DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — As tensions rise with Iran over its nuclear program, the U. S. military this month released photographs of a rugged bomb designed to penetrate deep into the earth and destroy underground facilities that could be used to enrich uranium. .
The U. S. Air Force The U. S. Department of Defense released rare photographs of the weapon, the GBU-57, known as the “Massive Ordnance Penetrator,” on May 2. Then he got rid of the images, because the photographs revealed delicate main points about the composition and the seal of the weapon.
The release of the photographs comes as The Associated Press reported that Iran is making progress in building a nuclear facility that is likely beyond the diversity of the GBU-57, which is considered the U. S. military’s ultimate weapon. The U. S. government to get rid of underground bunkers.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE AMERICAN ORDINANCE MASS PENETRATOR?
The United States developed the Massive Ordnance Penetrator in the 2000s amid developing considerations that Iran would strengthen its nuclear sites through underground construction.
The Air Force posted photographs of the bombs on the Facebook page of Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. The base is home to the fleet of B-2 stealth bombers, the aircraft capable of deploying the bomb.
In a caption, the base said it won two Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs so that an ammunition squad can simply “test its performance. “
This is the first time the air force has released images and videos of the bomb that coincide with the development of acrimony with Tehran over its nuclear program. In 2019, the U. S. military has been able to do so. The U. S. Air Force released a video of a B-2 bomber dropping two of the bombs. Air Force responded to requests for comment on why it released, and removed, the most recent photo series.
WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM THE PHOTOS?
The most recent images revealed templates on the bombs indicating their weight of 12,300 kilograms (27,125 pounds). He also described the bomb as carrying an aggregate of AFX-757, a popular explosive, and PBXN-114, a new explosive compound, Rahul said. Udoshi, senior weapons analyst at Janes, an open-source intelligence firm.
The weight of the pump, judging by the jig, shows that most comes from its thick metal frame, which chews on concrete and floor before exploding. However, it is not yet clear what the precise effectiveness of the weapon would be.
The Warzone, an Internet news site, first reported the publication of the photographs. The AP contacted Whiteman Air Force Base and the Air Force Global Strike Command with questions about the footage. Within a day, Facebook disappeared.
Udoshi said the Air Force probably shot them down because they revealed too much bomb data. “The immediate removal of those without comment (or) justification means there is a possible flaw,” Udoshi said.
WHAT ROLE WOULD THIS BOMB PLAY IN IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM?
The AP reported Monday that satellite images from Planet Labs PBC show Tehran has dug tunnels into the mountain near the Natanz nuclear power plant in central Iran. (328 feet) underground, according to Mavens and AP analysis.
Experts say the length of the structure’s allocation indicates that Iran can also use the underground facility to enrich uranium, not just to build centrifuges. These tube-shaped centrifuges, arranged in giant cascades of dozens of machines, temporarily rotate the gaseous uranium to enrich it. Additional machinery would allow Iran to enrich uranium under the protection of mountains.
This may just be a challenge for the GBU-57: in the past describing the bomb’s capabilities, the Air Force said it could pass through two hundred feet (60 meters) of floor and cement before exploding.
COULD THE UNITED STATES STILL TRY TO DROP THE BOMB?
U. S. officials have discussed the successive use of two of those bombs to make sure it is destroyed. But even then, the new intensity of the Natanz tunnels likely presents a serious challenge.
To further complicate any imaginable attack by the U. S. military. In the U. S. , the B-2 had been on the ground for months since December, when one got stuck after an emergency landing. On Monday, General Thomas A. Bussière, commander of the Air Force’s Global Strike. Command announced that the floor of the B-2 had been lifted.
“While the safety pause of the B-2 fleet has officially ended, our ability to provide a nuclear deterrent and provide a long-range strike has never been in doubt,” an Air Force official said.
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The Associated Press receives for nuclear safety policy from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Outrider Foundation. The Palestinian Authority alone is guilty of all the content.