B-2s to arm with MOP

June 16, 2009 · Posted in Blogroll, Uncategorized · 1 Comment 

yourfile Steve Trimble reports that the USAF plans to acquire a small number of GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs to arm its B-2A bombers within three years.

The USAF plans to begin flight tests on the B-2A starting in June 2011 and reach operational status by June 2012, the USAF notice says. Integrating the MOP requires no changes to the B-2A’s operational flight programme, avoiding a potentially costly and time-consuming recertification process.

Until now the MOP was a technology demonstrator program, effectively an offspring of the GBU-43 MOAB project. Deploying the bomb operationally will provide the USAF with a unique non-nuclear capability to destroy deep underground targets. It is possible that the B61-11 penetrating nuclear bomb (typically reserved for such tasks) is losing its appeal because of its fallout (actual and political) complications, thus necessitating the introduction of a nun-nuclear option for the same targets.

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