The 30,000-pound MOP is designed to knock out fortified sites buried deep underground
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon said a giant “bunker buster” bomb will be ready within months, adding a powerful weapon to the US arsenal amid tensions over Iran’s nuclear program.
The 30,000-pound massive ordnance penetrator (MOP) is designed to knock out fortified sites buried deep underground, like those used by Iran and North Korea to protect its nuclear work.
“It is under development right now and should be deployable in the coming months,” press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters.
The Defense Department had said in August it wanted to speed up production plans for the super bomb, asking Congress to shift funds to the project.
Congress approved the request and the Pentagon announced Friday it awarded McDonnell Douglas Corporation a 51.9-million-dollar contract to enable B-2 aircraft to carry the enormous MOP.
The bomb, which holds 5,300 pounds of explosives, is designed “to defeat hardened facilities used by hostile states to protect weapons of mass destruction,” Morrell said.