NO Place Safe to Hide Anymore: Introducing the USAF's GBU-57A/B 'Massive Ordinance Penetrator' (MOP)

Reaganite Republican ^ | December 20, 2011 | Reaganite Republican

[Reaganite Republican]

10x more powerful than it's predecessor, 

the 30,000 pound bomb can penetrate 200 ft 

of hardened concrete before it goes BOOM

GBU-57A/B 

Military technology has indeed created some fearsome weapons over the last few decades, from the 5,000 lb GBU-28 Deep Throat bunker buster, to the 3x larger (15,000 lb) BLU-82 Daisycutter, roughly equivalent to the Russians' 15,650 lb ATBIP (Aviation Thermobaric Bomb of Increased Power). Then there's the USAF's 22,000 lb Grand Slam 'earthquake bomb' and the 22,600 lb GBU-43 MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Blast), which approximates the effect of a small nuclear weapon.

But provided you were able to find shelter under -say- 150 ft. of hardened concrete, none of them were going to bother you too much. Alas, a new Boeing-produced mega-bomb has as of now altered that equation dramatically...

Just last month the USAF took delivery of the first precision-guided GBU-57A/B (Massive Ordnance Penetrator).

 

The freaking thing weighs fifteen tons and will penetrate 200 ft of hardened concrete before exploding deep underground- right on top of the target.

Perhaps the first impression of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator is really how simple it looks...  it's just BIG and accurate, with a real hard point made of a special high performance steel alloy:

This weapon is intended for just one specific purpose: to destroy the type of hardened concrete bunkers which house central command facilities, enemy leadership rat-holes, and weapons of mass destruction... and to do so without resorting to any sort of nuclear weaponry.

Understandably, the MOP development program has been accelerated in recent years as concern regarding Iran's nuclear ambitions has grown- now it's ready, and just in time.

The MOP is deployed from high altitude and allows gravity to add momentum to its 30,000 pound weight so that it hits with enormous kinetic energy. The explosive power delivered is indeed 10x more powerful than it's predecessor, the BL-109.

Put simply, the MOP hits exactly where it is intended to hit with sufficient force to bury itself 200+ feet into hardened concrete... where it explodes its 5,300 pound warhead.

The MOP is designed to be carried aboard B-2s and  B-52 bombers- but the most likely platform to be employed in delivering the MOP is the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, some of which have already been modified to carry two of the 14-metric-ton bombs...

The stealth bomber's features find plenty of synergies with the new weapon, too: the mostly composite B-2 has dramatically reduced infrared, acoustic, electromagnetic, visual and radar signatures, extraordinary aerodynamic efficiency, a long range (6000 miles) without refueling ... and a massive payload. It is hence a potent delivery system for the new MOP, as it is very difficult for defensive systems to detect, track and engage. 

And when it gets there with a couple of these suckers... oh, man.

Considering America's unlimited global aerial refueling capabilities, there is truly nowhere to hide anymore- all we need is leadership with the will and just cause.

____________________________________________________________

Global Security.org   Defense Industry Daily   h/t Speedunque  Wikipedia

[SampleMan]

When you get ahold of Galileo have him explain this to you.

When flying tactical jets and entering a steep dive we could go to full idle (creating more drag than thrust), extend the speed brakes, and still be accelerating through 500 mph. So how does that work with your, “All objects have the same terminal velocity of 123 mph” assertion?

[Kenny Bunk]

I shall have Galileo drop a jet from the Tower of Pisa and will get back to you with the actual data.

I do understand that if this bomb thingie were to be released from an aircraft diving at 500 mph, its initial velocity would be the same as the AC's. Now if you were to pull up your trusty T-33 in a hammerhead stall and then let it go into a Falling Leaf, what would one's terminal velocity then be?

[Kenny Bunk]

BTW, does not this bomb-aroo remind you of that history channel special, “NAZI Wonder Weapons of 2003?”

[cquiggy]

Unfortunately Barack Hussein can’t wait to land one in the middle of Iran right where they can find it and sell it to China.

[SampleMan]

Now if you were to pull up your trusty T-33 in a hammerhead stall and then let it go into a Falling Leaf, what would one's terminal velocity then be?

A T-33 isn't likely to complete a falling leaf stall to the ground; however, if you were to take a 737 into a hammerhead stall at 20k, shut down both engines, and use the APU to keep it controllable in a 90 degree nose down dive, you would easily exceed 550 mph before impact. More than likely you would rip off the wings as you exceeded the aircraft's design limit.

Thinking of it another way, the 737 doesn't have anything close to the thrust required to overcome the acceleration of gravity, yet it can overcome drag resistance to fly at about 600 mph in level flight. So if gravity is a more powerful force on the aircraft than its engines, why do you think that it is incapable of doing the same?