Production of 15-ton bunker buster sped up

This artist's rendering shows a "massive ordnance penetrator" made by Boeing Co. The bomb is undergoing testing and is slated to come on line by mid-2010, to become the largest conventional bomb in the U.S. arsenal. The bomb is approximately 20.5 feet long, has a 31.5-inch diameter and a total weight of slightly less than 30,000 pounds.


Production of 15-ton bunker buster sped up
By Anne Gearan - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Oct 13, 2009 5:48:56 EDT

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is speeding up delivery of a colossal bomb designed to destroy hidden weapons bunkers buried underground and shielded by 10,000 pounds of reinforced concrete.

Call it Plan B for dealing with Iran, which recently revealed a long-suspected nuclear site deep inside a mountain near the holy city of Qom.

The 15-ton behemoth — called the “massive ordnance penetrator,” or MOP — will be the largest non-nuclear bomb in the U.S. arsenal and will carry 5,300 pounds of explosives. The bomb is about 10 times more powerful than the weapon it is designed to replace.

The Pentagon has awarded a nearly $52 million contract to speed up placement of the bomb aboard the B-2 Stealth bomber, and officials say the bomb could be fielded as soon as next summer.

Pentagon officials acknowledge that the new bomb is intended to blow up fortified sites like those used by Iran and North Korea for their nuclear programs, but they deny there is a specific target in mind.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/ap_massive_ordnance_penetrator_101309/

:(

limited use (useless) stuff in our military supplies.

mark