Hmm..could a Lanc carry one of these??

[bj229r]

link

Air Force ready to deploy 30,000-pound 'super bomb' on stealthy B-2 jet bomber

By John Keller

EGLIN AFB, Fla., 18 Jan. 2007. U.S. Air Force researchers are pondering a project to fit the recently developed Massive Ordnance Penetrator -- a 30,000-pound bunker-busting "super bomb" -- on the B-2 stealth bomber to destroy deeply buried, concrete-reinforced targets in heavily defended areas of the world.

The Air Force Air Armament Center at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., issued a source-sought notice today to find companies able to support integrating the Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb on the B-2 jet bomber, including flight tests, and planning for a follow-on acquisition of a limited number of assets for these huge bunker-busting bombs.

The notice comes amid heightening worldwide concern of the mounting capability to build and deploy nuclear weapons in countries such as Iran and North Korea that are openly hostile to the United States.

The conventional Massive Ordnance Penetrator, commonly known as MOP, is 20 feet long, weighs 30,000 pounds, and carries 6,000-pounds of high explosives. It is designed to go deeper than any existing nuclear bunker-busting weapon.

An explosion from the gigantic air-dropped munition is expected to penetrate as deeply as 200 feet through reinforced concrete able to withstand pressure of 5,000 pounds per square inch. The bomb will burrow more than 26 feet into the ground through reinforced concrete before detonating.

I can picture Oddball on Kelly's Heros going Woof Woof Woof!

(speaking of Kelly's Heros, saw it yesterday for 87th time since I was 10, and noticed that was a REAL Tiger tank...most movies show US M-60's as the foreign tank..that was cool

[Apeking]

"U.S. Air Force researchers are pondering a project to fit the recently developed Massive Ordnance Penetrator -- a 30,000-pound bunker-busting "super bomb" -- on the B-2 stealth bomber"

So they have finally found a use for the B-2?

I have to assume that the bomb will be carried internally, and that the intended mission is too hazardous for a B-52 (or perhaps the B-52's bomb bay cannot carry this bomb, either because it is too large, or the bomb bay is divided into segments).

[Kev367th]

I think even asking a Lanc to carry another 8000lbs is asking a bit much.

Considering the 22,000lb Grandslam may still be the heaviest bomb ever dropped 'in anger' (even the M.O.A.B. was 'only' 21,000lbs) it is a testament to the Lancs payload capability in 1945.
But I think another 8000lbs may just be too much, 30,000lbs would be the equivalent of a Grandslam plus 2/3 of a Tallboy.

[Karnak]

I don't think the Lanc could have.  The B-29 could have been modified to do so though.  The RAF modified their B-29s to carry a 22,000lb bomb under each wing in the post war period.

[MadSquirrel]

HA ! ! ! Another bomb for the skilless buff bunnys to carpet bomb GVs with.  

But imagine what damage the real Buff Jocks could do to towns and airfields with that monster.  Yikes ! ! !  

LTARsqrl  <>

[TwinBoom]

[bj229r]

Hmmm..need to transfer this thread to wishlist;

[gbleck]

No it's not a wish list thread.  It's not a ww2 ord so it's more of an exuse to talk about an interesting ord.  The b-52 will also likely be capable but but I would think this would be a weapon that you generaly would drop as part of the first wave of an attack or to take out a specific target like say an underground ICBM or weapons sight in a country with some amount of air defence.  If you needed to take out some kind of bunker in a country that has no air defence or is hostile to the country the target is currently in like say a non governmental agency with a nuclear or chemical device in a bunker then the B-52 could be used to save on cost and may be capable of slinging 2 per B-52 as it has a 60,000lb max capacity.

[bj229r]

Yall take this stuff too seriously:rofl

Mebbe we could stretch some cables between a few jugs....I bet an AFRican Swallow could carry it:D

[Dichotomy]

doubtful...

there's no husk to grip it by

[AWwrgwy]

Originally posted by bj229r

I can picture Oddball on Kelly's Heros going Woof Woof Woof!

(speaking of Kelly's Heros, saw it yesterday for 87th time since I was 10, and noticed that was a REAL Tiger tank...most movies show US M-60's as the foreign tank..that was cool [/B]

Thread-jack:

Tank is actually Russian in make-up.  T-34 maybe?  It was referred to as an "ersatz Tiger" in a book about war movies I used to have.  And, I think they filmed it in Yugoslavia....


wrngway

(we return you to your previously scheduled thread about a really big bomb"

[LTARsqrl]

I had to find out.  

http://www.amazon.ca/Kellys-Heroes-Brian-G-Hutton/dp/fun-facts/0790752387

The "Tiger" tanks used in the film were actually Russian T-34 tanks which had been specially modified to look like Tiger tanks. This is apparent when you look at the suspension of the tanks (T-34s used a modified Christie suspension, whereas the Tigers' wheels were much more elaborate.)

LTARsqrl  <>

[AWwrgwy]

They used real Shermans though.  And M-3 variants.



wrngway