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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox weapon
| name = Guided Bomb Unit‐28 (GBU‐28)
| image = GBU-28 xxl.jpg
| image_size = 300
| alt =
| caption =
| type = Laser-guided [[bunker buster|bunker busting]] bomb
| origin = United States
<!-- Type selection -->
| is_explosive = y
| is_missile =
<!-- Service history -->
| service = Since 1991
| used_by = {{ubl|United States|[[Israel]]|[[South Korea]]|Another undisclosed country}}
| wars = [[Gulf War]]
<!-- Production history -->
| designer =
| design_date =
| manufacturer = {{ubl|[[Raytheon]]|[[General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems]]}}
| unit_cost =
| production_date =
| number =
| variants =
<!-- General specifications -->
| spec_label =
| mass = {{cvt|2131.9|kg|lb|order=flip}}
| length = {{ubl|{{cvt|5.824|m|ftin|order=flip}} overall|{{cvt|4.04|m|ftin|order=flip}} bomb body}}
| width =
| height =
| diameter = {{ubl|{{cvt|382|mm|in|0|order=flip}} main body|{{cvt|407|mm|in|0|order=flip}} widest point}}
<!-- Explosive specifications -->
| filling = [[Tritonal]], AFX‐757 [[Insensitive munition|IM]]
| filling_weight = {{cvt|306.2|kg|lb|order=flip}}
| detonation = Impact, time delay
| yield =
<!-- Vehicle/missile specifications -->
| vehicle_range = {{cvt|30.5|km|mi|0|order=flip}}
| speed =
| guidance = [[Laser guidance|Laser]], [[GPS]], [[Inertial navigation system|INS]]
| steering =
<!-- Missiles only -->
| wingspan = {{ubl|{{cvt|1.68|m|ftin|order=flip}} tail wings extended|{{cvt|0.72|m|ftin|order=flip}} tail wings closed}}
| accuracy = < {{cvt|10|m|ftin|order=flip}} [[Circular error probable|CEP]]
| launch_platform = [[F-111F]], [[F-15E]] & [[B-2]]
<!-- For all -->
| ref = [[Janes Information Services|Janes]]<ref>{{Citation |author=[[Janes Information Services|Janes]] |url=https://customer.janes.com/display/JALW3666-JALW |title=GBU‐28 Paveway III and Enhanced Paveway III |date=29 November 2022 |website=Janes Weapons: Air Launched |publisher=Jane's Group UK Limited. |publication-place=[[Coulsdon]], [[Surrey]] |url-access=subscription |access-date=26 July 2023}}</ref>
}}
The '''GBU-28''' is a 5,000-pound (2,268 kg) class [[Laser guidance|laser-guided]] "[[bunker buster|bunker busting]]" [[bomb]] produced originally by the [[Watervliet Arsenal]], [[Watervliet, New York]]. It was designed, manufactured, and deployed in less than three weeks due to an urgent need during [[Gulf War|Operation Desert Storm]] to penetrate hardened [[Iraq]]i command centers located deep underground. Only two of the weapons were dropped in Desert Storm, both by [[General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark|F-111Fs]].<ref>{{citation | url = http://es.rice.edu/projects/Poli378/Gulf/gwtxt_ch6.html#GBU-28 | title = Report to Congress on the Conduct of the Persian Gulf War | publisher = Es.rice.edu | access-date = 14 July 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070202221842/http://es.rice.edu/projects/Poli378/Gulf/gwtxt_ch6.html#GBU-28 | archive-date = 2 February 2007 | url-status = live }}</ref> One GBU-28 was dropped during [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.comw.org/pda/fulltext/oifcentaf.pdf|title=Operation IRAQI FREEDOM – By The Numbers|date=30 April 2003|access-date=8 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910194059/http://www.comw.org/pda/fulltext/oifcentaf.pdf|archive-date=10 September 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
The '''Enhanced GBU-28''' augments the laser-guidance with [[inertial navigation]] and [[GPS]] guidance systems.<ref name=FY1999>{{cite web|title=PROCUREMENT OF AMMUNITION|url=http://www.saffm.hq.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-070223-238.PDF|publisher=USAF|access-date=29 January 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218042949/http://www.saffm.hq.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-070223-238.PDF|archive-date=18 February 2013}}</ref>
==Design and development==
In August 1990, the U.S. military began planning an air offensive campaign against Iraq. Planners noticed that a few command and control bunkers in Baghdad were located deep underground to withstand heavy fire. Doubts were raised about the ability of the [[BLU-109 bomb|BLU-109/B]] to penetrate such fortified structures, so the US Air Force Air Armament Division at [[Eglin Air Force Base]], [[Florida]], was asked to create a weapon that could, and engineer Al Weimorts sketched improved BLU-109 variants. By January 1991, as the Persian Gulf War was well underway, it was determined that the BLU-109/B-equipped [[laser-guided bomb]]s (LGB) would be unable to penetrate fortified bunkers deep underground.<ref>{{harvnb|Clancy|1995|p=154.}}</ref>
