uranium, at Iran's uranium enrichment facilities in Natanz, one of the facilities targeted in the recent missile fire from Israel. US media reports believe Stuxnet was carried out by Israel with support from the United States, who built the program. It's also believed that Israel's Defence Forces Unit 8200 was involved in the attack, according to Reuters. Gonjeshke Darande has also taken credit for other cyber attacks against Iran, such as the 2022 attack on Iran's steel plants and the 2023 attack on gas stations. At the time of the steel plant cyber attacks, Gonjeshke Darande released on social media what they called 'top secret documents and tens of thousands of emails' from Iran's three leading companies to show how the firms were working with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a primary branch of Iran's military. Israeli media reported people receiving fraudulent text messages claiming to come from the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) Home Front Command that warned of attacks onbomb shelters. The messages from OREFAlert were identified as fake by the Israeli authorities, who claim pro-Iranian groups are behind it as a way to sow panic during the operation against the Iranian military, called Operation Rising Lion. Another fake message circulated that said fuel supplies would be suspended for 24 hours, according to the Jerusalem Post. Ron Meyran, the VP of Cyber Threat Intelligence at US-based cybersecurity firm Radware, told the newspaper that there was a 700 per cent increase in cyberattacks against Israel in the first two days of the conflict with Iran, which comes from cyber retaliation from Iranian state actors. Those actions include infiltration attempts targeting critical infrastructure, data theft and malware distribution, Meyran added. Euronews Next reached out to Radware to independently confirm these numbers but did not hear back at the time of publication. A report from Radware says it expects Iran to make use of 'its well-developed network of fake social media personas to shape perceptions of the conflict.' 'During this crisis, observers have seen pro-Iran bot accounts amplifying hashtags about alleged Israeli atrocities and portraying Iran's actions as defensive,' the report said. The bots 'frequently pose as ordinary citizens to make the messaging more persuasive,' it added. Radware also noted in its report that at least 60 of the 100 hacktivist groups that have sprung up since the start of the conflict last week are pro-Iran and are either from the Middle East or Asia. These groups have launched 30 denial of service (DDos) attacks per day against Israel that disrupt normal traffic to a website, Radware found. Some of these groups have also threatened cyber attacks against the United Kingdom and the United States if leadership there decides to 'join the war against Iran'. Iran has a 'considerable number' of state-sponsored threat groups that have targeted Israel in the past, like Muddy Water, APT35 (OilRig), APT35 (Charming Kitten) and APT39 (Remix Kitten), the Radware report continued. These groups, with the help of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, have targeted Israeli infrastructure, conducted malware campaigns and cyberespionage according to local media. These cyber attacks increased following the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza in 2023, according to a 2024 report by Microsoft.
Mint
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Mint
Why Donald Trump is hesitant to strike Iran's Fordow: Role of US B-2 bombers, ‘bunker buster' bombs explained
US President Donald Trump has conveyed to defence officials that any military strike on Iran's deeply buried uranium enrichment facility at Fordow would only make sense if the so-called 'bunker buster' bomb—the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP)—could be guaranteed to destroy the target. The GBU-57, a colossal 13.6-tonne (30,000-pound) bomb, is designed to penetrate hardened underground facilities, and Pentagon experts have assured Trump that dropping these bombs would effectively eliminate Fordow. However, Trump remains unconvinced and has delayed authorising any strikes on Iran, instead waiting to see if the threat of US military involvement might bring Iran back to the negotiating table. The debate over the GBU-57's effectiveness has been a contentious issue within the Pentagon since Donald Trump's term began. Defence officials briefed on the matter have expressed doubts that even multiple conventional GBU-57 bombs could fully penetrate and destroy Iran's Fordow, which Israeli intelligence estimates to be buried as deep as 300 feet (approximately 90 metres) beneath a mountain. According to the Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), conventional bombs might only collapse tunnels and bury the facility under rubble rather than completely neutralise it. Some officials believe that only a tactical nuclear weapon could guarantee the destruction of Fordow, but US President Trump has explicitly ruled out the use of nuclear arms, and such options were not presented to him by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth or Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine during White House briefings. The briefing further revealed that a possible strategy to destroy Fordow would involve first 'softening' the ground with conventional bombs before deploying a tactical nuclear weapon from a B-2 stealth bomber to obliterate the entire site, reports Guardian. This scenario, however, remains