Why the US Used GBU-57 Bunker Buster Bombs on Iran’s Nuclear Sites

The United States has attacked Iran’s three nuclear sites: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Iran has condemned these attacks and claimed that it had already evacuated these nuclear sites beforehand.

The weapon that is being talked about the most in connection with these strikes is the Massive Ordnance Penetrator. This could be the main weapon used in the US attacks.

Its official name is GBU-57, which stands for Guided Bomb Unit, and 57 is its design number. Only the United States has the ability to use the GBU-57 effectively.

According to Reuters, a US official said that B-2 bombers were used in the attacks on Iran.

Talking about the GBU-57 bomb—it is deployed in a specific way. First, a target is selected. Then, that target is fed into the aircraft’s targeting system. This information is transferred to the bomb. Using satellite navigation, the bomb is guided with precise directions.

This heavy bomb is usually dropped from about 50,000 feet, giving it very high kinetic energy. The bomb’s outer body is specially made strong so that it doesn’t break upon impact. At the rear, it has a delayed fusing system, which ensures that the 3,500-pound explosive explodes at the right depth.

Often, multiple bombs are dropped. The first bomb clears the way, and the second or more bombs are used to completely destroy the target. All of them are dropped on the same point.

Unlike nuclear weapons, the GBU-57 is the world’s biggest bunker buster bomb. This bomb is only available to the United States.

It is a precision-guided weapon, weighing about 13,600 kilograms. The bomb is released from a B-2 stealth aircraft, usually from around 12 kilometers above the target.