The initial batch of GBU-28s was built from modified 8 inch/203 mm artillery barrels (principally from deactivated [[M110 howitzer]]s), but later examples are purpose-built<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app5/paveway-3.html |publisher=Designation-systems.net |date=21 August 2008 |title=Raytheon (Texas Instruments) Paveway III |access-date=14 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806021339/http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app5/paveway-3.html |archive-date=6 August 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> with the BLU-113 bomb body made by National Forge of Irvine, Pennsylvania.<ref name=FY1999 /> They weigh 5,000 pounds (2,268 kg) and contain 630 pounds (286 kg) of [[Tritonal]] explosive.<ref name=":0"/>
The GBU-28 C/B version uses the 5,000-pound BLU-122 bomb body, which contains AFX-757 explosive in a {{convert|4,000|lb|kg|adj=on}} casing machined from a single piece of [[Eglin steel|ES-1 Eglin]] steel alloy.<ref name=blu122>{{cite web|title=BLU-122/B Penetrator|url=http://www.gd-ots.com/download/BLU-122-B.pdf|publisher=General Dynamics|access-date=14 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314210318/http://www.gd-ots.com/download/BLU-122-B.pdf|archive-date=14 March 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Manufacture of Bomb Live Unit-122 (BLU-122), a 5000 pound Class of penetrator warhead case.|url=https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=b425c0654dca9eb2ecab6539b2d26cc8&tab=core&_cview=1|publisher=Federal Business Opportunities|access-date=14 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314211849/https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=b425c0654dca9eb2ecab6539b2d26cc8&tab=core&_cview=1|archive-date=14 March 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
The operator illuminates a target with a [[laser designator]] and the [[munition]] guides itself to the spot of laser light reflected from the target. When the GBU-28 hits the ground, a short-delay time [[fuze]] is activated which triggers detonation when it has penetrated deeply enough to completely destroy the target.
The bomb underwent testing at the [[Tonopah Test Range]], [[Nevada]], a test facility for [[United States Department of Energy]] funded weapon programs. An F-111F of the [[431st Test and Evaluation Squadron]] based at McClellan AFB in California dropped the first GBU-28 at Tonopah on February 24, 1991.<ref name=":0" /> It proved capable of penetrating over 50 meters (164 ft) of earth or 5 meters (16 ft) of solid concrete; this was demonstrated when a test bomb, bolted to a missile sled, smashed through 22 ft (6.7 m) of reinforced concrete and still retained enough kinetic energy to travel a half-mile downrange.<ref>{{citation |publisher=ausaidpower.net |url=https://www.ausairpower.net/GBU-28.html |title=GBU-28 |access-date=30 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Clancy|1995|p=155.}}</ref> The GBU-28 is unique in that time between the finalized design being approved to its first use in combat test took only two weeks between the 13th and 27th of February 1991.<ref name=":0">{{citation |publisher=A US Air Power |url=http://www.ausairpower.net/GBU-28.html |title=Raytheon GBU-28 Bunker Buster |date=May 2005 |pages=1 |access-date=14 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611045240/http://www.ausairpower.net/GBU-28.html |archive-date=11 June 2011 |url-status=live |last1=Kopp |first1=Carlo }}</ref>
==Operational history==
[[File:F-15E gbu-28 release.jpg|thumb|An F-15E of the [[492d Fighter Squadron|492d FS]], [[48th Fighter Wing|48th FW]], releasing a GBU-28.]]
On the night of 27/28 February 1991, just hours before the ceasefire, two [[General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark|General Dynamics F-111Fs]], loaded with one GBU-28 each, headed towards a target on the outskirts of [[Baghdad]]. The al-Taji Airbase, located 15 mi (24 km) northwest of the Iraqi capital, had been hit at least three times by [[GBU-27 Paveway III|GBU-27/Bs]] from [[Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk|F-117 Nighthawks]], "digging up the rose garden".<ref>{{harvnb|Clancy|1995|p=157.}}</ref>{{clarification needed|date=February 2022}} The first GBU-28 was dropped off-target due to target misidentification. The second GBU-28 was a direct hit and penetrated the thick reinforced concrete before detonating, killing everyone inside.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}
The bomb was used during the [[NATO bombing of Yugoslavia]] in 1999 by USAF F-15Es, notably against [[Straževica#Military Complex|Straževica Command Center]] but without success.