off the table given Trump's firm stance against nuclear use. The GBU-57, tested extensively by the DTRA, remains the largest conventional bomb in the US arsenal capable of penetrating fortified underground targets, but its limitations against deeply buried sites like Fordow have raised serious concerns. When questioned by reporters about the possibility of striking Iran's nuclear facilities, Donald Trump was deliberately ambiguous, stating, 'I can't say that … You don't seriously think I'm going to answer that question.' He added, 'You don't know that I'm going to even do it. You don't know. I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.' Trump emphasised that Iran faces 'a lot of trouble' and expressed frustration that Tehran had not sought negotiations sooner, saying, 'Why didn't you negotiate with me before – all this death and destruction?' Despite the uncertainty, US military movements suggest preparations for possible long-range air raids. Over 31 US Air Force refuelling aircraft, including KC-135 Stratotankers and KC-46 Pegasuses, were tracked flying east towards Europe and beyond, indicating logistical support for extended bomber missions. The B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, capable of carrying two GBU-57 bombs and boasting a range of approximately 6,000 miles without refuelling, is the only aircraft certified to deliver the MOP. Known for its stealth capabilities and ability to penetrate sophisticated air defences, the B-2 typically operates from bases such as Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, Fairford in Gloucestershire, or Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean—the latter being strategically closer to Iran. In October 2024, B-2 bombers conducted strikes on underground Houthi weapon facilities from Whiteman AFB, demonstrating their long-range precision strike capability. Diego Garcia's proximity to Fordow, about 3,200 miles away, would allow B-2s to reach the target with refuelling support on the return leg. The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant is one of Iran's two main uranium enrichment sites, carved deep into a mountain near Qom. It is estimated to lie 80 to 90 metres underground, shielded by hundreds of feet of rock and reinforced concrete, making it highly resistant to conventional airstrikes. Israeli weapons, including the GBU-28 and BLU-109 bunker-buster bombs, lack the penetration capability to reach Fordow's depths, leaving the US GBU-57 as the only conventional munition capable of potentially destroying the facility. The GBU-57 MOP weighs 30,000 pounds, with approximately 6,000 pounds of high explosives encased in a hardened steel shell designed to blast through layers of rock and concrete. Equipped with a GPS-guided precision targeting system and a delayed-action fuse, it can penetrate up to 200 feet underground before detonating. Despite its formidable design, experts caution that the bomb may not fully destroy Fordow due to the facility's unknown exact depth and possible additional underground structures. Fordow is a fortified uranium enrichment facility situated near the city of Qom in central Iran. Built inside a mountain, it covers roughly 54,000 square feet and houses approximately 3,000 centrifuges used for uranium enrichment. Its underground location, estimated to be 80 to 90 metres (about 300 feet) below the surface, provides it with natural protection against conventional airstrikes. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that Fordow remains operational and undamaged by recent Israeli attacks, making it a critical component of Iran's nuclear programme and a key target for any potential military intervention aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump caution on Iran strike linked to doubts over ‘bunker buster' bomb, officials say
Donald Trump has suggested to defense officials it would make sense for the US to launch strikes against Iran only if the so-called 'bunker buster' bomb was guaranteed to destroy the critical uranium enrichment facility at Fordow, according to people familiar with the deliberations. Trump was told that dropping the GBU-57s, a 13.6-tonne (30,000lb) bomb would effectively eliminate Fordow but he does not appear to be fully convinced, the people said, and has held off authorizing strikes as he also awaits the possibility that the threat of US involvement would lead Iran to talks. The effectiveness of GBU-57s has been a topic of deep contention at the Pentagon since the start of Trump's term, according to two defense officials who were briefed that perhaps only a tactical nuclear weapon could be capable of destroying Fordow because of how deeply it is buried. Related: British, German and French foreign ministers plan meeting with Iranian counterpart Trump is not considering using a tactical nuclear weapon on Fordow and the possibility was not briefed by defense secretary Pete Hegseth and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff Gen Dan Caine in meetings in the White House situation room, two people familiar with the matter said. But the defense officials who received the briefing were told that using conventional bombs, even as part of a wider strike package of several GBU-57s, would not penetrate deep enough underground and that it would only do enough damage to collapse tunnels and bury it under rubble. Those in the briefing heard that completely destroying Fordow, which Israeli intelligence estimates to go down as far as 300ft (90 metres), would require the US to soften the ground