Understanding America’s “Massive Ordinance Penetrator” Bunker Buster Bomb
June 28, 2025
By: Harrison Kass
The MOP was developed in the early 2000s as part of a DARPA-led effort created in response to the emergence of Iranian and North Korean fortified nuclear facilities.
President Donald Trump unilaterally authorized airstrikes against Iranian nuclear facilities this weekend, after intensive Israeli lobbying efforts. The motivation behind Israel’s intensive lobbying is that the United States is the only nation with the weaponry capable of penetrating Iran’s fortified, 300-foot underground nuclear facilities. The United States used the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bomb, which only the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber can carry, to target Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The MOP and the B-2 are tightly linked in US strategic doctrine; they are used in combination against hard targets, such as the nuclear bunkers that comprise much of Iran’s and North Korea’s nuclear programs.
Introducing the “Massive Ordnance Penetrator” Bomb
The MOP is a 30,000-pound bomb measuring 20.5 feet in length. Its defining feature is its ability to penetrate through hard structures before detonating. The MOP is capable of penetrating through more than 200 feet of concrete, or more than 60 feet of reinforced earth, before detonating.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/understanding-americas-massive-ordinance-penetrator-bunker-buster-bomb-hk
