You need the planes to deliver the bombs. No other plane will do.
And you need the bombs to damage Fordow, no other bomb will do.
And you need to take out Fordow to end the war, (Times of Israel, June 17):
Israel won’t end operation against Iran before damaging Fordo, says national security adviser
From New Delhi Television (NDTV), June 17:
Israel Seeks US' Bunker Buster - 14,000 Kg Bomb, To Hit Iran's Nuclear Sites
As the Israel-Iran conflict enters its fifth day, Benjamin Netanyahu is now seeking the US-made Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), the world's most powerful bunker buster, to take out Tehran's most fortified nuclear sites.
On Tuesday, Iran hit central Israel in retaliation for Israeli strikes on its military infrastructure. While Israel has targeted multiple Iranian nuclear facilities, it hasn't been able to crack the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, a site buried deep under a mountain and built to withstand airstrikes.
Experts say only the 14-tonne MOP, capable of piercing 200 feet of reinforced rock, can damage it. Israel doesn't have the bomb but is reportedly pushing the US for access.
What Is The MOP?
The Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), officially known as GBU-57A/B, is the US military's most powerful non-nuclear bunker buster bomb. Weighing around close to 14,000 kg, it was developed to destroy hardened and deeply buried targets, such as underground bunkers and nuclear facilities.MOP: Design And Firepower
Designed by Boeing, the MOP is built with a high-strength steel alloy casing that can survive deep penetration through rock and reinforced concrete. It carries a powerful explosive payload of about 2,400 kg, allowing it to destroy deeply buried targets with a delayed-action detonation system. This means it explodes only after it has tunnelled deep into a structure, maximising internal damage.How Does The MOP Work?
Equipped with GPS and inertial navigation systems (INS), the MOP is designed for high accuracy. Its guidance system ensures the bomb hits within a few metres of its target, even in difficult combat conditions. The bomb can reportedly penetrate up to 200 feet (about 60 metres) of reinforced earth or concrete, making it far more powerful than older weapons like the GBU-28 or BLU-109.How Is The MOP Deployed?
The B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is currently the only aircraft in the US fleet equipped to carry and deploy the MOP. Each B-2 can carry two MOPs. The upcoming B-21 Raider, still under development, is expected to support the MOP in future missions....
....MUCH MORE
Also at NDTV, June 17
Why Israel Can't Destroy Iran's Fordow Nuclear Site
And at the Jerusalem Post, June 17:
Israel's plan to strike Fordow nuclear facility ready if order is given - IDF
Fordow is the most important Iranian nuclear facility, which the IDF has not yet touched, but it poses unique challenges, being that it lies underneath a mountain.
From The Hill, June 17:
Bipartisan lawmakers to introduce resolution to prohibit US involvement in Iran
President Trump will probably quote the analogy President Roosevelt used to pitch lend-lease to Britain:
....FDR discussed the idea at his Press Conference on December 17, 1940. The Lend-Lease program was still in the beginning stages.
“Well, let me give you an illustration: Suppose my neighbor’s home catches fire, and I have a length of garden hose four or five hundred feet away. If he can take my garden hose and connect it up with his hydrant, I may help him to put out his fire. Now, what do I do? I don’t say to him before that operation, “Neighbor, my garden hose cost me $15; you have to pay me $15 for it.” What is the transaction that goes on? I don’t want $15—I want my garden hose back after the fire is over. All right. If it goes through the fire all right, intact, without any damage to it, he gives it back to me and thanks me very much for the use of it. But suppose it gets smashed up—holes in it—during the fire; we don’t have to have too much formality about it, but I say to him, “I was glad to lend you that hose; I see I can’t use it any more, it’s all smashed up.” He says, “How many feet of it were there?” I tell him, “There were 150 feet of it.” He says, “All right, I will replace it.” Now, if I get a nice garden hose back, I am in pretty good shape.” Read the full transcript of the press conference at the FDR Presidential library web archive.
