Latest news with #GBU-57MassiveOrdnancePenetrator
India.com
24-07-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Bad News for Pakistan, China, India develops 'Bunker Buster' Version of Agni-5 Missile, it can destroy..., capable of carrying..
Image for representational purposes only DRDO News: With an aim to take India's defense capabilities to new heights, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is working relentlessly on an advanced version of the Agni-5 missile. According to the reports, this upgraded Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) is being developed as a 'bunker buster' variant. The missile will be able to penetrate reinforced concrete structures as deep as 80–100 metres, carrying a massive conventional warhead weighing 7,500 kilograms. It will strengthen India's strategic posture—particularly against neighbors like Pakistan and China, who possess deeply buried military facilities. The missile is inspired by the US military's use of the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) against Iran's nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. While the US relies on B-2 stealth bombers for delivery, India is focusing on a missile-based delivery system, which is more cost-effective, faster, and flexible. Agni-5 Missile: Here are some of the key features The new variant will have a 2,500 km range and will carry a conventional bunker-buster warhead. This missile will travel at hypersonic speeds (Mach 8–20), making it capable of evading ballistic missile defense systems. DRDO is developing two variants: one equipped with an airburst warhead to destroy large surface areas, and another designed to target deep bunkers, missile silos, and command centers. Bad News for Pakistan: It is important to note that the Agni-5 Missile will give a new dimension to India's defense policy. These missiles are well capable of destroying deep bunkers and nuclear sites in areas like Pakistan's Kirana Hills and China's Hotan. During Operation Sindoor, India destroyed nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and PoK with BrahMos and SCALP missiles, demonstrating India's expertise in precision strikes—but the bunker-buster variant of Agni-5 will make these strikes even more lethal.
India.com
23-07-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Nuclear submarines, K-6 missiles, MIRV systems...: India capable of defeating US, China in..., coward Pakistan accuses Modi govt of...
Pakistan fears the destructive power of India's nuclear-powered submarines. (File) Months after India's BrahMos missiles pulverized Pakistani military infrastructure, including inflicting critical damage to eleven airbases of the Pakistan Air Force, during Operation Sindoor, Pakistani military experts have acknowledged the power of India's destructive missile capabilities, and expressed 'concern' over New Delhi's plans to build a bunker buster bomb akin to the 30000 lbs GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) which the US dropped on Iranian nuclear facilities last month. Why Pakistan fears India's sea-based missiles? In a piece published in the Dawn, Dr. Aqeel Akhtar, visiting faculty at Islamabad-based National Defense University, termed the India's sea missile capability as a major threat to Pakistan, while also accusing New Delhi of aggressively increasing naval constructions and missile power in the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean and the Arabian Sea. 'India-led nuclearisation of the Indian Ocean has increased strategic asymmetries, significantly intensified military competition and strained strategic stability in the region. India's nuclear submarines, nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) and nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) pose a major threat to Pakistan,' he wrote, adding that New Delhi's powerful sea-based nuclear deterrence development marks a major shift from a defensive to an offensive maritime stance. How India bolstered sea-based nuclear deterrence? The Pakistani academic alleged that the Narendra Modi government has 'weaponized' India's growing naval power and adopted an aggressive maritime strategy, which could upset the regional power balance as well as the global strategic balance. Akhtar pointed out that India's SSBN (Nuclear Ballistic Missile Submarine) program is in its advanced stage, which poses the biggest threat to Pakistan. The Dawn article also mentions INS Arihant and INS Arighat, both nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) of the Arihant class, as the bulwark of India's sea-based nuclear deterrence, that have taken the the country's nuclear triad to the next level. The two submersibles can carry medium-range and long-range missiles such as K-15 (750 km range) and K-4 (3500 km range), and India also plans to deploy ultra long-range submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) like K-5 (6000 km) and K-6 (8000 km) in the future. Why India can defeat China, US, or any other country in Indian Ocean? In his article, Dr Akhtar expresses 'concern' that India's maritime capabilities are rapidly approaching levels where the Indian Navy can challenge and defeat powerful foes like the China or even United States, especially in the Indian Ocean region. 'India now has the capability to keep more than 400 nuclear warheads, out of which over 100 nuclear ballistic missiles can be deployed on SSBN. With this capability, no power in the world, even US or China, can dare to fight Indian naval forces in the sea. The destruction will anything beyond what the enemy could imagine,' he writes. The report accuses India of deviating from its declared minimum deterrence policy (CMD), particularly by deploying weapons with MIRV (Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle) capability, that could 'endanger strategic stability in the region'. Dr Akhtar's piece also quotes an article by Ashley J. Tellis, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, in which she emphasized New Delhi's goal is to control not just China, but any other country, including the United States, that aspires to dominate the Indian Ocean region. Notably, Pakistan has urged United Nations Security Council and the US-led West to curb India's ICBM program, including the Agni-V and Agni-VI missiles, citing 'threat' to global peace.
