The United States targeted Iran’s Fordo fuel enrichment plant in its recent strike, hitting the heavily fortified site buried deep inside a mountain near Qom.
At the core of the operation was the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), the most powerful non-nuclear bomb in the U.S. arsenal, developed by Boeing for the U.S. Air Force.
General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed at a Sunday press conference that two MOPs were dropped on Fordo, with a total of 14 deployed during the 25-minute operation that also targeted Iran’s nearby Natanz facility.
Weighing approximately 30,000 pounds, the MOP is designed to breach around 200 feet (61 meters) of reinforced concrete or rock before detonating. Its delayed explosion enables it to penetrate hardened underground structures that would otherwise be protected from conventional airstrikes.
Military analyst John Spencer explained the bomb’s unique capabilities to the New York Post.
“By weight and kinetic force, the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator is designed to penetrate a certain amount of distance into the ground before it blows,” Spencer said. “That’s why these bunker busters are called Penetrators. They penetrate the ground before they explode. The explosion is strategically delayed.”
Spencer noted: “I’ve seen 500-pounders shake your teeth when they go off — this is on a whole other level.”
Saturday’s strike on Iran’s nuclear sites also involved more than 125 U.S. aircraft, including B-2 bombers, fighter jets, refueling tankers, and surveillance planes. The operation, which launched over 75 precision-guided munitions, also targeted the Isfahan nuclear facility.
The full extent of the damage to the Fordo site is still unknown. However, Caine said: “Initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction.”