with conventional bombs and then ultimately drop a tactical nuclear bomb from a B2 bomber to wipe out the entire facility, a scenario Trump is not considering. The assessments were made by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), a component of the defense department that tested the GBU-57, as it reviewed the limitations of US military ordinance against a number of underground facilities. The situation underscores the complex nature of such a strike and what success would entail: dropping GBU-57s would likely set back Iran's ability to obtain weapons-grade uranium for up to a few years, but not end the programme completely. Spokespeople for the White House and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Taking Fordow offline – either diplomatically or militarily – is seen as central to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) found the site had enriched uranium to 83.7% – close to the 90% needed for nuclear weapons. Any effort to destroy Fordow, would require US involvement because Israel does not possess the ordnance to strike a facility that deep or the planes to carry them. The difficulty with using the GBU-57 to target Fordow, according to the two officials familiar with the DTRA briefing, lies in part with the characteristics of the facility which is buried inside a mountain – and the fact that the bomb has never been used in a comparable situation before. 'It would not be a one and done,' a former Dtra deputy director, retired Maj Gen Randy Manner, said of the GBU-57's limitations, adding that Fordow could be quickly rebuilt. 'It might set the program back six months to a year. It sounds good for TV but it's not real.' The bomb is commonly known as a 'bunker buster' because it was designed to destroy underground bunkers, but it can be carried only by a B2 bomber that has air superiority and requires a solid GPS signal to lock in on its target. While Israel has said it has established air superiority over Iran, a successful strike would still require any GPS jammers and other defenses to be taken out in advance, and for the the GBU-57 to penetrate deep enough into the ground to neutralize the facility. Iran built the nuclear enrichment facility at Fordow underground to protect it from the threat of aerial attacks. In 1981, Israel bombed a nuclear facility near Baghdad that was located above ground in order to stop Iraq developing nuclear weapons. In recent years, Israel has devised a variety of plans to destroy Fordow without the help of the United States. In one instance, Israel proposed loading helicopters with commandos who could fight their way into the facility and blow it up – an option that Trump has dismissed, according to people familiar with the matter.
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First Post
3 days ago
- Business
- First Post
What is bunker buster bomb that Israel needs from US to destroy Iran's nuclear sites?
In the conflict with Iran, Israel's top goal is to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities. But that is no easy task. The Jewish nation might need the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bunker buster bomb to damage these underground sites. But what do we know about the Boeing and US Air Force-made bomb? How effective is it? read more A B-52 releases a test version of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) during a test of the weapon over White Sands Missile Range, Image courtesy: US Department of Defence The Israel-Iran conflict is now in its fifth day. On Tuesday, Tehran launched strikes across central Israel. This came in the backdrop of Israel continuing to target sites in Iran including its military infrastructure. But even this isn't enough for Tel Aviv. Israel now wants to use the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bunker buster bomb against Iran's nuclear sites. But what do we know about the American-made bomb? How effective is it? Let's take a closer look STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Origins The GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator is designed by Boeing and manufactured by the US Air Force. It is said to be the most powerful non-nuclear bomb in the US Air Force's possession. Guided by GPS, it is designed to hit enemy bunkers deep beneath the earth. Work on designing the bomb began in the early 2000s – a joint venture of Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. However, the project was abandoned after financial and technical difficulties. Interest in the project picked up again after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. The GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator is designed by Boeing and manufactured by the US Air Force. Image courtesy: WIkimedia Commons This is after the us military discovered that that their bunker busting bombs were not performing up to par. The project kicked off again under the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). Initial testing began in 2004 after the DTRA joined hands with the Air Force Research Laboratory. The GBU/57B's first static detonation tests were done in 2007. The bomb was tested at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. In the meantime, Boeing had won the contract to integrate the bomb into aircrafts. From 2008 to 2010, the bomb was repeatedly dropped from B-52 and B-2 bombers. In 2011, the project was handed over to the US Air Force. