How does a bunker-buster bomb work? A closer look at the GBU-57
While Israel is wielding a wide array of weapons during their ongoing attacks on Iran, there is at least one which only the United States can bring to the battlespace: a bunker-busting bomb known as the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator.
According to Department of Defense documents, the GBU-57 is a guided, penetrating weapon with the ability to reach and destroy targets in deeply buried and hardened bunkers and tunnels. The warhead case is made from a high performance steel alloy and which allows for a large explosive payload while maintaining integrity during impact.
Here's a closer look at the heavy-duty munition, the warplane that carries it, and one potential target.
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Only U.S.-made B-2 Spirit stealth bombers are programmed to carry the GBU-57s, which weigh more than 30,000 pounds. Each B-2 based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri can hold two of the bombs.
One June 15, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter appeared on ABC News 'This Week' where host Martha Raddatz asked Leiter to talk about Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, suggesting that Israel cannot destroy the site located deep under a mountainside without U.S. assistance in the form of bunker-busting bombs. Fordo has 1,000 centrifuges used to enrich uranium.
Leiter suggested that Israel may not need to rely on the bomb Raddatz described, to achieve its aims. "We have a number of contingencies which will enable us to deal with Fordow. Not everything is a matter of taking to the skies and bombing from afar," said Leiter. "We're certain that we can set back the nuclear weapons system development within Iran for a very, very long time."
Israel's National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi offered the clearest signal yet about the goals of Israel's air campaign, telling local Channel 12 News on June 17 the military is going after the hardest target in Iran: The Fordo nuclear enrichment plant.
'This operation will not conclude without a strike on the Fordo nuclear facility,' Hanegbi said.
Read more:
Israel wants to demolish Iran's nuclear facilities. Does it need US military help?
Israel-Iran timeline: How Israeli attack and Iranian retaliation unfolded
Israel attacks Iran: See strike map, satellite images of nuclear sites
Live updates: Trump teases possible US strike as Iran supreme leader warns America
Why Israel wants U.S. 'bunker busters' for strikes on Iran's nuclear sites
Contributing: Cybele Mayes-Osterman, Tom Vanden Brook, Kim Hjelmgaard, Stephen J. Beard, Jennifer Borresen, and Shawn J. Sullivan, USA TODAY
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4 hours ago
- Yahoo
What to know about claim Trump's being asked to deport his wife, Melania
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The New York Times, 9 Aug. 2018, Davies, Emily. "Melania Trump's Parents Become U.S. Citizens Through Chain Migration Program Targeted by President." 10 Aug. 2018, Diaz, Jaclyn. "DOJ Announces Plans to Prioritize Cases to Revoke Citizenship." NPR, 30 Jun. 2025, Eidell, Lynsey. "All About Melania Trump's Parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs." 4 Apr. 2024, "Employment-Based Immigration: First Preference EB-1." USCIS, 24 Jan. 2025, Evon, Dan. "Did Barron Trump Benefit from Birthright Citizenship?" Snopes, 3 Nov. 2018, "Federal Judge Says She Would Block Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order Nationwide." The Associated Press, 16 Jul. 2025, "Fourteenth Amendment." Constitution Annotated, Garcia, Arturo. "FACT CHECK: Did Melania Trump's Parents Arrive in the U.S. Through 'Chain Migration'?" Snopes, 8 Feb. 2018, Gunter, Joel. "What Is the Einstein Visa? And How Did Melania Trump Get One?" BBC, 2 Mar. 2018, Jordan, Mary. "Questions Linger about How Melania Trump, a Slovenian Model, Scored 'the Einstein Visa.'" The Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2018, Kim, Chloe. "President Trump's First 3 Children Did Not Receive Birthright Citizenship." The Associated Press, 1 Nov. 2018, "Melania Trump | Biography, Book, Age, & Facts." Britannica, "Melania Trump's Slovenian Parents Become US Citizens." BBC, 9 Aug. 2018, Neuman, Scott. "First Lady's Parents Become U.S. Citizens Thanks To 'Chain Migration.'" NPR, 10 Aug. 2018, "Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt." The White House, 29 Jan. 2025, "Protecting The Meaning And Value Of American Citizenship." The White House, 21 Jan. 2025, Sacchetti, Maria. "Records Confirm Trump's Mother-in-Law Came to U.S. through Process He Derided." The Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024, Weaver, Jay. "Justice Department, Driven by Trump Policy, Plans to Go after Naturalized U.S. Citizens." Miami Herald, 7 Jul. 2025,
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6 hours ago
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