The GBU-28 is the famed bunker buster used in Desert Storm. It was developed in minimal time under USAF's rapid response program. It is primarily used as a deep penetration weapon against buried and hardened command and control facilities. The bomb is essentially an Army 8 inch howitzer modified with a GBU-27 guidance kit to produce a 4,700 pound laser guided bunker busting bomb. Lockheed Missile and Space System was the contractor on the project. Two GBU-28s were dropped in Desert Storm by F-111s but has been flight tested for use on the F-15E too. Advanced versions to improve operational capability and flexibility are being studied.
U.S. Air Force Photo by Senior Airman Jeffrey Allen - An F-15E Strike Eagle pilot (right) and a weapon system officer assigned to the 494th Fighter Squadron, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, inspect a GBU-28 laser guided bomb.
More on Guided Munitions
Weapons
of Operation Enduring Freedom
The history behind some of the jets
and weapons being used in today's military conflicts.
