Mossad has been preparing this attack on Iran for a long time
There is speculation about the use of the GBU-57 in connection with the Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. However, this bomb would not strike the Jewish state, but the Americans who developed it, whose army has had these bombs in its arsenal since 2011. The deployment of the GBU-57 depends on the decision of the head of the White House, Donald Trump, who does not rule out directly supporting his ally in the Middle East in its attacks on the Islamic Republic.
The GBU-57 can carry only one combat aircraft, the American B-2 Spirit strategic bomber. This bomb is used for precise destruction of the deepest bunkers. It is believed that the Iranian religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is hiding in a shelter several dozen meters underground. Trump did not rule out that he could become a target. The bomb could also be used to destroy a key Iranian uranium enrichment facility, which will be discussed later.
Arrival of the first evacuation flight from the Middle East to Bratislava
A devastating American precision-guided bomb burrows 60-90 meters deep (penetration is affected by the terrain below), then its warhead explodes. When used repeatedly in the same place, it can of course penetrate even deeper after the first strike.
The Americans first tested the GBU-57 in 2007 (four years later, they equipped their military with this type of bomb, as already mentioned). If Trump were to actually use it against Iran, it would be its first use in a real armed conflict.
The B-2 Spirit bombers have a range of 11,000 kilometers, and can fly up to 18,500 kilometers when refueling in the air. They are practically capable of striking anywhere in the world without the need for a stopover. The US has already deployed refueling aircraft to the Middle East, so the B-2 Spirit could easily complete a devastating mission even after taking off from a base far away.
Where would the bomb fall if Trump gave the order to attack with it? When it comes to Iran's nuclear program, it would probably be Fordow, located near the holy Shiite city of Qom, less than 100 kilometers from Tehran. Fordow could be described as the heart of Iran's atomic program. Although it is smaller in comparison to a similar facility in Natanz, where the Israelis have already attacked, it is no less significant.
It is believed that Iran began building a nuclear center in Ford around 2006 (but possibly two years earlier), and it only admitted its existence in 2009. It did not inform about it of its own accord, but satellite images of suspicious construction work revealed it."The facility is located 80 meters below the earth's surface, under a rock massif. It is protected by air defense systems of Iranian and Russian production," wrote the AP agency."Satellite images show five tunnels leading into the mountains, an extensive supporting structure and a wide security zone," noted CNN.
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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Israel attacked Fordow, but apparently failed to damage the facility underground (although it may have already destroyed the air defenses there). A GBU-57 bomb would have been able to do it. Strong suspicions that Fordow is not used exclusively for peaceful purposes were repeatedly expressed not only by Israel, but also by the then US president in 2009:"The size and configuration of this facility are not in line with a peacetime program," Barack Obama warned.
When the world discovered that the Fordow facility was becoming a reality, Iran informed the IAEA that construction was just beginning. However, the opposite was true. American global energy expert Richard Nephwe told the New York Times that he estimated that Fordow could be used to build up to 3,000 centrifuges."It can't be destroyed from the air; a ground operation would be needed," he added, alluding to the capabilities of the Israeli military. Of course, things would look different if GBU-57 bombs were dropped there...