The bomb was used during [[Operation Enduring Freedom|Operations Enduring Freedom]] in 2002 and [[Iraq War|Invasion of Iraq]] in 2003 by USAF F-15Es.
The first foreign sale of the GBU-28 was the acquisition of 100 units by Israel, authorized in April 2005.<ref>{{citation | publisher = Commondreams.org | url = http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0427-05.htm | title = US Wants to Sell Israel 'Bunker-Buster' Bombs | access-date = 14 July 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110629044607/http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0427-05.htm | archive-date = 29 June 2011 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Delivery of the weapons was accelerated at the request of Israel in July 2006. Delivery was described as "upcoming" in a cable dated November 2009 which suggested that the weapon could be used against [[Nuclear program of Iran|Iran's nuclear facilities]].<ref name="cables">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/235359|title=US embassy cables: Israel seeks to block US planes for SaudiUS embassy cables: Israel seeks to block US planes for Saudi|work=The Guardian|date=28 November 2010|access-date=17 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312151004/https://www.theguardian.com/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/235359|archive-date=12 March 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Fifty-five GBU-28s were delivered to Israel in 2009.<ref>{{cite web |author=Eli Lake |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/09/23/president-obama-secretly-approved-transfer-of-bunker-buster-bombs-to-israel.html |title=President Obama Secretly Approved Transfer of Bunker-Buster Bombs to Israel |publisher=The Daily Beast |date=23 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306225318/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/09/23/president-obama-secretly-approved-transfer-of-bunker-buster-bombs-to-israel.html |archive-date=6 March 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> There were unconfirmed reports that Israel used the GBU-28 during the [[Gaza War (2008–09)|2008–2009 Gaza War]].<ref>{{Cite journal|jstor=10.1525/jps.2009.XXXVIII.3.175|title=The Israeli Arsenal Deployed against Gaza during Operation Cast Lead|journal=[[Journal of Palestine Studies]]|publisher=[[University of California Press]] on behalf of the [[Institute for Palestine Studies]]|volume=38|issue=3|date=Spring 2009|page=185|doi=10.1525/jps.2009.XXXVIII.3.175}}</ref>
In June 2009 United States agreed to sell the GBU-28s to South Korea, following the [[2009 North Korean nuclear test|nuclear test conducted on 25 May 2009]] by [[North Korea]]. The bombs were to be delivered between 2010 and 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jAxRpXvt-V_BwPRYw9gqhfEbQAYw|title= US to sell 'bunker-buster' bombs to SKorea: official|publisher= AFP|date= 2 June 2009|access-date= 22 December 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090608034511/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jAxRpXvt-V_BwPRYw9gqhfEbQAYw|archive-date= 8 June 2009|url-status= live}}</ref>
According to the ''[[Jerusalem Post]]'' on 23 December 2011 the US Justice Department announced that it had reached a settlement with Kaman Corp. which allegedly substituted a [[fuze]] in four lots of fuzes made for the bombs. Under the settlement, Kaman Corp. will pay the government $4.75 million. Israel raised concerns, it had also received GBU-28 bombs fuzed to prematurely detonate before penetration or at other times.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=250992 |title=Bunker buster bombs from US may be defective – Defense – Jerusalem Post |website=Jpost.com |date=26 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111227125240/http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=250992 |archive-date=27 December 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> In bombardment of Gaza in May 2021, referred to by the Israeli military as the Guardian of the Walls operation, the GBU-28 was used extensively.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Katz|first=Justin|date=2021-10-22|title=Israel To Request America's New GBU-72 Bunker Buster Bomb|url=https://breakingdefense.sites.breakingmedia.com/2021/10/israel-to-request-americas-new-gbu-72-bunker-buster-bomb/|access-date=2022-01-10|website=Breaking Defense|language=en-US}}</ref>
