Israel may use C-130 Israel to drop bombs to attack Iran's nuclear facilities

The US B-2 Spirit is the only aircraft that uses the GBU-57 bomb, but could the Israeli C-130 use it to attack Iran's deepest facilities?

A big unknown that international military experts have discussed for years is how Israel would completely destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities, not only by weakening them, but also by penetrating deeply buried nuclear sites from the air, specifically the nuclear enrichment facility located under a mountain in Fordo, Iran. Photo: @ The Independent.

The leading candidate for this capability is the US B-2 Spirit aircraft carrying GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs), but what about Israel's modest fleet of around 15 Hercules KC-130H, C-130H and C-130J transport aircraft, can they take on the same capability? Photo: @Wikipedia.

In theory, the US B-2 Spirits, carrying GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs), would be a formidable weapon system that could dig deep enough to destroy Iran’s Fordo nuclear facility. Part of the appeal of the B-2 Spirits is that they could penetrate deep into Iranian airspace, and strike targets, without having to wage a full-scale air war. But the B-2 Spirits are not an option for Israel in any case, as the US has yet to agree to provide the aircraft to fight alongside Israel. Photo: @ Duhr Aviation Art.

There have been some interesting images recently of Israeli C-130 operations extending eastward, through Syria and possibly beyond. It’s unclear exactly what these operations are for. The C-130s could be used to provide forward refueling and weapons points, or to provide aerial refueling for special operations helicopters tasked with combat search and rescue and combat exploitation. Photo: @ The Greek Herald.

The C-130 could also support drone launch bases, or even be used to drop drones deep into Iran. As Israel continues to dismantle the remaining parts of Iran’s air defense system, pushing aircraft like the C-130 deeper into Iran is a strong possibility. Photo: @ The Greek Herald.

So what if Israeli C-130s could carry and drop GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP) bombs against Iran's deep underground nuclear facilities? Photo: @ AirPra.

There is certainly a clear precedent for C-130s dropping massive bombs both old and new from their massive tanks. The BLU-82 Daisy Cutter has been dropped by C-130s, primarily to clear landing zones. The massive air-to-ground bomb known as the GBU-43 Mother Of All Bombs (MOAB) is in use today, and it was also used on C-130s with devastating results in Afghanistan in 2017. So what about a super-heavy armor-piercing weapon like the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP), which would the C-130 be up to? Photo: @AF.mil.

Dropping a 30,000-pound weapon of GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP) out of the back of a C-130 would certainly be a remarkable feat, given that the GBU-43 Mother Of All Bombs (MOAB) is nearly a third lighter than the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP). Photo: @ Newsweek.

The main area where the C-130 would be at a disadvantage over the B-2, aside from survivability and the ability to carry two GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP) at once, is related to the aircraft's speed and altitude. The C-130 flies significantly lower and slower than the B-2, which would affect the overall impact force of the dropped weapon. Photo: @ WinAir.

A C-130 dropping the same weapon at 25,000 feet and 250 mph would generate significantly less kinetic force than a B-2 dropping the same weapon at 50,000 feet and 500 mph. This would certainly be a major problem for a C-130 carrying GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP) to attack Iran’s Fordo nuclear enrichment facility under a mountain. Photo: @ WinAir.

So could a C-130 deliver a devastating blow to a target like Fordo with GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs)? The answer is, we don’t know. And even if Fordo isn’t completely hit, Iran has many other important sites buried under mountains, many of them less fortified, that a C-130 could deliver a devastating blow with GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs). Photo: @NBC News.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/israel-co-the-su-dung-c-130-israel-tha-bom-tan-cong-co-so-nhat-nhan-iran-post1548960.html