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The Birth of the Big Bomb: What Can We Learn from the Iraq War?
The 2003 Iraq War was not just a military conflict; it made the U.S. military realize the limitations of traditional weapons when facing modern warfare. During this war, the U.S. Air Force used a variety of new bomb technologies for the first time, but many conventional "bunker buster" bombs failed to meet combat needs. Thus, the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), a giant bomb designed to destroy enemy bunkers deep underground, came into being.
The GBU-57A/B Big Mac is a heavy precision-guided bomb of the United States Air Force, weighing 30,000 pounds (about 14,000 kilograms). Its size and power far exceed the previous "bunker buster". The bomb is about 20 feet long and can only be carried by large bombers such as the B-2 Spirit or the future B-21 Raider. It is designed to destroy enemy weapons storage facilities, especially those hidden in strong bunkers. Weapons of mass destruction.
Development Background
The development of the MOP originated in 2002, when Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin were planning a 30,000-pound penetrating weapon, but the project was shelved due to funding and technical problems. . However, the outbreak of the Iraq War changed all that. After analyzing previous bomb attacks, the U.S. military found that existing bombs had major deficiencies in both penetration and destructive power.
The war highlighted the urgent need to effectively strike deeply buried targets.
As a result, the US Department of Defense launched the MOP program and listed it as a priority development project. Although the U.S. Air Force has not officially expressed a need for super-large bombs before, there has long been an ideal and demand for them in the concept library of explosive weapons used on the B-2 and future B-21 bombers.
Technological Progress
The MOP was developed through several iterations and was designed and tested at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base. Boeing is the main contributor to design and testing. The bomb is designed to use Global Positioning System (GPS) guidance to ensure it reaches its target accurately and effectively.
Each B-2 bomber can carry two Big Mac bombs, a configuration that greatly enhances the U.S. military's strike capability.
In 2007, Northrop Grumman announced that it had won a $2.5 million contract to modify its stealth bomber to allow each B-2 bomber to carry two 14-ton MOPs. The Air Force received its initial eight MOPs and their support equipment in 2011, and received 20 bombs designed for the B-2 bomber that same year.
Subsequent Development
With the use of MOP, the US Air Force also began to move towards the second generation of penetrating weapons. In 2010, the Air Force named this new concept the "Next Generation Penetrator" (NGP), which is designed to have greater penetration capability with a smaller size and weight. This strategic consideration allows subsequent bombers to be more flexible and diverse in future operations.
ConclusionThe birth of the jumbo bomb is not only an important technological breakthrough in striking deeply buried targets, but also a response of the US military to changes in modern warfare. Faced with evolving warfare forms and threats, such weapon systems may play a greater role in future conflicts. However, while we pursue military superiority, should we also consider its impact and influence on civilians and world security?
