More 30,000-Pound ‘Bunker-Buster’ Bombs Sought for U.S. Forces
Centcom asks Congress for $35 million in additional spending
Smaller ‘Mother of All Bombs’ was used in Afghanistan war
April 1, 2022, 5:14 PM EDT
U.S. Central Command has asked Congress to authorize and appropriate $35 million more than requested in the White House’s latest budget proposal to replace 10 of America’s most powerful non-nuclear weapons after supplies were depleted during tests.
The 30,000-pound (13,600 kilogram) GBU-57 “bunker buster” -- known officially as a Massive Ordnance Penetrator -- is built by Boeing Co. and could be used to strike deeply buried or other difficult targets, including potential underground nuclear facilities in places such as North Korea or Iran.
In a March 25 letter to the House Armed Services Committee, General Frank McKenzie -- who led American forces in the Mideast until his retirement Friday -- called the $35 million his top “unfunded request” that didn’t make it into President Joe Biden’s proposed defense budget.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-01/more-30-000-pound-bunker-buster-bombs-sought-for-u-s-forces?sref=IYQ5mP1s
