[By Guancha Observer Network, Wang Shihua] "The US military has not used the large-scale weapon GBU-57 against Houthi forces."

The Wall Street Journal reported on April 10th that B-2 bombers currently deployed in Diego Garcia have carried out attacks with GBU-57 bombs against Houthi forces. However, this powerful bomb failed to destroy the underground facilities built by the Houthis in natural mountains. Satellite images show that the caves repeatedly bombed since the Biden administration have new entrances being constructed, indicating that these strikes did not affect the use of the underground facilities.

In response, the US military refuted these claims. Two US officials told The War Zone (TWZ) website that since the Trump administration launched a new round of airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen, the US Air Force's B-2 stealth bombers have not dropped any GBU-57A/B super-heavy penetration bombs or other heavy penetration bombs (MOPS) on this organization.

Social media image of B-2 deploying GBU-57

GBU-57A/B "Massive Ordnance Penetrator" is the largest penetrating-capability bomb in the US military arsenal. Its warhead casing is made of nickel-cobalt steel alloy, giving it extremely strong penetration capabilities. It is estimated that the GBU-57A/B can penetrate up to 60 meters into ordinary reinforced concrete, 40 meters into hard rock, and 8 meters into ultra-reinforced concrete.

The B-2 is currently the only bomber certified to carry the GBU-57/B large penetration bomb. A single B-2 can only carry two of these massive penetration bombs. The combination of the stealth bomber and the GBU-57/B penetration bomb provides the United States with a unique option to penetrate heavily guarded areas and conduct conventional strikes against hardened underground targets. This can deter Iran.

The B-2 bombers deployed at the Diego Garcia forward base used unspecified munitions to carry out bombing missions against Houthi forces. However, the number and types of munitions dropped by the B-2 in Yemen remain unknown. It is worth noting that although military operations against Yemen are still ongoing, as of the time this article was written for The War Zone website, the Pentagon has only held one press conference regarding the current Yemen operation since March 17th.

Regarding whether the B-2 used the GBU-57A/B heavy penetration bomb, after personally verifying with The War Zone website, they checked satellite images of several tunnel complexes in Yemen reportedly utilized by the Houthis and found no major signs of destruction caused by penetration bombs. However, commercial satellite imagery used by The War Zone website has significant limitations in detecting details of such strikes.

As for why the US military did not use the GBU-57A/B, The War Zone website stated that although reports indicate the US military is steadily increasing its stockpile of GBU-57A/B annually and Boeing, the contractor, is gradually expanding its overall capability to manufacture various aviation bombs, the total inventory of GBU-57/B remains relatively small. Before using GBU-57A/B in Yemen, the US military must assess its GBU-57 inventory to ensure availability for addressing other significant emergencies.

Moreover, bombing the Houthis would expose the strategic deterrent capability of the GBU-57 against buried and fortified targets, particularly those in Iran. The US military needs to evaluate Houthi fortified targets and decide on strikes in Yemen after collecting actual performance data from large penetration bombs. There have been constant questions about whether certain underground facilities related to Iran's nuclear program may be dug too deep, resulting in insufficient drilling depth for the US GBU-57A/B and inability to completely destroy Iran's nuclear facilities.

In the final part of the article, The War Zone stated that nuclear facility negotiations between the United States and Iran are still ongoing, and the progress of these negotiations will influence the US military's decision-making regarding the use of its weapons. The US might deploy GBU-57A/B in Yemen. However, if an attack on Iran is chosen, these precious large-scale conventional weapons will be used for more urgent Iranian targets rather than to destroy Houthi missile and drone stocks.

This article is an exclusive contribution from the Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7494200563647758886/

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