MOP order, costs

[Allen Thomson]

http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/64796

Massive bomb project gets $20M cash explosion
US Air Force spends millions to boost development of humongous bunker
buster bomb
By Layer 8 on Tue, 08/10/10 - 12:49pm.

Boeing this week got an additional $20.3 million contract from the US
Air Force to build extensions to the 30,000-pound, 20 ft long bomb
known as Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) meant to annihilate
underground bunkers and other hardened sites.

The huge bomb has been beset by delays, mostly due to budget issues
and technicalities. According to the Air Force: "We have had mixed
results in test drops of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator; however, we
are closely monitoring the progress of this important capability, and
future successes likely will result in a reprogramming request to
accelerate its development in FY10."

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency which has overseen the development
of this monster since 2007, says it is designed to be carried aboard
B-2 and B-52 bombers and deployed at high altitudes where it would
strike the ground at speeds well beyond 2X the speed of sound to
penetrate the below ground target.

The DTRA defines its mission as "safeguarding America and its allies
from Weapons of Mass Destruction (chemical, biological, radiological,
nuclear, and high yield explosives) by providing capabilities to
reduce, eliminate, and counter the threat, and mitigate its effects."

Boeing is working with DTRA to develop the MOP, which can be carried
by B-2 and B-52 bombers and deployed at high altitudes where it would
strike the ground at speeds well beyond 2X the speed of sound to
penetrate the below ground target, Boeing says.

For this contract Boeing is to provide: Eight Massive Ordnance
Penetrator extended user evaluation assets: eight MOP warheads and
eight MOP toolkits. $10 million has been obligated already.