"Bunker Buster" Bomb DelayedDecember 22, 2009
With both Iran and North Korea unwilling to make concessions on their nuclear programs, the United States is rushing to put into service a "bunker buster" bomb more than 10 times as powerful as the current generation of penetrating bombs. The 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or MOP, is about six months behind schedule and will be available by December 2010, according to Reuters. The delay is blamed on changes in the test schedule and, most importantly, on shifting funding priorities. Congress agreed earlier this year to a Pentagon request to shift the appropriated funding for the MOP to speed the integration of Boeing's bomb tie-in to the radar-evading B-2 bomber, according to the article. The B-2, built by Northrop Grumman, will be capable of carrying the MOP. The bunker buster's fourth flight test was completed successfully last week at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The Air Force and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, which are conducting the tests, used an "inert" MOP dropped from a B-52. The MOP is designed to reach and destroy deeply buried facilities now safe from existing bunker busters. The bomb can penetrate up to 200 feet below ground before exploding, according to the Air Force. This MOP will be the largest non-nuclear weapon in the U.S. arsenal. |
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