The Science Behind Bunker Buster Bombs

Expertise has superior quite a bit within the almost eight many years for the reason that Tirpitz was sunk. Trendy bunker busters work rather a lot like a full-metal jacket (or FMJ) bullet. The copper jacket protecting the lead bullet permits the slug to extra simply undergo no matter it is fired at. Bunker busters use the identical idea, however as an alternative of a copper jacket, it is a hardened metal case. In contrast to a bullet, the bomb additionally carries an explosive.

One of many United States’ present bunker busters is the BLU-109, classed as a “penetrator.” The BLU-109 is 2,000 pound class bomb that consists of a thick metal tube that is as laborious as an artillery barrel, full of explosives. When dropped, the hardened metal, just like the copper jacket of an FMJ bullet, permits the payload to punch by way of dust and concrete and explode as soon as it is contained in the bunker. 

One other bunker buster, the GBU-28, is a 5,000 pound class bomb that was developed throughout Desert Storm. It additionally makes use of a metal penetrator that enables it to glide by way of upwards of 100 toes of dust or 20 toes of concrete, greater than sufficient to knock out a bunker.