In October 2021, the USAF completed assessments of the [[GBU-72]] Advanced 5K Penetrator (A5K), a {{cvt|5,000|lb|kg}} penetrator bomb consisting of a BLU-138 penetrator warhead combined with a [[JDAM]] [[GPS]] guidance kit. In development since 2017, the GBU-72 is expected to cause significantly more damage against hardened, buried targets and is fitted with a more durable and efficient smart electronic fuse that can activate at a preprogrammed location. The Air Force plans to begin buying the weapon in 2022 to replace the GBU-28.<ref>[https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2021/10/12/the-air-force-is-testing-a-new-bunker-busting-bomb-that-could-counter-north-korea-and-iran/ The Air Force is testing a new bunker-busting bomb that could counter North Korea and Iran]. ''[[Air Force Times]]''. 12 October 2021.</ref>
==See also==
* [[HOPE/HOSBO]]
==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist|30em}}
===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Cite book|last=Clancy|first=Tom|title=Fighter Wing|chapter=Ordnance: How Bombs Got 'Smart'|year=1996|location=London|publisher=HarperCollins, 1995|isbn=0-00-255527-1|ref={{harvid|Clancy|1995}}}}
* {{cite web|first=Carlo|last=Kopp|author-link=Carlo Kopp|title=The GBU-28 Bunker Buster|date=May 2005|pages=1|publisher=Ausairpower.net, June 2011 (last updated)|url=http://www.ausairpower.net/GBU-28.html|ref={{harvid|Kopp|2011}}}}
{{Refend}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|GBU-28}}
* {{citation | first1 = Whitney | last1 = Raas | first2 = Austin | last2 = Long | url = http://web.mit.edu/ssp/publications/working_papers/wp_06-1.pdf | title = Osirak Redux? Assessing Israeli Capabilities to Destroy Iranian Nuclear Facilities, Security Studies Program Working Paper | date = April 2006 | publisher = MIT }}
{{USAF Weapons}}
[[Category:Anti-fortification weapons]]
[[Category:Guided bombs of the United States]]
[[Category:Military equipment introduced in the 1990s]]' |
New page wikitext, after the edit (new_wikitext ) | '{{Short description|American laser-guided bunker busting bomb}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox weapon
| name = Guided Bomb Unit‐28 (GBU‐28)
| image = GBU-28 xxl.jpg
| image_size = 300
| alt =
| caption =
| type = Laser-guided [[bunker buster|bunker busting]] bomb
| origin = United States
<!-- Type selection -->
| is_explosive = y
| is_missile =
<!-- Service history -->
| service = Since 1991
| used_by = {{ubl|United States|[[Israel]]|[[South Korea]]|Another undisclosed country}}
| wars = [[Gulf War]]
<!-- Production history -->
| designer =
| design_date =
| manufacturer = {{ubl|[[Raytheon]]|[[General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems]]}}
| unit_cost =
| production_date =
| number =
| variants =
<!-- General specifications -->
| spec_label =
| mass = {{cvt|2131.9|kg|lb|order=flip}}
| length = {{ubl|{{cvt|5.824|m|ftin|order=flip}} overall|{{cvt|4.04|m|ftin|order=flip}} bomb body}}
| width =
| height =
| diameter = {{ubl|{{cvt|382|mm|in|0|order=flip}} main body|{{cvt|407|mm|in|0|order=flip}} widest point}}
<!-- Explosive specifications -->
| filling = [[Tritonal]], AFX‐757 [[Insensitive munition|IM]]
| filling_weight = {{cvt|306.2|kg|lb|order=flip}}
| detonation = Impact, time delay
| yield =
<!-- Vehicle/missile specifications -->
| vehicle_range = {{cvt|30.5|km|mi|0|order=flip}}
| speed =
| guidance = [[Laser guidance|Laser]], [[GPS]], [[Inertial navigation system|INS]]
| steering =
<!-- Missiles only -->
| wingspan = {{ubl|{{cvt|1.68|m|ftin|order=flip}} tail wings extended|{{cvt|0.72|m|ftin|order=flip}} tail wings closed}}
| accuracy = < {{cvt|10|m|ftin|order=flip}} [[Circular error probable|CEP]]
| launch_platform = [[F-111F]], [[F-15E]] & [[B-2]]
<!-- For all -->
| ref = [[Janes Information Services|Janes]]<ref>{{Citation |author=[[Janes Information Services|Janes]] |url=https://customer.janes.com/display/JALW3666-JALW |title=GBU‐28 Paveway III and Enhanced Paveway III |date=29 November 2022 |website=Janes Weapons: Air Launched |publisher=Jane's Group UK Limited. |publication-place=[[Coulsdon]], [[Surrey]] |url-access=subscription |access-date=26 July 2023}}</ref>
}}
