Bunker Busters and B-2s

Modern War Institute

John Amble

Government, News

4.7 • 798 Ratings

🗓️ 2 July 2025

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When the United States conducted Operation Midnight Hammer, a series of strikes against Iranian nuclear targets, it did so with two key pieces of exquisite hardware: the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator and the B-2 Spirit strategic bomber. But how does the GBU-57 actually work? And what’s it like to fly this type of long-range bomber mission in a B-2? To examine those questions, John Amble is joined on this episode by Air Force University’s Dr. Melvin Deaile, a retired Air Force colonel and strategic bomber pilot with operational combat experience in the B-2. The MWI Podcast is produced with the generous support of the West Point Class of 1974.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, MWI podcast listeners, before we get to this episode, I want to briefly tell you about a really
0:05.5	interesting opportunity that some of you are eligible for. If you follow MWI, you're probably
0:11.0	familiar with the Harding Project. Well, the Harding Fellowship prepares Army leaders to play a
0:16.4	key role in the Army's most important professional discussions. Harding Fellows earn a graduate degree
0:22.3	and then edit their branch journals, helping to shape the ideas that shape the Army. Eligibility
0:28.4	includes Army officers, senior NCOs, and warrant officers. So if you're interested or you know
0:33.3	somebody that might be, find out more about the fellowship program by visiting www.w.lineof departure.m.m.m.m.m.R.R.R.R.R.R.R.R.R.R.R. Hard target defeat requires some fidelity on how much penetration you want, and then a delayed fuse so that you give the weapon time to go through the rock or the steel or the concrete.
1:04.0	What we've tried to do previously with hard targets is what's called consecutive miracles, which is the idea of using one weapon
1:12.6	to blow a hole into the earth and then put another weapon in the same hole that allows it to get
1:19.2	further penetration capability.
1:22.6	Hey, welcome back to the MWI podcast.
1:25.1	Brought to you with the generous support of the West Point Class of 1974.
1:28.9	I'm John Amble, and this episode features a pretty timely and relevant discussion.
1:34.0	As I'm sure you all know, recently the United States conducted a series of strikes against
1:38.0	targets associated with Iran's nuclear program.
1:41.2	Those strikes employed a munition called the GbU 57, a large bomb designed to penetrate
1:46.1	hardened and deeply buried targets and dropped from the B2, one of the U.S. Air Force's strategic
1:52.0	bombers. But how does the GBU 57 actually work? And what's it like to fly this type of
1:58.1	long-range bomber mission in a B-2?
2:04.7	My guest on this episode is uniquely qualified to speak to both questions.
2:08.8	Dr. Melvin Dialli teaches at the U.S. Air Force's Air University.
2:15.8	He is also a retired Air Force colonel and strategic bomber pilot with operational combat experience in the B2.
	...

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