Pentagon, Eyeing Iran, Wants to Rush 30,000-Pound Bomb Program

[tekisui]

Source: Bloomberg

July 31 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Defense Department wants to accelerate by three years the deployment of a 30,000-pound bunker-buster bomb, a request that reflects growing unease over nuclear threats from Iran and North Korea.

Comptroller Robert Hale, in a formal request to the four congressional defense committees earlier this month, asked permission to shift about $68 million in the Pentagon’s budget to this program to ensure the first four bombs could be mounted on stealthy B-2 bombers by July 2010.

Hale, in his July 8 request, said there was “an urgent operational need for the capability to strike hard and deeply buried targets in high-threat environments,” and top commanders of U.S. forces in Asia and the Middle East “recently identified the need to expedite” the bomb program.

The bomb would be the U.S. military’s largest and six times bigger than the 5,000-pound bunker buster that the Air Force now uses to attack deeply buried nuclear, biological or chemical sites.

Accelerating the program “is intended to, at the very least, give the president the option of conducting a strike to knock out Iran’s main uranium enrichment capabilities,” said Ken Katzman, Middle East military expert for the non-partisan Congressional Research Service.

(snip)

Air Force spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Karen Platt said Boeing could be put on contract within 72 hours to build the first bombs if Congress approves the shift of funds by mid- August.

Under the accelerated program, the B-2 “would be capable of carrying the bomb by July 2010,” she said in an e-mail.

more: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aMiQmByND.2A

[newfie11]

1. Where in the hell will this end.

Is it any wonder that other countries are afraid America is going to attack them. The same America that spends unbelievable amounts on war and war equipment but cannot help its people. How many are out of work now with exhausted benefits and how many have no health insurance. Oh wait this is the country that is controlled by politicians and lobbyists, and a news media with constant propaganda worthy of the old Soviet Union (or maybe that was fed to us to).

[tekisui]

3. It's strange that it is being expedited. I wonder why the rush to have

4 of them operational by July of 2010.

[newfie11]

15. 4th of July fireworks in Iran. n/t

[shadowknows69]

16. Where in the hell will this end?

Probably with the rest of us back to living in caves eventually. That or the roaches will just take over.

[tekisui]

2. Just what we need, a 15 TON bomb.

And $68 million in the Pentagon’s budget to this program to ensure the first four bombs could be mounted on stealthy B-2 bombers by July 2010.

Why the rush? What is going to happen in July of 2010? I know an election will be taking place just four months later.

[Lagomorph]

6. Nothing unusual will happen in July 2010.

They probably picked a date that would ensure they get "rush" money.

[tekisui]

9. Closer to the truth may be to 'scare' Iran or NK into action

with a date certain.

[midnight armadillo]

12. We need it for the 4th of July!

It'll be on a plane doing a flyover of some 4th party in a city. Then we can all wave at our $1 billion bomber with its 15 ton bomb and sing patriotic songs while wearing red white & blue sweaty T-shirts. It'll rock!

[NoPasaran]

4. Si vis pacem, para bellum

Better to have them and not need them.

[spanone]

5. spanone says 'fuck the pentagon'

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

7. Why not just drop small tactical warheads?

They have small tactical nukes that have a user selectable yeild. Something like 10-500 ton yeilds. I believe it was the Mk-54 nuclear warhead.
Since they already exist, I have to image it's infinately cheaper than development and transportation of a 30 ton bomb.

Dial in the desired blast and drop it from a Predator drone.

[chrisa]

8. That causes fallout.

Which would in turn kill civilians and set a bad precident. Not to mention any President who did that would instantly lose at least 25% approval rating instantly.

[Statistical]

17. Yeah using nuclear weapons casually won't have any lasting consequences n/t

[jmowreader]

10. What I want to know is, how the hell is it going to FIT in a B-2?

The old BLU-82 15,000 pound bomb had to be dropped out of a cargo plane, and here we are discussing building a bomb twice the size but flying it in a plane that's vastly smaller than a cargo plane.

[tekisui]

19. It will take an extra $68 million, apparently.

[jmowreader]

22. To do what, put cargo straps on the bottom of the plane?

This is a BLU-82 15,000-pound bomb. They're talking about building a bomb twice this size. I think by the time they get the device built, they'll realize it's got to be dropped out of an MC-130E (special-operations Hercules) or AC-130 (merchant-of-death Hercules) because it ain't gonna fit in any bomber we have.

[scheming daemons]

11. I saw "Rush" and "30,000 Pounds" in the subject and thought this was another Limbaugh thread

[Proud Liberal Dem]

13. I can understand concern about N. Korea

but I still don't understand why we are so deathly afraid of Iran. Does anybody even have any evidence of them working on a bomb?

[crickets]

14. Gah, the warmongers are at it again.

What, two wars aren't enough? x(

[defendandprotect]

18. "How I learned to relax and love the bomb--!" . . . Insane truth-i-ness . . .!!!!

They can't play that movie often enough - !!!


Meanwhile, note that Bush/Cheney are gone but the insanity lingers -- !!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

20. "Mein Fuhrer! I can WALK!!"

[1handclapn]

21. all else is folly unless they drop it on the Government Theocrats that are the actual problem..