The '''GBU-28''' is a 5,000-pound (2,268 kg) class [[Laser guidance|laser-guided]] "[[bunker buster|bunker busting]]" [[bomb]] produced originally by the [[Watervliet Arsenal]], [[Watervliet, New York]]. It was designed, manufactured, and deployed in less than three weeks due to an urgent need during [[Gulf War|Operation Desert Storm]] to penetrate hardened [[Iraq]]i command centers located deep underground. Only two of the weapons were dropped in Desert Storm, both by [[General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark|F-111Fs]].<ref>{{citation | url = http://es.rice.edu/projects/Poli378/Gulf/gwtxt_ch6.html#GBU-28 | title = Report to Congress on the Conduct of the Persian Gulf War | publisher = Es.rice.edu | access-date = 14 July 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070202221842/http://es.rice.edu/projects/Poli378/Gulf/gwtxt_ch6.html#GBU-28 | archive-date = 2 February 2007 | url-status = live }}</ref> One GBU-28 was dropped during [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.comw.org/pda/fulltext/oifcentaf.pdf|title=Operation IRAQI FREEDOM – By The Numbers|date=30 April 2003|access-date=8 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910194059/http://www.comw.org/pda/fulltext/oifcentaf.pdf|archive-date=10 September 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
The '''Enhanced GBU-28''' augments the laser-guidance with [[inertial navigation]] and [[GPS]] guidance systems.<ref name=FY1999>{{cite web|title=PROCUREMENT OF AMMUNITION|url=http://www.saffm.hq.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-070223-238.PDF|publisher=USAF|access-date=29 January 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218042949/http://www.saffm.hq.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-070223-238.PDF|archive-date=18 February 2013}}</ref>
==Design and development==
In August 1990, the U.S. military began planning an air offensive campaign against Iraq. Planners noticed that a few command and control bunkers in Baghdad were located deep underground to withstand heavy fire. Doubts were raised about the ability of the [[BLU-109 bomb|BLU-109/B]] to penetrate such fortified structures, so the US Air Force Air Armament Division at [[Eglin Air Force Base]], [[Florida]], was asked to create a weapon that could, and engineer Al Weimorts sketched improved BLU-109 variants. By January 1991, as the Persian Gulf War was well underway, it was determined that the BLU-109/B-equipped [[laser-guided bomb]]s (LGB) would be unable to penetrate fortified bunkers deep underground.<ref>{{harvnb|Clancy|1995|p=154.}}</ref>
The initial batch of GBU-28s was built from modified 8 inch/203 mm artillery barrels (principally from deactivated [[M110 howitzer]]s), but later examples are purpose-built<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app5/paveway-3.html |publisher=Designation-systems.net |date=21 August 2008 |title=Raytheon (Texas Instruments) Paveway III |access-date=14 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806021339/http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app5/paveway-3.html |archive-date=6 August 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> with the BLU-113 bomb body made by National Forge of Irvine, Pennsylvania.<ref name=FY1999 /> They weigh 5,000 pounds (2,268 kg) and contain 630 pounds (286 kg) of [[Tritonal]] explosive.<ref name=":0"/>
The GBU-28 C/B version uses the 5,000-pound BLU-122 bomb body, which contains AFX-757 explosive in a {{convert|4,000|lb|kg|adj=on}} casing machined from a single piece of [[Eglin steel|ES-1 Eglin]] steel alloy.<ref name=blu122>{{cite web|title=BLU-122/B Penetrator|url=http://www.gd-ots.com/download/BLU-122-B.pdf|publisher=General Dynamics|access-date=14 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314210318/http://www.gd-ots.com/download/BLU-122-B.pdf|archive-date=14 March 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Manufacture of Bomb Live Unit-122 (BLU-122), a 5000 pound Class of penetrator warhead case.|url=https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=b425c0654dca9eb2ecab6539b2d26cc8&tab=core&_cview=1|publisher=Federal Business Opportunities|access-date=14 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314211849/https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=b425c0654dca9eb2ecab6539b2d26cc8&tab=core&_cview=1|archive-date=14 March 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
The operator illuminates a target with a [[laser designator]] and the [[munition]] guides itself to the spot of laser light reflected from the target. When the GBU-28 hits the ground, a short-delay time [[fuze]] is activated which triggers detonation when it has penetrated deeply enough to completely destroy the target.
