The US of America will expand production of its largest non-nuclear bomb, the precision-guided GBU-57 aerial bomb, reports Bloomberg.
As reported by the publication, the US military leadership has already developed a project to expand an army plant in the southeastern state of Oklahoma. It is expected to reach its peak by the fall of 2024.
The plant will produce the precision-guided GBU-57 aerial bomb, known under another name as the Massive Ordnance Penetrator. This bomb is capable of penetrating the ground to a depth of up to 61 meters before exploding and is designed to target heavily fortified underground military facilities.
According to preliminary data, the area of the additional facility on the territory of the army plant will be 181 square kilometers. This will allow for an increase in production to six to eight bombs per month. Currently, the plant's production capacity is two bombs.
The GBU-57 was developed by Boeing in 2007 at the request of the US Army. It is designed to strike underground facilities in Iran and North Korea and is the most powerful non-nuclear weapon in the US arsenal.
Putin's nuclear statements
Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again resorted to threats of nuclear weapons. He began doing so after the start of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Such statements force Western leaders to contemplate a possible response to Putin's statements.