US considering Israeli request for bunker busters
The United States is considering an Israeli request to buy 6,900 GPS bombs, weighing up to one ton, as Middle East tensions rise, Defense News reported Tuesday.
The Pentagon notified Congress on Monday of the potential $647 million sale of bombs, the smallest of which weighs 250 pounds.
“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability,” said a statement from the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which oversees foreign weapon and equipment sales.
“This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives,” it added. “The proposed sale of munitions will enable Israel to maintain operational capability of its existing systems.“
Israel has similar munitions and can absorb more of them into its arsenal. The additional stockpile may help replace bombs used in the Pillar of Defense counterterrorist operation and also may be linked to possible overall operations in the future, more specifically in case a conflict with Iran breaks out.
The bombs and GPS-guided tail kits, called Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs, are built by Boeing.
The proposed sale would also include 3,450 Small Diameter Bombs.We've heard stories like this before. I would not take this as meaning that we are going to attack Iran next month.
Labels: bunker busters, Iranian nuclear threat
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:47 PM
1 Comments:
The bunker buster shown in the graphic, the MOP, or Massive Ordnance Penetrator, weighs 15 tons and is too heavy for the F-15, the the USAF's and IAF's most powerful fighter-bomber with the largest ordnance-carrying capacity. Only the B-1, B-2 and B-52 can carry that big boy.
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