How the 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bomb works

How the 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bomb works

YOU, I THINK WE DO HAVE A GRAPHIC. I’M NOT SURE IF WE CAN PULL IT UP QUICKLY ENOUGH THAT THAT SHOWS SOME OF THESE, THESE, THESE BUNKER BUSTING BOMBS AND HOW IT SORT OF, LIKE, BURROWS INTO THE GROUND, THESE 30,000 POUND EXPLOSIVE DEVICES. CAN YOU TALK MORE ABOUT HOW THAT WOULD WORK IN THIS SORT OF SITUATION, AND WHAT IT SPECIFICALLY NEEDS TO GET TO IN THE GROUND? >> YEAH, WHAT SOME PEOPLE MAY SAY, WELL, WAIT A MINUTE. THE B-2 IS A STEALTH BOMBER. IT HAS IT GOES IN WHERE YOU HAVE VERY HEAVY AIR DEFENSES, WHERE, WHERE, WHERE ENEMY RADARS WOULD BE ABLE TO SEE IT. AND SO WHY IS IT BEING USED IN IRAN WHEN WE KNOW THAT THE ISRAELIS HAVE TAKEN DOWN ALL OF THE AIR DEFENSE SYSTEMS? THAT’S BECAUSE THIS MOP, THIS THIS HARDENED PENETRATOR THAT CAN GO UP TO 200FT BELOW THE GROUND CAN ONLY BE CARRIED BY THE B-2. SO THE B-52 HAS CARRIED IT BEFORE. BUT THE WEAPON SYSTEM ITSELF IS ONLY CERTIFIED TO FLY ON THE B-2. SO THIS IS WHY THE B-2S HAD TO GO IN TO USE THESE BUNKER BUSTING BOMBS. SO THE WHOLE IDEA IS THAT OF THE 30,000 POUNDS, ONLY 5,000 POUNDS ARE EXPLOSIVES. MOST OF IT IS A VERY HARDENED CASE BECAUSE IT HAS TO PUNCH THROUGH ROCK AND DIRT, AND IT HAS TO PUSH ALL THAT FORCE DOWN MANY LAYERS. IT ACTUALLY HAS A FUZE THAT CAN SENSE GOING THROUGH VARIOUS LAYERS. AND SO THE IDEA HERE IS THAT THEY’VE GOT TO COLLAPSE THOSE BIG, MASSIVE HALLS THAT WE’VE ACTUALLY SEEN PICTURES WITH BECAUSE THE IAEA HAS BEEN IN THERE, COLLAPSE THESE HALLS AND COLLAPSE DIRT ON TOP OF THESE CENTRIFUGES THAT WERE ENRICHING URANIUM TO A WEAPONS QUALITY CAPABILITY. SO IT’S A BOMB THAT WAS DEVELOPED ORIGINALLY. MOST MOST OF THE OF THE IMPETUS WAS FOR THE NORTH KOREAN THREAT, BECAUSE REMEMBER THAT THE NORTH KOREANS ALSO HAVE VERY DEEPLY BURIED CAPABILITIES IN THEIR NUCLEAR IN THEIR NUCLEAR SITES. AND SO THE US SAID, WELL, WE THINK THAT IF WE NEED TO USE THIS, THAT NORTH KOREA MAY BE THE FIRST PLACE WE NEED TO USE IT. WE DON’T WANT THE KIM REGIME TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP MORE NUCLEAR WEAPONS. BUT THEN THEY KNEW THAT FORDOW WAS THERE AS WELL. SO REALLY, THE ONLY TWO PLACES IN THE WORLD WHERE THIS WEAPON IS APPROPRIATE AND WHERE THE US OR ANY OTHER

ABC News contributor and retired Col. Steve Ganyard explains how the 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bomb works; the bomb can only be carried by B-2 bombers. https://

READ MORE: https://abcnews.go.com/International/live-updates/israel-iran-live-updates/?id=122881565
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