GBU-28
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| Image:GBU-28 xxl.jpg | |
| GBU-28 | |
|---|---|
| Primary Function: | 5,000 pound (2,273 kg) unpowered, hard target laser guided weapon |
| Length: | 25 ft (7.6 m) |
| Diameter: | 2 ft 4 in (711 mm) |
| Wingspan: | 5 ft 5 in (1.7 m) |
| Range: | More than 5 nautical miles (9 km) |
The Guided Bomb Unit 28 (GBU-28) is a 5,000 pound laser-guided "bunker busting" bomb produced originally by the Texas Instruments division Defense Systems and Electronics Group (division since sold to Raytheon). It was specifically developed for US Military use in Operation Desert Storm to penetrate hardened Iraqi command centres located deep under ground. However, only two of these weapons were dropped in Desert Storm, both by F-111Fs.<ref>Report to Congress on the Conduct of the Persian Gulf War</ref>
The initial batch of GBU-28s were built from modified 8-inch artillery barrels (principally taken from deactivated M110 howitzers), later warheads were purpose built.<ref>Raytheon (Texas Instruments) Paveway III - Designation Systems</ref> They weigh 4,700 pounds and contain 630 pounds of high explosive. The operator illuminates a target with a laser designator and then the munition guides to a spot of laser energy reflected from the target.
The bomb underwent critical testing in Nevada at the Tonopah Test Range, a major test facility for United States Department of Energy funded weapon programs. It proved capable of penetrating over 30 metres (100 feet) of earth or 6 metres (20 feet) of solid concrete.<ref>http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/smart/gbu-28.htm</ref>
The first foreign sale of the GBU-28 was the acquisition of 100 units by Israel, authorized in April 2005.<ref>http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0427-05.htm</ref> Delivery of the weapons was accelerated at the request of Israel in July 2006. Israeli military officials state that other precision-guided munitions have been used to attack Hezbollah facilities in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/22/world/middleeast/22military.html?hp&ex=1153540800&en=3f2d5ce210ea0b64&ei=5094&partner=homepage</ref> However, the bunker busting technology in the GBU-28 could be directed, according Israeli military sources, at Iran or possibly Syria.<ref>Anton La Guardia, Israel challenges Iran's nuclear ambitions, September 22, 2004.</ref>
[edit] Notes
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[edit] External links
- Whitney Raas and Austin Long, Osirak Redux? Assessing Israeli Capabilities to Destroy Iranian Nuclear Facilities, MIT Security Studies Program Working Paper, April 2006.
da:GBU-28 Penetrator he:GBU-28 fi:GBU-28
