B61-11 vs GBU-57: Can US Bombs Destroy Iran's Fortified Nuclear Sites

About 400 kilotons of explosive force,

a figure equal to about 27 times the power of

the Hiroshima bomb, and a depth of about

100 meters. Iran's Axe

Mountain facility is believed

to be hidden beneath it,

and between those two figures lies

an American bomb designed for an exceptional mission:

targeting what is fortified deep inside mountains.

The B61-11 nuclear bomb is back in the spotlight

as U.S. threats against Iran

escalate and talk turns to

targeting fortified nuclear

facilities near Natanz.

This bomb entered service in

1997 and weighs about

549 kilograms. Its secret lies

in its reinforced steel casing, which allows it

to penetrate the ground to a limited depth,

reaching, according to published estimates,

about 7.6 meters before detonation.

Okay, that depth seems a little shallow.

Actually, no,

because this type of bomb

doesn't need to penetrate

the entire mountain,

because an underground

nuclear explosion generates

massive shock waves that travel through rock.

This is enough to destroy tunnels

and fortified facilities even

Without hitting it directly.

That means a strong,

violent shaking motion.

Would that be enough to reach the heart of Mount Ax?

The challenge is that the Iranian

facility is believed to be located

about 100 meters beneath

extremely hard rock formations,

and this is where it differs from the American GBU-57,

which weighs about 13.6 tons

and relies on direct penetration and conventional explosives,

while the B61-11 relies on enormous nuclear energy.

So, can we say the difference between the two bombs isn't

limited to

their power, but extends to the nature of the destruction? The

American GBU-57 bomb weighs, as we said,

13.6 tons. It relies on direct penetration

of hardened structures,

then detonates its conventional payload, while

the B61-11 relies on a nuclear explosion

that generates enormous

energy and shock waves.

Also, in terms of

explosive power, the B61-11 is far superior,

but that doesn't guarantee the

complete destruction of Mount Ax.

The question here is, could the United States use

Both bombs together?

According to military

sources, one can use

the two bombs in a single

military campaign, but only in

theory. In practice, there is no evidence of a U.S. plan

to use them together against the Iranian facility.