The bomb underwent testing at the [[Tonopah Test Range]], [[Nevada]], a test facility for [[United States Department of Energy]] funded weapon programs. An F-111F of the [[431st Test and Evaluation Squadron]] based at McClellan AFB in California dropped the first GBU-28 at Tonopah on February 24, 1991.<ref name=":0" /> It proved capable of penetrating over 50 meters (164 ft) of earth or 5 meters (16 ft) of solid concrete; this was demonstrated when a test bomb, bolted to a missile sled, smashed through 22 ft (6.7 m) of reinforced concrete and still retained enough kinetic energy to travel a half-mile downrange.<ref>{{citation |publisher=ausaidpower.net |url=https://www.ausairpower.net/GBU-28.html |title=GBU-28 |access-date=30 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Clancy|1995|p=155.}}</ref> The GBU-28 is unique in that time between the finalized design being approved to its first use in combat test took only two weeks between the 13th and 27th of February 1991.<ref name=":0">{{citation |publisher=A US Air Power |url=http://www.ausairpower.net/GBU-28.html |title=Raytheon GBU-28 Bunker Buster |date=May 2005 |pages=1 |access-date=14 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611045240/http://www.ausairpower.net/GBU-28.html |archive-date=11 June 2011 |url-status=live |last1=Kopp |first1=Carlo }}</ref>
==Operational history==
[[File:F-15E gbu-28 release.jpg|thumb|An F-15E of the [[492d Fighter Squadron|492d FS]], [[48th Fighter Wing|48th FW]], releasing a GBU-28.]]
On the night of 27/28 February 1991, just hours before the ceasefire, two [[General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark|General Dynamics F-111Fs]], loaded with one GBU-28 each, headed towards a target on the outskirts of [[Baghdad]]. The al-Taji Airbase, located 15 mi (24 km) northwest of the Iraqi capital, had been hit at least three times by [[GBU-27 Paveway III|GBU-27/Bs]] from [[Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk|F-117 Nighthawks]], "digging up the rose garden".<ref>{{harvnb|Clancy|1995|p=157.}}</ref>{{clarification needed|date=February 2022}} The first GBU-28 was dropped off-target due to target misidentification. The second GBU-28 was a direct hit and penetrated the thick reinforced concrete before detonating, killing everyone inside.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}
The bomb was used during the [[NATO bombing of Yugoslavia]] in 1999 by USAF F-15Es, notably against [[Straževica#Military Complex|Straževica Command Center]] but without success.
The bomb was used during [[Operation Enduring Freedom|Operations Enduring Freedom]] in 2002 and [[Iraq War|Invasion of Iraq]] in 2003 by USAF F-15Es.
The first foreign sale of the GBU-28 was the acquisition of 100 units by Israel, authorized in April 2005.<ref>{{citation | publisher = Commondreams.org | url = http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0427-05.htm | title = US Wants to Sell Israel 'Bunker-Buster' Bombs | access-date = 14 July 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110629044607/http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0427-05.htm | archive-date = 29 June 2011 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Delivery of the weapons was accelerated at the request of Israel in July 2006. Delivery was described as "upcoming" in a cable dated November 2009 which suggested that the weapon could be used against [[Nuclear program of Iran|Iran's nuclear facilities]].<ref name="cables">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/235359|title=US embassy cables: Israel seeks to block US planes for SaudiUS embassy cables: Israel seeks to block US planes for Saudi|work=The Guardian|date=28 November 2010|access-date=17 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312151004/https://www.theguardian.com/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/235359|archive-date=12 March 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Fifty-five GBU-28s were delivered to Israel in 2009.<ref>{{cite web |author=Eli Lake |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/09/23/president-obama-secretly-approved-transfer-of-bunker-buster-bombs-to-israel.html |title=President Obama Secretly Approved Transfer of Bunker-Buster Bombs to Israel |publisher=The Daily Beast |date=23 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306225318/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/09/23/president-obama-secretly-approved-transfer-of-bunker-buster-bombs-to-israel.html |archive-date=6 March 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> There were unconfirmed reports that Israel used the GBU-28 during the [[Gaza War (2008–09)|2008–2009 Gaza War]].<ref>{{Cite journal|jstor=10.1525/jps.2009.XXXVIII.3.175|title=The Israeli Arsenal Deployed against Gaza during Operation Cast Lead|journal=[[Journal of Palestine Studies]]|publisher=[[University of California Press]] on behalf of the [[Institute for Palestine Studies]]|volume=38|issue=3|date=Spring 2009|page=185|doi=10.1525/jps.2009.XXXVIII.3.175}}</ref>