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Technical Specifications The GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator weighs around 14,000 kilos – around two African elephants combined. It is around 20.5 feet long and has a diameter of 31.5 inches. Its warhead, a blend of AFX-757 and PBXN-114 explosives, weighs around 2,500 kilos. It is made of a special high-performance steel alloy. Estimates about the bomb's penetration capabilities vary. Some reports say that the MOP can reportedly pierce 200 feet of concrete. Others say it can penetrate around 60 meters of reinforced concrete with a strength of 5,000 PSIm as well as 40 meters of relatively hard rock and eight meters of reinforced concrete with a strength of 10,000 PSI. Estimates about the bomb's penetration efficacy range from about 60 metres to to 200 metres of concrete. Wikimedia Commons The MOP comes with a delayed-action smart fuse. This means the warhead does not detonate on impact, but rather does so only when it reaches a halt underground. The US is said to be working on a new smart fuse for the bomb, though details remain scarce. It uses the Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System (GPS/INS) system to find and lock on to its targets. It is said to be accurate to within a few meters STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The MOP can be launched only by the B-2 bombers. According to experts, this is because of the bomb's weight – It is considered too heavy to carry by the other aircraft. This is a problem because the US Air Force has just 19 B-2 bombers currently in service. The B-2 can carry two MOPs at once. The MOP itself has five variants including the GBU-57F/B, which is the latest version of the bomb. Details about the variants remain scarce and hard to confirm. Stockpile and efficacy The US is said to have a relatively small stockpile of these bombs. Till, 2015 Boeing had delivered just 20 of these bombs. However, there are reports that the us authorities are trying to scale up the MOP's production. The MOP uses the Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System (GPS/INS) system to find and lock on to its targets. Wikimedia Commons The bomb and its continued development is important to America because the US' adversaries including Russia, China, and Iran continue to build new facilities deep underground. However, it seems that America's enemies are already one step ahead of it. A report in 2023 noted that Iran's Natanz nuclear facility – which suffered damage only to its over ground enrichment building and none to its underground commercial Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP) – may already be out of reach of the MOP after Iran made new additions to it. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Even if Israel can get its hands on the MOP, it remains to be seen if it can hurt Iran with it. With inputs from agencies
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Leidos to advance IT efficiency, security and mission effectiveness for Defense Threat Reduction Agency
RESTON, Va., May 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) will modernize and operate information technology systems for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) enterprise that will help the agency deter, prevent and prevail against emerging threats around the world. As part of this IT transformation, Leidos will support DTRA's advance toward a Zero Trust cybersecurity posture. Through a recently awarded $205 million contract, Leidos will use artificial intelligence technologies to accelerate DTRA's progress toward more automated and efficient operations. Also, Leidos will work to strengthen the DTRA network environment with a resilient, secure, hybrid cloud architecture. "This work expands our long-standing relationship with DTRA and will help raise the bar for our support of their essential mission capabilities," said Bryan Jolly, Leidos senior vice president, digital modernization sector. "Leidos will seek to empower DTRA with data-driven operations, designed to create a modern, secure and efficient enterprise." The five-year DTRA Integrated Information Technology Support Services (I3TS) award expands the company's work within the Department of Defense's "Fourth Estate," which includes agencies and activities that deliver essential support to military operations. It creates opportunities for Leidos to insert proven innovation and repeatable solutions at speed and scale throughout the department. About Leidos Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 48,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit Certain statements in this announcement constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These statements are based on management's current beliefs and expectations and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. These statements are not guarantees of future results or occurrences. A number of factors could cause our actual results, performance, achievements, or industry results to be different from the results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, the "Risk Factors" set forth in Leidos' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025, and other such filings that Leidos makes with the SEC from time to time. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Leidos does not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect the impact of circumstances or events that arise after the date the forward-looking statements were made. Media Contacts Brandon Ver Velde(571) View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Leidos Holdings, Inc. Sign in to access your portfolio