The Irish Sun
21-07-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Iran vows to press on with nuke enrichment despite Trump's threats and ‘serious damage' done by stealth bombings
IRAN has vowed to push on with nuclear enrichment - in a stark warning to the west following Trump's stealth blitz on Tehran's nuke plants. The pariah state pledged to enrich uranium at weapons-grade levels, despite the 11 Iran has vowed to push on with its nuclear enrichment programme 11 It comes after Trump's nuclear plant blitz during the 12-day war Credit: The Mega Agency 11 The Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni's pariah state vowed to keep aiming for a nuclear weapon Credit: EPA 11 B-2 Spirit drops a GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bomb (stock) Credit: US Airforce 11 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Fox News that his country would not give up on its nuclear programme. He added that the US and Israel's bid to prevent The chilling threats came despite threats of intense international sanctions against the Araghchi said: "We READ MORE WORLD NEWS "And now, more than that, it is a question of national pride ." The Foreign Minister also said: "Enrichment is so dear to us." Aragchi confirmed that the damage done by Donald Trump's Operation Midnight Hammer on Iran's nuclear sites had been "serious". But he stopped short of commenting on whether any enriched uranium survived the Most read in The US Sun "Our facilities have been damaged – seriously damaged," Araghchi said. "The extent of which is now under evaluation by our atomic energy organisation." Iran's aging & paranoid Ayatollah is hanging by a thread - I know how it will all come crashing down, says ex-ambassador He did confirm, however, that all enrichment capabilities in Iran had been ceased as a result of the facilities being "seriously damaged". Last week, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission told Mehr News Agency: "We will never give up our legitimate right to enrich uranium. "Enrichment is a sovereign right that we will continue to pursue based on our national needs. "Bombing cannot erase this knowledge — it will only come back stronger." The 11 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Fox News Iran would keep pushing forward with the programme 11 The moment the US missile hit Iran's facility in the test footage 11 A satellite view shows an overview of Fordow underground complex after the US bombings on June 21 The Israelis also orchestrated Operation Red Wedding - which saw 30 top Iranian military chiefs killed in a near-simultaneous blitz as Tel Aviv sought to root out the Even Masoud Pezeshkian was wounded in the leg and forced to flee a Iran retaliated by launching daily salvos of ballistic missiles across Israel , but failed to hit any strategic targets. Less than a fortnight later, Trump joined the Israeli bombing campaign against Iran with The US military 's flagship The The Don celebrated his sophisticated blitz on the Iranian regime - and said that the US bombs went through enemy nuclear sites " Iran, which vowed to hit US military bases across the Middle East, sought its revenge by But Tehran seemingly Trump dubbed the expected response "weak" before announcing that a ceasefire deal had been reached between the Israelis and Iranians. 11 Israeli Iron Dome air defence system intercepts missiles over Tel Aviv 11 President Donald Trump and his national security team meeting in the Situation Room in June Credit: White House 11
The Irish Sun
16-07-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Iran threatens to ramp up enrichment of nuke-grade uranium AGAIN – just 24 days after Trump bombed ‘Mount Doom' facility
IRAN has again threatened to ramp up enrichment of its near-weapons-grade uranium stockpile just days after being bombed by the US. It comes after Israel said some of Iran's nuclear fuel 10 A satellite view shows an overview of Fordow underground complex after the US bombings on June 21 Credit: Reuters 10 This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows a close view of the Isfahan nuclear technology in Iran after US strikes Credit: AP 10 This picture shows a general view of the Isfahan nuclear power plant in 2005 Credit: AFP 10 Tehran admitted that But it said the bombings will not deter the regime from enriching uranium, which they claim is for peaceful civilian use. The uranium in question is enriched to 60 per cent - way above levels for civilian use but slightly below weapons-grade. That material, if further refined to 90 per cent, would Read more on iran Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission told Mehr News Agency: "We will never give up our legitimate right to enrich uranium. "Enrichment is a sovereign right that we will continue to pursue based on our national needs. "Bombing cannot erase this knowledge — it will only come back stronger." It comes as the UK, France and Germany have agreed to restore tough UN sanctions on Iran by the end of August if there has been no concrete progress on a nuclear deal. Most read in The US Sun Ali Velayati, an adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was quoted as saying by the state news agency IRNA: "If the negotiations [with the US] must be conditioned on stopping enrichment, such negotiations will not take place." Boroujerdi added: "We will in no way succumb to the West's demands for zero enrichment." The UN's top nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned Iran could . Doubts remained whether Iran quietly removed 408.6 kgs of uranium from its most sensitive sites before the US strikes - potentially hiding nuclear material elsewhere in the country. Trump rips critics & insists 'bombs went through like butter' at Iran sites An Israeli official told The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, did not express concern about the remaining stockpile and said any attempt to recover it would be detected by the Israeli intelligence. They also said that Israel would have enough time to attack Iran's nuclear facilities again if the regime tries to recover it. But it was not clear immediately if the strikes - which hit Iran's Fordow nuclear enrichment plant, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities - were able to wipe out the entire stockpile of enriched uranium. