What Are 'Bunker Buster' Bombs the US Allegedly Supplied to Israel

Many of Hamas' vital assets in the Gaza Strip are supposedly hidden in an extensive network of tunnels and underground shelters. Israel, thanks to the help of its ally the US, may have found the weapons capable of reaching these hideouts.

The United States has apparently provided the Israeli war machine with munitions to take on probably one of the biggest obstacles Israeli troops have to contend with.

Among some 15,000 bombs and 57,000 artillery shells generously provided by the US to Israel following the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in October were 100 BLU-109 bombs that are often referred to as “bunker busters,” the Wall Street Journal reports, citing unnamed US officials.

What is the BLU-109 Bomb?

A BLU-109 (BLU stands for Bomb Live Unit) hardened penetration bomb is essentially a 22,000-pound(about 907 kilogram) bomb that contains 530 pounds (about 240 kilograms) of explosive material.

With its thick steel casing and delayed fuse, BLU-109 is designed to penetrate deep into the ground before detonating in order to take out underground facilities, tunnels and bunkers, hence the moniker “bunker busters.”

Although BLU-109 is originally an unguided, “dumb” bomb, it can be converted into a precision-guided munition via the implementation of a JDAM kit, several hundred of which have also been reportedly provided to Israel by the United States.

What Other Bombs is the US Supplying to Israel?

The US’ lethal backing of Israel also reportedly includes 5,000 MK82 unguided bombs, 5,400 MK84 unguided bombs and about 1,000 GBU-39 precision-guided small-diameter bombs.

These shipments have taken place as the Israeli military leadership continues to allege that the Hamas militants they are currently battling in Gaza increasingly rely on underground shelters and tunnels to avoid Israeli attacks.

While it remains to be seen whether the munitions provided by the US would be effective against these Hamas underground assets, Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip inevitably result in losses among the civilian population of this densely-populated Palestinian enclave.