Hmmmmmm......Why would they need to do that?
The source is from the military-industrial complex horse's mouth - a press release from Northrop Grumman:
Northrop Grumman Begins Work to Equip B-2 Bomber with Massive Penetrator Weapon
PALMDALE, Calif., July 19, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Air Force's B-2 stealth bomber would be able to attack and destroy an expanded set of hardened, deeply buried military targets using a new 30,000 pound-class penetrator weapon that Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) has begun integrating on the aircraft.
The company is doing the work under a seven-month, $2.5 million contract awarded June 1 by the Air Force's Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio.
That’s kind of a stealthy announcement – the contract was awarded on June 1, but the news is published just a few days ago. Anyone familiar with military contracting? Could the work have begun before the awarding of the contract? From what the PR says, we can assume the refitting would be done in about five months – just in time for the holidays!
The weapon that might be used with the B-2:
The new Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), which is being developed by The Boeing Company, is a GPS-guided weapon containing more than 5,300 pounds of conventional explosives inside a 20.5-foot long enclosure of hardened steel. It is designed to penetrate dirt, rock and reinforced concrete to reach enemy bunker or tunnel installations. The B-2 is capable of carrying two MOPs, one in each weapons bay.
It probably wouldn’t take too much effort to load a nuke into the bomb casing of this MOP if the White House warmongers thought that was necessary.
It’s been reported the Navy’s got approximately half their warships in the waters off Iran. It’s been reported that the Air Force has been building up their bases in Iraq (thought I don’t know if the AF would risk placing the B-2s on the ground in Iraq).
The NeoCONS, their Likud allies in Israel, and the congressional lackeys like LIEberman are clamoring for war. I fear a conflagration is coming and it seems we are completely powerless to prevent it. It is a profoundly dispiriting feeling for me to think that in the United Sates of America there seems to be nothing we can do to stop a sneak attack on Iran that will explode into a catastrophic Middle East war.
As I diaried last week Cheney is said to be winning the debate in the White House on attacking Iran:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Link to the Northrop Grumman PR:
http://www.irconnect.com/...