US making bunker-buster more powerful to hit Iran

The US military has stepped up efforts to make their largest conventional weapon,the 13.6 tonne bunker-buster bomb,more powerful and capable of destroying Irans most heavily fortified underground nuclear facilities

The US military has stepped up efforts to make their largest conventional weapon,the 13.6 tonne bunker-buster bomb,more powerful and capable of destroying Irans most heavily fortified underground nuclear facilities.

The efforts have been stepped up as part of contingency planning for a possible strike against Iranian nuclear sites,the Wall Street Journal reported quoting US officials.

The move comes after Pentagon war planners concluded that their largest bomb isnt yet capable of reaching Tehrans nuclear weapon-making facilities buried deep underground.

The bunker-buster bomb,known as the Massive Ordnance Penetrator,was specifically designed to take out hardened fortifications built by Iran and North Korea to cloak their nuclear programme,the paper said,quoting US officials. But,early tests indicated that the bomb as currently primed was not fully capable of destroying some of Irans facilities,because Tehran had added new fortifications to protect them.

Doubts about the bombs effectiveness,US officials said,had prompted Pentagon this month to secretly approach the Congress for funding to enhance the bunker-busters ability to penetrate deeper into rock,concrete and steel before exploding.

The US Defence Department has spent 330 million so far to develop about 20 such bombs. The Pentagon is seeking 82 million more to make them effective,the paper said,quoting government officials briefed on the plan.

The US aviation giant Boeing received a contract in 2009 to fit the weapon on the American air force B-2 Stealth bomber.

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Defence Secretary Leon Panetta in an interview to the paper acknowledged the bombs shortcomings against some of Irans deepest bunkers and said development work was underway and he expected a more powerful bunker-buster to be ready soon.