https://www.wtkr.com/news/military/la-fi-bunker-buster-bomb-20111117,0,7519435.story

Pretty cool, but by my math that's over $15M per boom. I hope we're getting more than just 20 for our money.

...314 million, the military has developed and ordered...

Looks like the figure includes R&D also, not just the hardware.

Edited November 17, 201114 yr by TrainerModel

Experts took note of the fact that the military disclosed delivery of the new bunker-busting bomb less than a week after a United Nations agency warned that Iran was secretly working to develop a nuclear weapon. That country is known to have hidden nuclear complexes that are fortified with steel and concrete, and buried under mountains.

"Heck of a coincidence, isn't it?"

Edit: Beat to the punch.

Edited November 17, 201114 yr by ptwob

https://www.wtkr.com/...0,7519435.story

Pretty cool, but by my math that's over $15M per boom. I hope we're getting more than just 20 for our money.

Like many things we buy, I suspect that most of the money was used in the pre-production R&D process...figuring out how to design the body to penetrate and survive, how to protect the fuse componants during penatration, what proportion of case and explosive was the best option, etc. Actual production was probably a fairly small percentage.

..figuring out how to design the body to penetrate and survive, how to protect the fuse componants during penatration, what proportion of case and explosive was the best option, etc.

So to speak...

Personally, I liked this quote, "It 'is specifically designed to go after very dense targets … where enemies are putting things that the president of the United States wants to hold at risk.'"

In other words, the President's pimp-hand just got a whole lot stronger.

Pretty cool, but by my math that's over $15M per boom. I hope we're getting more than just 20 for our money.

Think about the targets you can destroy with this thing and it is a bargain.

And I'm with Hoss...awesome is the perfect word.

That should work great in our current theater. Clearance to fire a 15 ton bomb should be no problem! Civcas and cde should be minimal!

That should work great in our current theater. Clearance to fire a 15 ton bomb should be no problem! Civcas and cde should be minimal!

Not sure if serious, but it's not for our current theater...

fire a 15 ton bomb

Huh?

Like many things we buy, I suspect that most of the money was used in the pre-production R&D process...figuring out how to design the body to penetrate and survive, how to protect the fuse componants during penatration, what proportion of case and explosive was the best option, etc. Actual production was probably a fairly small percentage.

Yes

Ahhh - the GBU57 - it's like hitting pickle and a LGPOS releases from your aircraft - sweet!

Edited November 19, 201114 yr by BigE

That should work great in our current theater. Clearance to fire a 15 ton bomb should be no problem! Civcas and cde should be minimal!

Missing the point...