02/13/2026, 08:0602/13/2026, 08:06
Around nine months after the operation against underground nuclear facilities in Iran, the US military wants to order supplies of the massive GBU-57 bunker-busting bombs. The US Department of Defense explained the new purchases as a result of the operation last June in order to replenish the warehouses. The bombs are necessary “to restore operational readiness.”
The US Air Force orders the bombs from the manufacturer Boeing.Image: AP US Air Force
The bunker crusher, which is precision-guided with a GPS system, is around six meters long and weighs 13.6 tons. Due to its dimensions and heavy weight, the bomb can only be dropped by B-2 stealth bombers, which only the US military has. A total of 14 of the massive bombs were dropped during the operation in Iran, most of them on the particularly deep-reaching Fordow facility. The attacks in Iran were the first combat use of the bomb in US history.
The tender document, which was blacked out in places, did not reveal how many of the bunker busters the US Air Force is now ordering from the manufacturer Boeing. The value of the contract for the bombs and related services also remained somewhat unclear: it was given the highest category of “more than $100 million.” It also remained unclear by when the bombs could be expected to be delivered.
The bomb rams itself deep underground before being detonated
The bomb was developed on behalf of the US military specifically for targets deep under rock, thick layers of earth or concrete. With the force of its own weight – accelerated by being dropped from a great height – the bomb, which weighs several tons and has a particularly hardened tip, rams clear the way for its explosive charge. The detonation then only occurs at depth.
“The warhead casing is made of a special high-performance steel alloy and the design allows for a large explosive charge while maintaining the integrity of the bomb during impact,” says a US military document explaining how it works.
It is not known for certain how many GBU-57s the US military has, but reports indicate that the number is small. According to information from 2015, the Air Force ordered 20 of these.
It is not entirely clear how many GBU-57s the US military has.Image: AP US Air Force
The GBU-57 bomb belongs to a type of bunker buster, also known by the American abbreviation MOP (“Massive Ordnance Penetrator”).
Trump: Without a deal it will be “very traumatic” for Iran
The new call comes at a time of renewed heightened tensions between the US and Iran. The US military has recently massed forces in the region on a massive scale and President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened Tehran with military intervention. Currently, however, he seems to be relying on negotiations in the dispute over the Iranian nuclear program.
He warned Iran on Thursday of serious consequences if the country does not reach an agreement with the United States. “It will be very traumatic for Iran if they don’t make a deal,” he said at the White House. (sda/dpa)