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Comments:  379
U.S. to sell IAF smart bombs for heavily fortified targets
By Aluf Benn and Amos Harel
Tags: Iran, United States 

Despite reservations in Washington regarding a possible Israeli strike on Iran, the American administration will supply Israel with sophisticated weapons for heavily fortified targets, the U.S. administration announced.

The U.S. Department of Defense announced it would sell the Israel Air Force 1,000 new smart bombs, rumored to significantly enhance the IAF's military capabilities. The deal was approved amid public and secret messages from Washington, with the Americans expressing their reservations about a possible Israeli strike against the Islamic Republic's suspected nuclear sites.

The Pentagon's announcement, which came on Friday, said the U.S. will provide Israel with 1,000 units of Guided Bomb Unit-39 (GBU-39) - a special weapon developed for penetrating fortified facilities located deep underground.
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The $77 million shipment, which includes launchers and appurtenances, will allow the IAF to hit many more bunkers than currently possible. Although each bomb weighs 113 kilograms, its penetration capabilities equal those of a one ton bomb, according to professional literature.

Most U.S. Air Force aircraft are able to carry a pack of four of these bombs in place of a single one-ton bomb. The bomb's small size allows a single-strike aircraft to carry more of the munitions than is possible utilizing currently available bomb units, thus increasing firepower, or, alternatively, allowing the aircraft to fly longer distances to deliver a single bomb.

During demonstrations, the GBU-39 - labeled by the manufacturer, Boeing, as a Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) - has successfully penetrated more than 1.8 meters of thick reinforced concrete with a 23-kilogram warhead. The GPS-guided weapon is said to have a 50-percent probability of hitting its intended target within 5-8 meters, which should minimize collateral damage.

The estimated value for the bomb's GPS version, which military experts have called the latest development in the bunker-buster line, is around $70,000 to $90,000 for each individual bomb.

The U.S. has already supplied Israel with earlier versions of bunker busters. In 2005, the Pentagon authorized the sale of GBU-28 to Israel, in a move that commentators construed as a hinted threat aimed at Iran. Haaretz reported earlier this month that the U.S. was hesitant about selling Israel heavier busters.

