From 2020
Two members of the House of Representatives are preparing to introduce legislation that would make it possible for the U.S. to supply its 30,000 pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) to Israel, according to Politico. Developed in the early 2000s, the MOP is a powerful bunker-busting bomb that could penetrate Iran’s underground nuclear facilities should it pursue nuclear weapons which Israel considers a mortal threat.
The 20-plus foot long, 2.6 foot wide munition was declared operational in 2011 and its acquisition has reportedly been repeatedly requested by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The legislation would overturn current U.S. federal law which bars the sale of such bunker busters and in allowing for the transfer of MOPs, help Israel maintain its qualitative military edge in the Middle East.
But if this bipartisan legislation passes, there’s a glaring question: How would the Israeli Air Force deliver such a massive bomb?
Big Bomb, Big Bomber
The IAF fields American strike aircraft including the F-35A, F-15E/I, and F-16I but, as far as we know, none of these could carry the large, long MOP.
The GPS-guided weapon with its 5,300-pound warhead required the U.S. Air Force to adapt one of its own platforms, the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, to lug it aloft. Refitting of B-2s for the purpose started in 2007. The modifications allow the B-2 to actually haul two GBU-57s, a capability the Air Force confirmed in a widely viewed video of a B-2 MOP drop it released in 2019.
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www.forbes.com
Two members of the House of Representatives are preparing to introduce legislation that would make it possible for the U.S. to supply its 30,000 pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) to Israel, according to Politico. Developed in the early 2000s, the MOP is a powerful bunker-busting bomb that could penetrate Iran’s underground nuclear facilities should it pursue nuclear weapons which Israel considers a mortal threat.
The 20-plus foot long, 2.6 foot wide munition was declared operational in 2011 and its acquisition has reportedly been repeatedly requested by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The legislation would overturn current U.S. federal law which bars the sale of such bunker busters and in allowing for the transfer of MOPs, help Israel maintain its qualitative military edge in the Middle East.
But if this bipartisan legislation passes, there’s a glaring question: How would the Israeli Air Force deliver such a massive bomb?
Big Bomb, Big Bomber
The IAF fields American strike aircraft including the F-35A, F-15E/I, and F-16I but, as far as we know, none of these could carry the large, long MOP.
The GPS-guided weapon with its 5,300-pound warhead required the U.S. Air Force to adapt one of its own platforms, the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, to lug it aloft. Refitting of B-2s for the purpose started in 2007. The modifications allow the B-2 to actually haul two GBU-57s, a capability the Air Force confirmed in a widely viewed video of a B-2 MOP drop it released in 2019.
Read Complete Article
Could The Israelis Really Drop A Massive Ordnance Penetrator Bomb On Iran? The Answer May Be Yes.
Recently introduced legislation in the House could make it possible for the U.S. to supply its 30,000 pound GBU-57 Massive Ordinance Penetrator to Israel. But even if it passes, do the Israelis have an aircraft that could conceivably deliver it?
www.forbes.com
I wonder what the final score will be? A humanitarian crisis will unfold as God will break the BOW of Elam/Iran. 
