A bunker buster bomb is designed to penetrate hardened targets or targets buried deep underground. Massive ordinance air-burst bomb. ...

Aircraft delivered bombs

In World War II the British designer Barnes Wallis of Bouncing bomb fame, designed two bombs that would nowadays be called bunker busters: the five ton Tallboy and the ten ton Grand Slam "Earthquake" bombs. The designs were very aerodynamic with a tail which caused them to spin. This allowed them to break the sound barrier as they fell from a height of 22,000 feet (6,700 m). They had a much stronger casings, made of high grade steels, than the typical World War II bomb so that they would survive the impact of hitting a hardened surface or penetrate deep into the ground. Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths {{{notes}}} World War II, also known as the Second World War (sometimes WW2 or WWII or World War Two), was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the... Sir Barnes Neville Wallis Sir Barnes Neville Wallis, CBE, FRS, RDI, commonly known as Barnes Wallis, (September 26, 1887 – October 30, 1979) was a British scientist, engineer and inventor. ... Oingy Boingy! The bouncing bomb was a kind of bomb designed by Barnes Wallis of Vickers-Armstrong at Brooklands, Surrey. ... A long ton is the name used in the US for the unit called the ton in the avoirdupois or Imperial system of measurements, as used (alongside the metric system) in the United Kingdom and to some extent in other Commonwealth countries. ... Tallboy bomb The Tallboy was a bomb developed by Barnes Wallis and brought into operation by the British in 1944. ... A British 22,000 lb Grand Slam bomb The Grand Slam (Earthquake) bomb was a very large bomb developed by the British aeronautical engineer Barnes Wallis in late 1944. ...

Though these bombs might be thought of as 'bunker busters' today, in fact the original 'earthquake' theory was more complex and subtle than simply penetrating a hardened surface. The Earthquake bombs were designed not to strike a target directly, but to impact beside it, penetrate under it, and create a 'camoflet' or large buried cavern at the same time as delivering a shock wave through the target's foundations. The target then collapses into the hole, no matter how hardened it may be. The bombs had strong casings because they needed to travel through rock rather than re-inforced concrete, though of course they could perform equally well against hardened surfaces. In an attack on the U-Boat pens at Farge two Grand Slams went through the 23ft re-inforced concrete hardening - equalling or exceeding the best current penetration specifications.

In the First Gulf War (1990-1991) there was a need for deep penetration bomb similar to the British weapons of World War II, but none of the NATO air forces had such a weapon, though the RAF still retains several of Barnes Wallis' bombs as museum pieces. As a stop-gap, some were developed rapidly over a period of 28 days, using old 8 inch (203 mm) artillery barrels as casings. These bombs weighed over two tons but carried only 647 lbs of high explosive. They were laser-guided. They were designated "Guided Bomb Unit-28 (GBU-28)". They worked very effectively. See also: 2003 invasion of Iraq and Gulf War (disambiguation) C Company, 1st Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment, 1st UK Armoured Division The Persian Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of 34 nations led by the United States. ... Categories: Air-dropped bombs ...

More recently the US has developed a series of custom made bombs to penetrate hardened or deeply buried structures:

The Mark 84 is an American general-purpose bomb, the largest of the Mark 80 series of weapons. ... The Mark 84 is an American general-purpose bomb, the largest of the Mark 80 series of weapons. ... American Paveway-series laser-guided bomb, based on the Mk 84 general-purpose bomb, but with laser seeker and wings for guidance. ... Guided Bomb Unit 15 is an unpowered, glide weapon used to destroy high-value enemy targets. ... Advanced American Paveway-series laser-guided bomb, based on the Mk 84 general-purpose bomb, but with laser seeker and wings for guidance. ... Laser-guided bomb. ... The AGM-130 is a missile developed by the United States of America. ... Guided Bomb Unit 15 is an unpowered, glide weapon used to destroy high-value enemy targets. ... Advanced American Paveway-series laser-guided bomb, based on the Mk 84 general-purpose bomb, but with laser seeker and wings for guidance. ... Laser-guided bomb. ... The AGM-130 is a missile developed by the United States of America. ... Thermobaric weapons distinguish themselves from conventional weapons by using atmospheric oxygen, instead of carrying an oxidizer in their explosives. ... Guided Bomb Unit 15 is an unpowered, glide weapon used to destroy high-value enemy targets. ... Advanced American Paveway-series laser-guided bomb, based on the Mk 84 general-purpose bomb, but with laser seeker and wings for guidance. ... The AGM-130 is a missile developed by the United States of America. ... Categories: Air-dropped bombs ... Specs not yet available. ...

Fuzing

The traditional fuze is the same as a classic armor-piercing bomb: a combination of timer and a sturdy dynamic propellor on the rear of the bomb. The fuze is armed when the bomb is released, and detonates when the propellor stops turning and the timer has expired. In an explosive device, a fuse (or fuze) is the part of the device that causes it to function. ...

Modern bunker busters may use the traditional fuze, but some also include a microphone and microcontroller. The microcontroller listens, and counts floors until the bomb busts through the desired numbers of floors. Inside a condenser microphone. ... A microcontroller is a computer-on-a-chip used to control electronic devices. ...

Missiles

The extra speed provided by a rocket motor enables greater penetration of a missile-mounted bunker buster warhead.

Halts in production

The McAlester, Oklahoma production plant for the U.S. Military halted the production of 2,000 pound (900 kg) bunker buster bombs on two occasions. The first, on February 8th, 2005, revealed that 17 employees who made the weapons had low blood oxygen levels because of their exposure to trinitrotoluene. Later in August, 34 workers were also found to be anemic. Production restarted on January 1, 2005 after a new ventilation system was installed, but halted again on March 2nd of the same year when blood tests confirmed continued adverse effects to employee health from TNT exposure. [1] McAlester is a city located in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. ... The armed forces of the United States of America consist of the United States Army United States Navy United States Air Force United States Marine Corps United States Coast Guard Note: The United States Coast Guard has both military and law enforcement functions. ... February 8 is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Trinitrotoluene (TNT, or Trotyl) is a pale yellow crystalline aromatic hydrocarbon compound that melts at 354 K (178 Â°F, 81 °C). ... 2005 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Deaths in August August 31: Michael Sheard August 26: Lord Fitt August 24: Jack Slipper August 24: Maurice Cowling August 24: Dr. Tom Pashby August 23: Brock Peters August 22: Lord Lane August 21: Robert Moog August... Now darker and more mature, but still as fresh and melody-driven as ever, Anemic make up in killer tunes all they lack in lyrical genius. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... March 2 is the 61st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (62nd in leap years). ...

Nuclear

See Nuclear bunker buster Bunker-busting nuclear weapons are a proposed type of nuclear weapon that would be designed to penetrate into soil, rock or concrete to deliver a low-yield nuclear warhead. ...

External links

• Guided Bomb Unit-28 (GBU-28) BLU-113 Penetrator
• BBC: 'Bunker buster' missiles aim at Moon
• Video showing the power of a Bunker Buster Bomb