The Pentagon's announcement also said that the U.S. would help upgrade the Israel Defense Forces' patriot anti-aircraft missiles - which Israel uses as part of its missile-interception array. Israel will also receive 28,000 LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon) tube launchers for land forces.
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  1.   Starting point 02:44  |  Arie 14/09/08
  2.   Iran-lovers can now relax ... 02:50  |  Morris Valentine 14/09/08
  3.   Israel needs protection from the 03:06  |  John 14/09/08
  4.   And Israel started to dig its own grave 03:34  |  Persian Hero 14/09/08
  5.   THANK YOU. Ahmadinejad and Nasrallah.PLEASE! Keep talking !! 03:53  |  PETER SM 14/09/08
  6.   what if russia- 03:59  |  bri 14/09/08
  7.   Sell? 04:19  |  Veritas 14/09/08
  8.   now israel can better hit UN outposts and soldiers 04:26  |  delta 14/09/08
  9.   Mullah`s should leave Iran or Run to their Bunkers 04:30  |  Yuri 14/09/08
  10.   "busters" 04:35  |  Shmuelshachor 14/09/08
  11.   Bunker-buster bombs~ 05:03  |  Peter Beck 14/09/08
  12.   does nasrallah know hes not safe underground anymore? 05:21  |  v.hardman 14/09/08
  13.   Israel "buys" bombs with money USA gives annually 05:26  |  Matt 14/09/08
  14.   Sorry Morris, Not Funny 05:30  |  Mark of Lewiston 14/09/08
  15.   Where Are The F-35A`s? 05:31  |  Jeff Northridge 14/09/08
  16.   Power pawn upmanship 05:34  |  allang 14/09/08
  17.   #1,2,3. Do civilized Jews really think like this? 05:50  |  Lou Medel 14/09/08
  18.   Clickfool and Durson are taking a nap and Indrajaya 06:08  |  JB 14/09/08
  19.   Bombs 06:26  |  Chopper 14/09/08
  20.   Morris Please !! 06:29  |  Golani 14/09/08
  21.   America`s post-Christian soul 06:47  |  Ed 14/09/08
  22.   #4 Golani 06:50  |  * BEN JABO 14/09/08
  23.   #4 NAIVE 07:00  |  mike 14/09/08
  24.   #4 Kumbaya 07:12  |  Gili 14/09/08
  25.   Again Bush Demonstrates 07:21  |  Mark of Lewiston 14/09/08
  26.   Power pawn upmanship 07:30  |  allang 14/09/08
  27.   An incompetent fool with a big bomb is still an incompetent fool 07:32  |  Natallie Durson 14/09/08
  28.   Leo Medel believes that hanging gays is moral 07:45  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 14/09/08
  29.   Exactly, Mark. 07:45  |  Zed 14/09/08
  30.   The meaning of the credible deterrence of the I. D. F. 08:05  |  Jean Van Daem 14/09/08
  31.   Shipment date? 08:09  |  Zed 14/09/08
  32.   7 Jeff Northridge - Some Things Not for Sale 08:14  |  Mark of Lewiston 14/09/08
  33.   Poor America 08:30  |  dani.a 14/09/08
  34.   Undersized andf underpowered bunker-busters-not enough to do the. 08:32  |  EGW 14/09/08
  35.   Mark of Lewiston 09:05  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 14/09/08
  36.   For those of you who say Israel gets free hand outs 09:07  |  utagawa 14/09/08
  37.   #11 hey lou did germany have a right in ww2 to 09:13  |  v.hardman 14/09/08
  38.   THANK YOU Ahmadinejad and Nasrallah.Keep talking!! 09:19  |  PETER SM 14/09/08
  39.   DELTA NOT needed to hit Hezb. firing next to UN positions 09:23  |  PETER SM 14/09/08
  40.   LOU MEDELL Safely in Arizona making your own morality 09:30  |  PETER SM 14/09/08
  41.   Sell Israel All The Bombs It Wants 09:31  |  Yosemite 14/09/08
  42.   stupid children demand deadly Toys 09:48  |  Dav 14/09/08
  43.   Oh well............ 09:48  |  Zoe 14/09/08
  44.   AS U.S BUNKER BUSTERS HEAD TO ISRAEL RUSSIAN SS-N-22 SUNBURN 09:51  |  Joe Momma 14/09/08
  45.   Cipora Julianna Kohn 09:58  |  Mark of Lewiston 14/09/08
  46.   #`s 24 & 31 VAN DAEM & PETER SM 10:02  |  BigBadJohn 14/09/08
  47.   Good for Hezbollah bunkers, not good enough against Iran 10:05  |  Johnboy 14/09/08
  48.   BIG BJ" soon declare himself King Of Palestine" From his bunker?? 10:21  |  PETER SM 14/09/08
  49.   Question for Johnboy 10:21  |  Zed 14/09/08
  50.   #35, Mark of Lewiston 10:25  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 14/09/08
  51.   J.Momma Where did Russia say the would provide Sunburn missiles?? 10:25  |  PETER SM 14/09/08
  52.   The coming missile war with Syria 10:26  |  Ramius 14/09/08
  53.   DAV the Soviets gave Arabs everything they wanted. 10:28  |  PETER SM 14/09/08
  54.   Increasing the specification of the reinforced concrete 10:29  |  Clickfool 14/09/08
  55.   PS 10:31  |  Clickfool 14/09/08
  56.   Joe your momma is calling you to come in and do your homework. 10:32  |  Ramius 14/09/08
  57.   For JB in Phoenix # 12 10:35  |  Clickfool 14/09/08
  58.   Israel - all dressed up and nowhere to go 10:44  |  Clickfool 14/09/08
  59.   For Peter SM # 45 10:47  |  Clickfool 14/09/08
  60.   To all the "dreamers" and "armchair-war-strategists": 11:00  |  Swiss (Dino) 14/09/08
  61.   As Russia has to prop up its failing stock market 11:00  |  Ramius 14/09/08
  62.   We want the GBU 28 11:02  |  Gil 14/09/08
  63.   44 Cipora Julianna Kohn 11:18  |  Mark of Lewiston 14/09/08
  64.   For Ramius # 46 11:21  |  Clickfool 14/09/08
  65.   Peter SM - Janes Reported 11:22  |  Mark of Lewiston 14/09/08
  66.   Clickfool, No. 52 11:22  |  Gorilla 14/09/08
  67.   CFOOL You did not read it all,so you put your foot in it 11:27  |  PETER SM 14/09/08
  68.   JOHNBOY How do you know what the IAF can or cannot do? 11:31  |  PETER SM 14/09/08
  69.   hey now!! if israel and iran want to fight 11:32  |  sami 14/09/08
  70.   For Swiss (Dino) # 55 11:34  |  Clickfool 14/09/08
  71.   For Gil on concrete and censorship # 57 11:39  |  Clickfool 14/09/08