Tri-Service
'Bunker Buster' Bomb Launched On Daesh
A Tornado mission has seen the first use of the RAF’s Enhanced Paveway III (EPWIII) against Daesh.
Also known as a 'bunker buster', the guided bomb has a 2,000lb deep penetration warhead.
Bunker busters are designed to penetrate targets buried deep underground like military bunkers or hardened targets.
The weight of the EPWIII is significant as the heavier a bunker buster bomb is the further it can penetrate.
This is because more weight gives the bomb more kinetic energy when it hits the target.
The 'Grand Slam' bomb is considered to be one of the first bunker buster type bombs.
RAF aircraft normally carry the smaller Paveway IV guided bombs and Brimstone missiles, which can be carried in larger numbers and are more useful for close air support missions.
The EPW III was held in reserve for use if needed against particularly challenging underground or hardened targets.
The Tornados flew as part of a coalition air strike on a large complex of tunnels and bunkers dug into terraced hillsides above the Euphrates in western Iraq, successfully scoring direct hits with a pair of EPW IIIs on two entrances to the bunker network.
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