Massive Ordnance Penetrator Bunker Buster Grows More Potent
A new "smart fuze" for the GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator has been tested and an issue tied to the B-2 stealth bomber has been fixed.
Joseph Trevithick
Updated 22 Hours Ago
The U.S. Air Force quietly fixed a problem with the integration of the 30,000-pound class GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bomb onto the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber last year. As part of the integration work, the service also conducted an important test of a new "smart fuze" for the MOP to help improve the weapon's effectiveness, even when the exact depth and positioning of the buried target are not definitively known.
The U.S. Air Force quietly fixed a problem with the integration of the 30,000-pound class GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bomb onto the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber last year. This is especially significant given that the B-2 is the only aircraft currently certified to operationally employ the MOP, a huge precision bunker buster specially designed to penetrate very deeply buried and fortified targets. As part of the integration work, the service also conducted an important test of a new “smart fuze” for the MOP to help improve the weapon’s effectiveness, even when the exact depth and positioning of the buried target are not definitively known.
The Pentagon’s Office of the Director of Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) included an update on developments regarding MOP in its most recent annual report, which covers work on various programs conducted during Fiscal Year 2024. The exact size of the current MOP stockpile is unknown, but it is understood to be relatively small. As of 2015, prime contractor Boeing had delivered at least 20 of the bombs, according to the Air Force. There have been reports of additional orders over the years and a story from Bloomberg in 2024 said that a facility in Oklahoma was being expanded to help triple or even quadruple the annual output of these bombs.
https://www.twz.com/air/massive-ordnance-penetrator-bunker-buster-grows-more-potent-thanks-to-new-tests
