More information / facts-(So you will know and understand)
First it should be stated Part of the need for the US Airforce B-2’s is that it could penetrate very deeply into Iranian airspace and strike its targets without having to execute a full air war.
It would still need major support, but, combined with standoff capabilities and stealth tactical jets, it provides an avenue to a quicker and hopefully cleaner conflict aimed at dismantling Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
The need for the B-2’s stealth qualities is drastically reduced now that Israel has declared air superiority over Iran. That doesn’t mean ground-based air defenses are not still a threat — especially road mobile, shoulder-fired, and non-traditional systems — but Iran’s overall counter-air capability has been severely degraded. Fighters and even slow-moving large drones that operate at medium altitude are now flying relatively freely over major Iranian population centers today.
It is now plausable that an Israeli Airforce C-130 "Hercules" can survive reliably deep into Iranian territory now that the IAF basically control the skies over Iran.
Therefore it would be relevant for going after those nuclear targets that standard aerial weaponry cannot reach.
The GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) could be designed to maximize the C-130’s airdrop envelope and not exceed it, and should have no problem fitting inside of and being released by a C-130.
Dropping a weapon weighing nearly 30,000 pounds out the back of a C-130 would certainly be something to behold.
One major area where the C-130 would be at a disadvantage to the B-2, beyond its survivability and ability to carry two MOPs at once, is its speed and altitude. The Hercules flies substantially lower and slower than the B-2, which would have an impact on the weapon’s overall impact force, and likely substantially so. A C-130 dropping the same weapon at 25,000 feet and 250 miles per hour will result in significantly less kinetic force of impact than a B-2 dropping the weapon at 50,000 feet and 500 miles per hour. This is a big deal for a munition that is meant to burrow down as deeply as possible into a mountain and detonate.
It isn’t clear if these performance differences would separate success from failure. It may be that just additional munitions would be needed in order to burrow down one on top of the other deeper into the mountain to hit the targeted cavity.
BLU-127 Bomb Body (Warhead/Penetrator Case): This is the core of the weapon, designed to penetrate deeply buried and hardened targets.
Explosive Fill: The BLU-127 bomb body contains a significant amount of high-performance polymer-bonded explosives, typically a combination of AFX-757 and PBXN-114. This explosive is optimized for controlled detonation after penetration.
Casing: The bomb's casing is made from a high-density Eglin steel alloy, specifically engineered to withstand the extreme stresses of deep penetration before detonation.
Guidance Kit: This provides the precision guidance for the bomb.
Global Positioning System (GPS) and Inertial Navigation System (INS): These systems work together to ensure accurate targeting, allowing the bomb to strike within meters of its intended target.
Grid Fins: These retractable fins help stabilize the bomb in flight and allow for mid-course adjustments to maintain its trajectory.
Large Penetrator Smart Fuze (LPSF): This advanced fuzing system manages the detonation timing, adjusting the moment of explosion based on impact depth and the characteristics of the underground structure.
In essence, the GBU-57 is a combination of a robust, penetrating bomb body with a powerful explosive fill, integrated with a sophisticated guidance and fuzing system for precision and optimized detonation.
No comments:
Post a Comment