Guided Bomb Unit‐72 (GBU‐72)
A GBU-72B mounted on an aircraft at Eglin Air Force Base
Type Precision-guided bunker busting bomb
Place of origin United States
Service history
In service Since 2021
Used by
  • United States Air Force
Wars
  • Red Sea crisis
2026 Iran war
Production history
Designer Boeing
Specifications
Mass 5,000 lb (2,300 kg)
Length 15 ft 1 in (4.6 m) est.
Diameter 22 in (570 mm) est.
Guidance
system
GPS and INS
Steering
system
GBU-31/B JDAM tail kit
Launch
platform
B-1B, F-15E & F-15I
References Janes[1][2] & The Telegraph[3]

The Guided Bomb Unit‐72 (GBU‐72), also known as the Advanced 5K (A5K) Penetrator, is a bunker busting bomb developed in the United States.

Description

The GBU-72 is a 5,000 lb (2,300 kg) class precision-guided bunker-busting bomb which uses a JDAM guidance kit.[4]

The GBU-72 resembles an enlarged GBU-31/B JDAM fitted with a bunker-busting BLU-109 or BLU-137/B warhead.[4] It is fitted with the GBU-31/B JDAM’s GPS and INS tail-mounted guidance kit and has long fins on either side of the bomb's underside.[2][4]

No official data is available for how deep the GBU-72 can penetrate before exploding, although the weapon's program manager has been quoted as saying that its "lethality is expected to be substantially higher compared to similar legacy weapons like the GBU-28".[2][3] The capabilities of the later versions of the GBU-28 remain classified, but the earliest versions could reportedly penetrate 150 ft (46 m) of earth and more than 15 ft (4.6 m) of reinforced concrete.[4]

The GBU-72 can be dropped by the US Air Force's B-1Bs and F-15Es, and the Israeli Air Force's F-15Is.[3][5]

History

The evaluation of the GBU-72 at Eglin Air Force Base[2][6] included ground-based tests such as detonating the bomb’s warhead inside barriers to measure its blast and other effects, and test flights planned by the 780th Test Squadron and carried out by the 40th Flight Test Squadron between July and October 2021 that included confirming "the weapon could safely release from the aircraft and validate a modified 2,000-pound joint-direct-attack-munition tail kit’s ability to control and navigate a 5,000-pound weapon."[2][4][6][7]

The initial testing phase ended on 7 October 2021, when an 96th Test Wing McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle released the GBU-72 (known as the GBU-72 Advanced 5K Penetrator) over the Eglin Air Force Base range. The program moved on to more JDAM integration test flights and developmental and operational testing in 2022.[7]

In May 2024 it was reported that as part of joint American-British strikes during the Red Sea crisis, the US Air Force used a GBU-72 to destroy an underground Houthi facility in Yemen.[8]

In September 2024 it was reported that the Israeli Air Force deployed up to ten GBU-72s on 27 September 2024 to kill Hezbollah's Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, in his underground headquarters complex in Beirut.[5][9] Subsequent reporting stated 2,000 lb (910 kg) class JDAM-equipped BLU-109 bunker-busting bombs were likely used.[10][11]

In March 2026, multiple media outlets reported that the United States Air Force employed GBU-72/B in strikes against hardened Iranian anti-ship missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran-war. United States Central Command confirmed the use of 5,000-pound class penetrator munitions in the operation, but did not specify the weapon system. Some reports described the strikes as the first combat use of the GBU-72/B, although earlier unconfirmed reports had suggested possible use in Yemen in 2024.[12]

See also

  • GBU-28
  • GBU-57A/B MOP

References

  1. ^ Janes (18 March 2026), "GBU‑72 Advanced 5K (A5K) Penetrator", Janes Weapons: Air Launched, Coulsdon, Surrey: Jane's Group UK Limited., retrieved 20 March 2026
  2. ^ a b c d e Jennings, Gareth (13 October 2021), "US Air Force drops new 'bunker buster' bomb for first time", Jane's Defence Weekly, Coulsdon, Surrey: Jane's Group UK Limited, retrieved 29 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Axe, David (19 June 2024), "The US Air Force has the medicine for evil-regime deep bunkers. But it needs more", The Telegraph, London: Telegraph Media Group Limited, retrieved 29 September 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e Trevithick, Joseph (12 October 2021), "The Air Force's New 5,000-Pound Bunker Buster Bomb Breaks Cover", The War Zone, Miami: Recurrent Ventures, retrieved 29 September 2024.
  5. ^ a b Barrowclough, Anne; Magnay, Jacquelin (29 September 2024), "'We settled the score': Netanyahu says as Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah dies in Israel air strikes", The Australian, Sydney: Nationwide News Pty Ltd, retrieved 29 September 2024.
  6. ^ a b Silver, Stephen (18 November 2021), "Air Force's New 5K Penetrator "Bunker Buster" Weapon Gets Tested", The National Interest, Washington, DC: Center for the National Interest, retrieved 29 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b King Jr., Samuel (13 October 2021). "Eglin AFB test squadron releases GBU-72 for first time". U.S. Air Force. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  8. ^ CBS (31 May 2024), "Yemen's Houthis threaten escalation after American strike using 5,000-pound bunker-buster bomb", CBS News, New York: CBS Interactive Inc, retrieved 29 September 2024.
  9. ^ Rasheed, Zaheena; Mccready, Alastair; Quillen, Stephen; Marsi, Federica; Najjar, Farah; Siddiqui, Usaid (27 September 2024), "Israel attacks Lebanon updates: Beirut suffers 'unprecedented' bombardment", Al Jazeera, Doha: Al Jazeera Media Network, retrieved 4 October 2024.
  10. ^ Goodwin, Allegra; Brennan, Eve; Mezzofiore, Gianluca (30 September 2024), "US-made 2,000-pound bombs likely used in strike that killed Hezbollah chief Nasrallah, CNN analysis shows", CNN World, Atlanta: Cable News Network, retrieved 12 October 2024.
  11. ^ Cheeseman, Abbie; Kelly, Meg; Piper, Imogen (30 September 2024), "Israel likely used U.S.-made 2,000-pound bombs in Nasrallah strike, visuals show", The Washington Post, Washington, DC, retrieved 12 October 2024
  12. ^ Trevithick, Thomas Newdick, Joseph (2026-03-18). "U.S. Used Its New 5,000-Pound Bunker Busters To Hit Iranian Anti-Ship Missile Sites: Reports". The War Zone. Retrieved 2026-03-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)