Skip to playerSkip to main contentSkip to footer
  • 6/23/2025
Together, the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber and the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator make the most devastating combo in modern warfare.
Transcript
00:00That is rare footage captured by US Air Force Staff Sergeant Thomas Barley in 2018
00:04of a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber releasing the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator,
00:10the world's most advanced aircraft, the world's heaviest non-nuclear bomb.
00:14And this is what happens when it hits the ground, actually under the ground.
00:19Both these visuals turned reality this weekend when the United States launched aerial attacks
00:22targeting nuclear sites in Iran.
00:24What the videos show and what happened this weekend is something only the US can do
00:29and something only these two pieces of military hardware can achieve.
00:32Let's break them down.
00:36The B-2 Spirit is a stealth bomber.
00:38It is designed to carry extremely heavy bombs, both nuclear and non-nuclear,
00:42over long distances and cause damage of an extent that takes away an enemy's ability to wage war.
00:48What makes the B-2 stand apart from any military aircraft is its stealth.
00:51What makes it nearly invisible?
00:54Its design.
00:54The B-2 essentially is one large flying wing.
00:57It has no fuselage or tail, which are parts that typically reflect radar waves.
01:02Its smooth curves and zigzag panels help scatter radar signals rather than reflect them back.
01:07Its paint.
01:08The B-2 is coated in radar absorbing material designed to soak up waves instead of bouncing them off.
01:13Its engines.
01:14The aircraft hides its engine intakes and uses special cooling systems to minimize heat signatures,
01:18making it hard to track with infrared sensors.
01:21Its electronics.
01:22A suite of advanced jammers and countermeasures ensures that even if it's detected,
01:26locking onto the B-2 is extremely difficult.
01:29That was the stealth.
01:30Now to the bomber.
01:32The B-2 features a specifically engineered airframe that can A.
01:35Carry the weight of super heavy bombs and B.
01:37Has enough internal space to fit them in its body.
01:40Remember, carrying a bomb on the inside is highly crucial for a stealth bomber to ensure,
01:45well, its stealth.
01:46Among the bombs it can carry, one stands out.
01:49The GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator.
01:52The most powerful non-nuclear bomb in the world.
01:55It can only be carried by the B-2.
01:57The GBU-57 has the unique ability to bore through reinforced concrete and rock before exploding,
02:03destroying underground facilities out of the reach of conventional airstrikes.
02:06That's the reason it is known as a bunker buster.
02:09The GBU-57 is 6 meters long, about half the length of an average city bus,
02:14and weighs over 13,000 kilos, of which 2,500 kilos is explosives.
02:19The MOP, as it is popularly known, can penetrate up to 60 meters underground,
02:22the height of your average 20-story building,
02:25making it ideal for targeting nuclear facilities looked at deep out of sight.
02:28And that's exactly what happened this weekend when the B-2 and the GBU-57
02:32came together in clinical precision for the first real-world use of this lethal combine.
02:36A stealth bomber no radar can see, a bomb no bunker can survive.

Recommended