[Fresh Ink] U.S. to sell Israel Air Force new bunker-buster bombs

[Richard Menec]

<http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1020702.html>

Last update - 19:05 14/09/2008

U.S. to sell Israel Air Force new bunker-buster bombs

By Aluf Benn and Amos Harel

Despite reservations in Washington regarding a possible Israeli strike on 
Iran, the American administration will supply Israel with sophisticated 
weapons for heavily fortified targets, the U.S. administration announced.

The U.S. Department of Defense announced it would sell the Israel Air Force 
1,000 new smart bombs, rumored to significantly enhance the IAF's military 
capabilities. The deal was approved amid public and secret messages from 
Washington, with the Americans expressing their reservations about a 
possible Israeli strike against the Islamic Republic's suspected nuclear 
sites.

The Pentagon's announcement, which came on Friday, said the U.S. will 
provide Israel with 1,000 units of Guided Bomb Unit-39 (GBU-39) - a special 
weapon developed for penetrating fortified facilities located deep 
underground. Advertisement The $77 million shipment, which includes 
launchers and appurtenances, will allow the IAF to hit many more bunkers 
than currently possible. Although each bomb weighs 113 kilograms, its 
penetration capabilities equal those of a one ton bomb, according to 
professional literature.

Most U.S. Air Force aircraft are able to carry a pack of four of these bombs 
in place of a single one-ton bomb. The bomb's small size allows a 
single-strike aircraft to carry more of the munitions than is possible 
utilizing currently available bomb units, thus increasing firepower, or, 
alternatively, allowing the aircraft to fly longer distances to deliver a 
single bomb.

During demonstrations, the GBU-39 - labeled by the manufacturer, Boeing, as 
a Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) - has successfully penetrated more than 1.8 
meters of thick reinforced concrete with a 23-kilogram warhead. The 
GPS-guided weapon is said to have a 50-percent probability of hitting its 
intended target within 5-8 meters, which should minimize collateral damage.

The estimated value for the bomb's GPS version, which military experts have 
called the latest development in the bunker-buster line, is around $70,000 
to $90,000 for each individual bomb.

The U.S. has already supplied Israel with earlier versions of bunker 
busters. In 2005, the Pentagon authorized the sale of GBU-28 to Israel, in a 
move that commentators construed as a hinted threat aimed at Iran. Haaretz 
reported earlier this month that the U.S. was hesitant about selling Israel 
heavier busters.

The Pentagon's announcement also said that the U.S. would help upgrade the 
Israel Defense Forces' patriot anti-aircraft missiles - which Israel uses as 
part of its missile-interception array. Israel will also receive 28,000 LAW 
(Light Anti-Tank Weapon) tube launchers for land forces.

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