War Stories

Massive Ordnance Penetrator
The GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) is a U.S. Air Force, precision-guided, 30,000-pound (13,608 kg) "bunker buster" bomb. This is substantially larger than the deepest penetrating bunker busters previously available, the 5,000-pound (2,268 kg) GBU-28 and GBU-37.

In 2002, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin were working on the development of a 30,000-lb (13,600 kg) earth-penetrating weapon, said to be known as "Big BLU". But funding and technical difficulties resulted in the development work being abandoned. Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, analysis of sites that had been attacked with bunker-buster bombs revealed poor penetration and inadequate levels of destruction.[citation needed] This renewed interest in the development of a super-large bunker-buster, and the MOP project was initiated by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency to fulfill a long-standing Air Force requirement.

The U.S. Air Force has not officially recognized specific military requirement for an ultra-large bomb, but it does have a concept for a collection of massively sized penetrator and blast weapons, the so-called "Big BLU" collection, which includes the MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Burst) bomb. Development of the MOP was performed at the Air Force Research Laboratory, Munitions Directorate, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida with design and testing work performed by Boeing. It is intended that the bomb will be deployed on the B-2 bomber, and will be guided by the use of GPS.

Northrop Grumman announced a $2.5-million stealth-bomber refit contract on July 19th, 2007. Each of the U.S. Air Force's B-2s is to be able to carry two 14-ton MOPs.

The initial explosive test of MOP took place on March 14th, 2007, in a tunnel belonging to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) at the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.

On 6 October 2009, ABC News reported that the Pentagon had requested and obtained permission from the U.S. Congress to shift funding in order to accelerate the project. It was later announced by the U.S. military that "funding delays and enhancements to the planned test schedule" meant the bomb would not be deployable until December 2010, six months later than the original availability date.

The project has had at least one successful Flight Test MOP launch. The final testing will be completed in 2012.

The Air Force took delivery of 20 bombs, designed to be delivered by the B-2 bomber, in September 2011. In February 2012, Congress approved $81.6 million to further develop and improve the weapon.

The Generation 3 Helmet-Mounted Display System (HMDS), which was handed over to the Joint Program Office Tuesday in a ceremony at the company's headquarters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is crucial to the F-35's advanced suite of technologies. It provides a 360-degree digital view of what's going on around the aircraft, essentially letting the pilot "look through" the cockpit floor and walls. All the information pilots need to complete their missions is projected on the helmet's visor.

Developed and built by the Rockwell Collins ESA Vision Systems joint venture, the new helmet includes an improved night vision camera, improved liquid-crystal displays, and automated alignment and software upgrades, according to an Aug. 11 company statement. The Gen 3 helmet will be introduced to the fleet as part of the low-rate initial production lot 7 in 2016.

News of the delivery marks a victory for the futuristic helmet program, which has faced challenges over the years. After a series of technical failures on the original system, the Pentagon requested that BAE Systems develop a back-up, lower-tech helmet, in case the kinks could never be worked out with the primary system.

The helmet, like the aircraft itself, is also enormously expensive. The cost of each helmet, which is custom-made to fit the individual pilot, is more than $400,000.

Rockwell Collins ESA Vision Systems also developed the Generation 2 helmet F-35 pilots currently use. The Marine Corps recently used the Gen 2 helmet to declare initial operational capability for the F-35B variant at the end of July.

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who served in the Iowa Army National Guard, attended the Aug. 11 delivery ceremony, according to the statement.

"We're pleased to be able to demonstrate the advanced capabilities of the F-35 Lightning II at Rockwell Collins today to Sen. Ernst and members of the Cedar Rapids community," said Steve Callaghan, director, F-35 program, Lockheed Martin Washington Operations. "The employees at Rockwell Collins are contributing to the F-35s flying today, and we're pleased to have the opportunity to showcase the superior performance capabilities of this aircraft with them."

- Defense News

Footnote: Beginning in 2016, with low rate initial production (LRIP) lot 7, the program will introduce a Gen 3 helmet that features an improved night vision camera, new liquid crystal displays, automated alignment and other software enhancements.

In July 2015, an F-35 pilot commented that the helmet may have been one of the issues that the F-35 faced while dogfighting against an F-16 during a test; "The helmet was too large for the space inside the canopy to adequately see behind the aircraft. There were multiple occasions when the bandit would've been visible (not blocked by the seat) but the helmet prevented getting in a position to see him (behind the high side of the seat, or high near the lift vector)."