The U.S. could use ‘bunker buster’ bombs in Iran. Here’s what to know about them : NPR

The aviators watch a GBU-57, or a penetration of massive ammunition, at the base of Whiteman Air Force in Missouri on May 2, 2023.

AP / US Air Force

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AP / US Air Force

While the growing conflict between Israel and Iran has entered its sixth day, the United States seems to weigh more and more direct military involvement.

“I can do it. I may not be doing it,” said President Trump to journalists on Wednesday. “I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.”

Israel says that its assault against Iran is necessary to prevent the country from building a nuclear weapon – which it considers an existential threat. It is also a common goal for the United States, which, until last week, had been in the midst of negotiations with Iran to limit the country’s nuclear capacities.

The most fortified and protected nuclear installation in Iran, called Fordow, is buried deep inside a mountain. Only the United States has 30,000 pound bombs – often called bunker busters – capable of reaching it, as well as B -2 stealth bombers to deliver them.

This places Israel – and the United States – in a difficult position.

“”[Israel] I cannot destroy the Tehran program by themselves, “said Aaron David Miller, main member of the Endowment for International Peace Carnegie, a non-partisan reflection group.” But if they stop and survive, it will be considered a defeat. “”

Trump on Tuesday told journalists on the Air Force One that he was looking for “a real end” with Iran’s nuclear ambitions, which he described as “better than a cease-fire”.

What are the “Bunker Buster” bombs?

The term “Bunker Buster” is wide, used to describe any bomb designed to penetrate deep under the surface before exploding. They date back to the Second World War but were considerably developed during the Gulf War.

Ryan Brobst, an ammunition expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington reflection group which often advocates Israeli and critical security towards Iran, says that a false common idea on the booty of Bunker is that they depend on a large amount of explosives to do their job.

“What really differentiates them from other weapons is their hardened steel case,” said Brobst. “They often have an explosive payload smaller than other weapons, but it is the case that allows them to dig into the ground, a bit like an exercise, then destroy these targets.”

The specifically in question bomb is now the MOP GBU-57 (massive ammunition penetrator), among the heaviest and most powerful non-nuclear bombs in the American arsenal, weighing 30,000 pounds and 20 feet long. It has never been used in combat before.

The ammunition experts told NPR that GBU -57 has been developed more recently with Iranian nuclear installations – such as mountain -based Fordow – in mind. But many about this is classified, including how much it can go deep.

“So, if a weapon was unable to penetrate it, what should happen is that another weapon should be deposited essentially exactly the same drilling hole as the previous one, then explores further and then exploded,” said Brobst, stressing that this would intrinsically mean more risks if several drops were necessary.

Why can only the United States use them?

Due to its size, GBU-57 must be deposited with a B-2 stealth bomber, which only the United States has. Israel has no heavy bombers capable of carrying such a weapon.

“It is not a bomb that we can simply give the Israeli Air Force and make them use,” explains Trevor Ball, associate researcher at Argent Research Services, an ammunition analysis company and a former technician in elimination of explosive ammunition from the American army.

“There is no way for Israel to make this strike without the United States not as simple as, you know, the United States piloting a freight plane and go,” left, “he said.

Would it work?

Most experts agree that GBU -57 could cause serious destruction – perhaps even irreparable – to an establishment like Fordow, even if it took several strokes.

“This could cause real damage,” said Miller.

But he says that the real question is whether it would be enough to stop the Iranian nuclear program, what is that Israel and the United States are the main objective: “How do you bomb scientific knowledge outside the head of a scientific community?”

Ali Vaez, director of the Iran project of the International Crisis Group, says that intelligence estimates are that a successful American attack would probably simply put Iran’s nuclear program by a year or two – not to stop it for good.

“The reality is that even if Fordow is entirely destroyed, Iran always has the know-how and the ability to reconstruct its nuclear program. It is therefore not a solution to the nuclear crisis with Iran,” explains Vaez.

Could an attack on nuclear sites endanger civilians?

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that Iran produces uranium highly enriched in Fordow, which means that a powerful strike on the installation could release radioactive materials in the area surrounding it.

Radioactivity would constitute a serious danger for anyone nearby, but it would not be likely to travel very far beyond the establishment itself. The IAEA says that it believes that a release has already occurred in the main Iranian nuclear installation in Natanz, which was struck at the start of the fighting.

Speaking at the end of last week, Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the IAEA, described the attacks on nuclear installations “deeply concerning”.

“I have said on several occasions that nuclear installations should never be attacked, whatever the context or circumstances, because it could harm people and the environment,” he said, warning that the consequences of a major attack could go far beyond the limits of Iran.

He urged all parties to exercise a “maximum deduction”.