'Bunker buster' ready soon (MOP: within months)

Strait Times ^ | 10/08/09

[TigerLikesRooster]

'Bunker buster' ready soon

WASHINGTON - THE Pentagon said on Wednesday a giant 'bunker buster' bomb will be ready within months, adding a powerful weapon to the US arsenal amid tensions over Iran's nuclear programme.

The 30,000-pound (13,607kg) massive ordnance penetrator (MOP) is designed to knock out fortified sites buried deep underground, like those used by Iran and North Korea to protect its nuclear work. 'It is under development right now and should be deployable in the coming months,' press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters.

The Defence Department had said in August it wanted to speed up production plans for the super bomb, asking Congress to shift funds to the project. Congress approved the request and the Pentagon announced on Friday it awarded McDonnell Douglas Corporation a US$51.9 million (S$73.7 million) contract to enable B-2 aircraft to carry the enormous MOP.

[Steely Tom]

And we’re revealing this to the world at this point to what purpose? Trying to give the aircrews who would be called upon to deliver this weapon every possible chance for a safe return after mission success?

[Rockingham]

We made it public to impress on our adversaries that much of their investment in underground facilities is obsolete. This may have a calming effect on Iran and North Korea.

[Myrddin]

And we’re revealing this to the world at this point to what purpose? Trying to give the aircrews who would be called upon to deliver this weapon every possible chance for a safe return after mission success?

Stupid. We've announced the size of the weapon, approximate delivery date, name of the contractor doing the aircraft mods and the specific delivery aircraft to be used. The bad guys now know who to infiltrate at the contractor site and what aircraft countermeasures need to be addressed ASAP. The bad guys already know the target coordinates. Just stupid. Very bad opsec.

[csense]

The 30,000-pound...

Whoa, mama...

[repubpub]

As if the current Nobel Award winner would even use it. He may have ok’d it due to the name MOP. He thought it was for cleaning the White House floors.

[I see my hands]

[wastedyears]

Nothing says “knock knock” like a massive bunker buster.

[JohnQ1]

In fact, it might do a *great* job of cleaning the White House floors, but it won’t be ready soon enough. Health care “reform” will pass or fail all too soon.

[LibWhacker]

The 30,000-pound

C'mon, stop richarding around and nuclearize those babies!

[ThanhPhero]

The hyping of this thing indicates to me that Hussein will NOT attack Iran. If the thing is real as described then we should not be advertising our capabilities. If we are just trying to intimidate Iran I can’t imagine it being successful. Iran just needs time. So long as Hussein prefers to negotiate and bluster, Iran gets time.

[HospiceNurse]

Our President, United States Security International (PUSSI) will never use it and they know it.

[Stepan12]

Our President, United States Security International (PUSSI) will never use it and they know it.

Maybe he'll use it on Israel if they keep having babies in the suburbs of Jerusalem and then build an extra room to accomodate the little tykes.

[SampleMan]

We made it public to impress on our adversaries that much of their investment in underground facilities is obsolete. This may have a calming effect on Iran and North Korea.

Weapons are meaningless without will. And we have a devoted Peacenik at the helm.

[smellmygunpowder]

Just like in the first gulf war and the subsequent Iraq war, American military likes to announce it’s intentions. Not sure why, but it really doesn’t matter. When they said shock and awe, it was shock and awe. When they said they are flying this many sorties or that many sorties, they did it. They even announced the routes they were taking into Baghdad. Did that stop them or prepare the enemy. They do this on a consistent basis and I’m not sure if it’s to intimidate the enemy or confuse them in some manner. I think they (military planners) know exactly how to play (use) the media to their advantage.

[myknowledge]

But overtime, psyops like this would backfire. It would not be that successful against first-rate adversaries like the Russkies or Chicoms. Or even dangerous ‘third rate’ adversaries like North Korea.

[Rockingham]

Not of Obama’s choice, but events, such as an Israeli air attack, may spin out of control and force US military action against Obama’s desires. If so, it is all to the good to have the mullahs nervous that assets and infrastructure deep underground are vulnerable to US air attack via a massive bomb delivered by a virtually unstoppable B-2.

[Rockingham]

See my comment at #17, below.

[SampleMan]

Not of Obama’s choice, but events, such as an Israeli air attack, may spin out of control and force US military action against Obama’s desires.

When the Israelis attack Iran, they will be lucky not to be fired upon by the U.S. Military, given that the Left has been encouraging precisely that. I'm unaware what Obama has done to make the mullahs think that hitting Israel will bring about American involvement.

Traditional peace through power measures have been set aside by this WH.

[tanknetter]

Stupid. We've announced the size of the weapon, approximate delivery date, name of the contractor doing the aircraft mods and the specific delivery aircraft to be used. The bad guys now know who to infiltrate at the contractor site and what aircraft countermeasures need to be addressed ASAP. The bad guys already know the target coordinates. Just stupid. Very bad opsec.

What are the chances that we know every Iranian nuclear facility out there, or even the ones that are in active use? Beyond that, what are the chances the Iranians believe that they know *everything* that we know?

What are the chances that in the information we've just released we've really revealed *all* the capabilities of the weapon?

We make all this information public, then watch via satellite as the Iranians scramble to further enhance their critical facilities. Helps us with targeting them better. We listen to see if the Iranians activate intelligence assets here in the US, and watch to see if they try to "infiltrate" the contractors. Helps with counter-intel.

Not sure if you remember the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, but information was leaked out right at the start that Tariq Aziz (Saddam's Foreign Minister) had surrendered. He hadn't, but the high-level Iraqi communications networks went NUTS as all the senior leadership tried to figure out if it were true. We were listening. With aircraft capable of fixing the location of the people asking those questions ... and providing those fixes to aircraft carrying very large bombs.