According to The Telegraph, the US is currently actively developing new bombs to blow up deep enemy bunkers, so dictators will have nowhere to hide in the event of a world war.
Points of attention
- The newest of the bombs, the GBU-72, is designed to penetrate through mud and rocks using an ultra-durable casing.
- Compared to other bunker busters, the GBU-72 combines high penetrating power and small size.
- It is also adapted for transportation by US Air Force aircraft.
What is known about new US developments
Journalists draw attention to the fact that Russia, the People's Republic of China, Iran and the DPRK are building more and more underground bunkers in case of a global war.
American engineers are also not far behind, as they are actively developing new bombs to blow up such enemy objects.
As The Telegraph learned, the latest of these bombs appeared over the Mojave Desert in March.
Photographer Ian Recchio snapped photos of a US Air Force Boeing B-1 bomber refuelling from a USAF KC-135 tanker. There was something unusual under the swing-wing B-1’s forward fuselage: a large bomb, the report said.
Aviation expert David Cenciotti said it was likely a new munition, a rare 5,000-pound GBU-72 designed to penetrate dirt and rocks before detonating.
Why is the GBU-72 bomb so special?
As foreign experts explain, thanks to the high-tech detonator and super-durable body, this bunker buster with satellite guidance has high penetrating ability and a relatively small size.
In other words, it combines the best qualities of the US Air Force’s existing bunker-busters: the 4,000-pound GBU-28 and the 27,000-pound GBU-57, the publication says.
It is worth noting that the GBU-28 is small and light enough to be carried by US Air Force Boeing F-15E fighters.
However, it can penetrate less than 200 feet in hard soil.
However, the GBU-57 is designed to penetrate deeper than 200 feet but is so large and heavy that only two types of US Air Force combat aircraft can carry it, namely:
modern stealth bomber B-2;
the future B-21 stealth bomber.