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi admitted Iran could still have stockpiles of enriched uranium, saying: "We don't know where this material could be. 10 10 The moment a GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) hit the earth in the test footage "So some could have been destroyed as part of the attack, but some could have been moved. So there has to be at some point a clarification," he said in an interview with CBS. "We need to be in a position to ascertain, to confirm what is there, and where it is and what happened," Grossi said. Satellite imagery showed trucks moving out of Fordow in the days leading up to the attack - leading to speculations that Iran moved some of its underground uranium stockpile. US and Israel, as well as independent experts, agree that all of Iran's working centrifuges at Natanz and Fordo — some 18,000 - were either destroyed or damaged beyond repair. DOOM & BOOM Satellite imagery appeared to show construction work at the Fordow Nuclear Enrichment facility in Qom, near Tehran. Heavy earthmoving equipment can be seen working near the impact craters caused by US GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs. Excavators and cranes can also be seen working, while more construction trucks are visible on roads leading to the impact points at the site. A new access road between the site's northern tunnel entrance and one of the impact craters can be seen after Israel said its air force struck Fordow to "disrupt" access to the site. David Albright, a US weapons expert, 10 Construction activity post-bombing at Fordow as of June 27; annotations by The Sun Credit: Maxar via Reuters 10 A satellite overview shows earthmoving at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Facility on June 27; annotations by The Sun Credit: Maxar via Reuters The 12-Day War began on June 13 when Israel launched The Israelis also brilliantly orchestrated Operation Red Wedding - 30 Iran retaliated by launching daily salvos of ballistic missiles across Israel, but failed to hit any strategic targets. Less than a fortnight later, Trump The US military 's flagship B-2 Spirit stealth bombers dropped more than a dozen The bunker-buster bombs were used to hit Iran's Fordow Nuclear Enrichment Plant. Iran, which vowed to hit US military bases across the Middle East, sought its revenge by launching missiles at Al-Udeid Air Base - America's biggest military station in the region. 10 President Donald Trump speaks from the East Room of the White House in Washington after the strikes 10 President Donald Trump and his national security team meet in the Situation Room during the bombings Credit: White House
Indian Express
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Iran can recover enriched uranium buried under Isfahan nuclear site that was bombed by US, warns Israel official
A senior Israeli official told reporters in Washington that stocks of enriched uranium that remain buried under Iran's Isfahan nuclear site, which was hit by US bombs recently, could be recovered. Much of Iran's enriched uranium is believed deeply buried at the third site, Isfahan, the official said, according to news agency AP. According to NBC News, Israel is monitoring the site closely and will not hesitate to conduct new strikes if recovery efforts begin. The US Defense Threat Reduction Agency, which designed the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator to penetrate hardened facilities, said it has yet to receive data confirming whether the bombs reached their intended depths. Two agency officials explained that without impact assessments from the field, they cannot determine if the munitions performed as engineered, reported AP. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly asserted that the June 22 strikes 'obliterated' Iran's Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan sites. CIA Director John Ratcliffe has said in a statement that a 'body of credible intelligence' shows Iran's metal conversion facility was destroyed, reported NBC News. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said, as per AP, that the strikes so severely damaged the facilities that Tehran cannot yet assess the full extent of the destruction. He suggested Iran may resume cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog once access is restored. Meanwhile, IAEA Director Rafael Grossi acknowledged significant damage to Iran's enrichment, conversion, and treatment capabilities but warned that 'if they so wish, they will be able to start doing this again.' Israel maintains that the combined US-Israeli action has set Iran's nuclear progress back by up to two years. This claim contested by a preliminary Defense Intelligence Agency report, which estimated only a several‑month delay. (With inputs from AP, NBC News)
