US Air Force F-15E Successfully Drops New 5,000-Pound Bomb
Joe Saballa October 13, 2021
The US Air Force has successfully tested its new 5,000-pound (2,267 kilograms) GBU-72 Advanced 5K Penetrator capable of destroying underground spaces such as ballistic missile and nuclear weapons facilities.
According to the service, the bunker-busting bomb was dropped at 35,000 feet (10.6 kilometers) using an F-15E strike fighter around the Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. The event marked the first time that the air force loaded and released a 2.5-ton bomb in the open air.
The GBU-72 drop test successfully demonstrated how the weapon can be safely released from the aircraft, which had been upgraded to carry bombs that weigh 5,000 pounds instead of its original payload capacity of 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms).
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/10/13/usaf-tests-gbu-72-bomb/
