We created this illustration to explain the mechanics behind the American-made B-2 bunker-busting bomb, recently referenced in coverage of ongoing events in the Middle East.
Dropped from a B-2 stealth bomber flying at about 12 km altitude, the bomb accelerates purely from gravity—no engine required.
Guided by satellite and steered using movable tail fins, its immense weight creates intense kinetic energy on impact, driving the hardened casing up to 60 meters underground.
A delayed fuse then detonates 2,400 kg of explosives deep below the surface. / Source: BBC