In June 2009 United States agreed to sell the GBU-28s to South Korea, following the [[2009 North Korean nuclear test|nuclear test conducted on 25 May 2009]] by [[North Korea]]. The bombs were to be delivered between 2010 and 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jAxRpXvt-V_BwPRYw9gqhfEbQAYw|title= US to sell 'bunker-buster' bombs to SKorea: official|publisher= AFP|date= 2 June 2009|access-date= 22 December 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090608034511/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jAxRpXvt-V_BwPRYw9gqhfEbQAYw|archive-date= 8 June 2009|url-status= live}}</ref>
According to the ''[[Jerusalem Post]]'' on 23 December 2011 the US Justice Department announced that it had reached a settlement with Kaman Corp. which allegedly substituted a [[fuze]] in four lots of fuzes made for the bombs. Under the settlement, Kaman Corp. will pay the government $4.75 million. Israel raised concerns, it had also received GBU-28 bombs fuzed to prematurely detonate before penetration or at other times.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=250992 |title=Bunker buster bombs from US may be defective – Defense – Jerusalem Post |website=Jpost.com |date=26 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111227125240/http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=250992 |archive-date=27 December 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> In bombardment of Gaza in May 2021, referred to by the Israeli military as the Guardian of the Walls operation, the GBU-28 was used extensively.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Katz|first=Justin|date=2021-10-22|title=Israel To Request America's New GBU-72 Bunker Buster Bomb|url=https://breakingdefense.sites.breakingmedia.com/2021/10/israel-to-request-americas-new-gbu-72-bunker-buster-bomb/|access-date=2022-01-10|website=Breaking Defense|language=en-US}}</ref>
In October 2021, the USAF completed assessments of the [[GBU-72]] Advanced 5K Penetrator (A5K), a {{cvt|5,000|lb|kg}} penetrator bomb consisting of a BLU-138 penetrator warhead combined with a [[JDAM]] [[GPS]] guidance kit. In development since 2017, the GBU-72 is expected to cause significantly more damage against hardened, buried targets and is fitted with a more durable and efficient smart electronic fuse that can activate at a preprogrammed location. The Air Force plans to begin buying the weapon in 2022 to replace the GBU-28.<ref>[https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2021/10/12/the-air-force-is-testing-a-new-bunker-busting-bomb-that-could-counter-north-korea-and-iran/ The Air Force is testing a new bunker-busting bomb that could counter North Korea and Iran]. ''[[Air Force Times]]''. 12 October 2021.</ref> [[Israel]] is also reportedly interested.<ref>{{cite web|first1=Urooba Jamal,Alex|last1=Gatopoulos|access-date=2023-10-29|title=‘Israel doesn’t care about collateral damage’: Bunker busters used in Gaza|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/9/israel-doesnt-care-about-collateral-damage-bunker-busters-used-in-gaza|website=www.aljazeera.com}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[HOPE/HOSBO]]
==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist|30em}}
===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Cite book|last=Clancy|first=Tom|title=Fighter Wing|chapter=Ordnance: How Bombs Got 'Smart'|year=1996|location=London|publisher=HarperCollins, 1995|isbn=0-00-255527-1|ref={{harvid|Clancy|1995}}}}
* {{cite web|first=Carlo|last=Kopp|author-link=Carlo Kopp|title=The GBU-28 Bunker Buster|date=May 2005|pages=1|publisher=Ausairpower.net, June 2011 (last updated)|url=http://www.ausairpower.net/GBU-28.html|ref={{harvid|Kopp|2011}}}}
{{Refend}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|GBU-28}}
* {{citation | first1 = Whitney | last1 = Raas | first2 = Austin | last2 = Long | url = http://web.mit.edu/ssp/publications/working_papers/wp_06-1.pdf | title = Osirak Redux? Assessing Israeli Capabilities to Destroy Iranian Nuclear Facilities, Security Studies Program Working Paper | date = April 2006 | publisher = MIT }}
{{USAF Weapons}}
[[Category:Anti-fortification weapons]]
[[Category:Guided bombs of the United States]]
[[Category:Military equipment introduced in the 1990s]]' |
Unified diff of changes made by edit (edit_diff ) | '@@ -79,5 +79,5 @@
According to the ''[[Jerusalem Post]]'' on 23 December 2011 the US Justice Department announced that it had reached a settlement with Kaman Corp. which allegedly substituted a [[fuze]] in four lots of fuzes made for the bombs. Under the settlement, Kaman Corp. will pay the government $4.75 million. Israel raised concerns, it had also received GBU-28 bombs fuzed to prematurely detonate before penetration or at other times.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=250992 |title=Bunker buster bombs from US may be defective – Defense – Jerusalem Post |website=Jpost.com |date=26 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111227125240/http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=250992 |archive-date=27 December 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> In bombardment of Gaza in May 2021, referred to by the Israeli military as the Guardian of the Walls operation, the GBU-28 was used extensively.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Katz|first=Justin|date=2021-10-22|title=Israel To Request America's New GBU-72 Bunker Buster Bomb|url=https://breakingdefense.sites.breakingmedia.com/2021/10/israel-to-request-americas-new-gbu-72-bunker-buster-bomb/|access-date=2022-01-10|website=Breaking Defense|language=en-US}}</ref>
-In October 2021, the USAF completed assessments of the [[GBU-72]] Advanced 5K Penetrator (A5K), a {{cvt|5,000|lb|kg}} penetrator bomb consisting of a BLU-138 penetrator warhead combined with a [[JDAM]] [[GPS]] guidance kit. In development since 2017, the GBU-72 is expected to cause significantly more damage against hardened, buried targets and is fitted with a more durable and efficient smart electronic fuse that can activate at a preprogrammed location. The Air Force plans to begin buying the weapon in 2022 to replace the GBU-28.<ref>[https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2021/10/12/the-air-force-is-testing-a-new-bunker-busting-bomb-that-could-counter-north-korea-and-iran/ The Air Force is testing a new bunker-busting bomb that could counter North Korea and Iran]. ''[[Air Force Times]]''. 12 October 2021.</ref>
+In October 2021, the USAF completed assessments of the [[GBU-72]] Advanced 5K Penetrator (A5K), a {{cvt|5,000|lb|kg}} penetrator bomb consisting of a BLU-138 penetrator warhead combined with a [[JDAM]] [[GPS]] guidance kit. In development since 2017, the GBU-72 is expected to cause significantly more damage against hardened, buried targets and is fitted with a more durable and efficient smart electronic fuse that can activate at a preprogrammed location. The Air Force plans to begin buying the weapon in 2022 to replace the GBU-28.<ref>[https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2021/10/12/the-air-force-is-testing-a-new-bunker-busting-bomb-that-could-counter-north-korea-and-iran/ The Air Force is testing a new bunker-busting bomb that could counter North Korea and Iran]. ''[[Air Force Times]]''. 12 October 2021.</ref> [[Israel]] is also reportedly interested.<ref>{{cite web|first1=Urooba Jamal,Alex|last1=Gatopoulos|access-date=2023-10-29|title=‘Israel doesn’t care about collateral damage’: Bunker busters used in Gaza|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/9/israel-doesnt-care-about-collateral-damage-bunker-busters-used-in-gaza|website=www.aljazeera.com}}</ref>
==See also==
' |
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0 => 'In October 2021, the USAF completed assessments of the [[GBU-72]] Advanced 5K Penetrator (A5K), a {{cvt|5,000|lb|kg}} penetrator bomb consisting of a BLU-138 penetrator warhead combined with a [[JDAM]] [[GPS]] guidance kit. In development since 2017, the GBU-72 is expected to cause significantly more damage against hardened, buried targets and is fitted with a more durable and efficient smart electronic fuse that can activate at a preprogrammed location. The Air Force plans to begin buying the weapon in 2022 to replace the GBU-28.<ref>[https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2021/10/12/the-air-force-is-testing-a-new-bunker-busting-bomb-that-could-counter-north-korea-and-iran/ The Air Force is testing a new bunker-busting bomb that could counter North Korea and Iran]. ''[[Air Force Times]]''. 12 October 2021.</ref> [[Israel]] is also reportedly interested.<ref>{{cite web|first1=Urooba Jamal,Alex|last1=Gatopoulos|access-date=2023-10-29|title=‘Israel doesn’t care about collateral damage’: Bunker busters used in Gaza|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/9/israel-doesnt-care-about-collateral-damage-bunker-busters-used-in-gaza|website=www.aljazeera.com}}</ref>'
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0 => 'In October 2021, the USAF completed assessments of the [[GBU-72]] Advanced 5K Penetrator (A5K), a {{cvt|5,000|lb|kg}} penetrator bomb consisting of a BLU-138 penetrator warhead combined with a [[JDAM]] [[GPS]] guidance kit. In development since 2017, the GBU-72 is expected to cause significantly more damage against hardened, buried targets and is fitted with a more durable and efficient smart electronic fuse that can activate at a preprogrammed location. The Air Force plans to begin buying the weapon in 2022 to replace the GBU-28.<ref>[https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2021/10/12/the-air-force-is-testing-a-new-bunker-busting-bomb-that-could-counter-north-korea-and-iran/ The Air Force is testing a new bunker-busting bomb that could counter North Korea and Iran]. ''[[Air Force Times]]''. 12 October 2021.</ref>'
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