U.S. Unleashes Tactical Bomb B61-12 Against North Korea

High-Power Ballistic Missile Hyunmoo
Bunker Buster GBU-57 MOP
Tactical Nuclear Bomb B61-12

Amid the ongoing provocations from North Korea and growing global instability, the weapons possessed by our military authorities are gaining attention.

Additionally, the weapons held by the United States, an ally of South Korea, are also known to have high power that can deter provocations from North Korea.

South Korea and the United States are keeping an eye on the continuous provocations from North Korea. It is known that Kim Jong Un’s bunker is the origin of North Korean provocations. So, what weapons boast enough power to stop North Korea’s provocation with just one shot?

The high-power ballistic missile Hyunmoo, possessed by the South Korean military, is mentioned first. Although not well-known, South Korea can be considered a missile powerhouse.

The range of Hyunmoo-3, the main missile deployed by South Korea, is about 932 miles. The only countries in the world known to possess cruise missiles with this range are the United States, Russia, Israel, and South Korea.

The Hyunmoo series, known as the Korean-style guided missile, has been developed up to Hyunmoo-5. Among the series, Hyunmoo-1 has wholly retired, and the short-range ballistic missile Hyunmoo-2 and the cruise missile Hyunmoo-3 have been confirmed to be operationally deployed.

Hyunmoo-2 had a range limit of 497 miles until the abolition of the South Korea-U.S. missile guidelines (range and weight limit) in May 2021, but it is known that it can be converted to a medium-range missile with slight improvement.

The Hyunmoo series released so far includes 10 types: Hyunmoo-1, Hyunmoo-2A, Hyunmoo-2B, Hyunmoo-2C, Hyunmoo-3A, Hyunmoo-3B, Hyunmoo-3C, Hyunmoo-3D, Hyunmoo-4, and Hyunmoo-5. Knowingly, Hyunmoo 4-4, currently under development, is the first submarine-launched ballistic missile in the Hyunmoo series.

The retired Hyunmoo-1 and Hyunmoo 4-4 are under development, and the completed Hyunmoo-3D and Hyunmoo-5 have been confirmed operationally deployed in all military units.

The Hyunmoo series can carry a warhead weight of up to 2 tons with a maximum range of 497 miles, so it is speculated that it can destroy command bunkers and nuclear missile bases throughout North Korea with just one shot.

The actual power of the completed Hyunmoo-5 is not announced. However, it is presumed to have the power of a quasi-nuclear missile since it is commonly called a monster among military officials.

Hyunmoo-5 was initially developed as an overwhelming mass retaliation weapon against North Korea in case of emergency, and it is known to have excellent penetration power that can destroy command and strategic targets deeper than 328 feet underground in North Korea.

Next is the GBU-57 MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator), a super bunker buster revealed by the U.S. Air Force. The MOP became a topic of discussion when the U.S. Air Force posted and then suddenly deleted a photo of it on social media last year.

The U.S. Air Force posted a photo of the MOP performance test conducted at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri on Facebook, but it was deleted before a day had passed. The MOP in the photo was 20.3 feet long, 2.6 feet in diameter, and weighed between 26,455 and 28,660 pounds.

The biggest advantage of MOP is that it is filled with 5,952 pounds of high-explosive powder, which allows it to penetrate up to 197 feet underground (based on reinforced concrete) and destroy powerful underground bunkers.

This is about ten times the penetration capability of the GBU-28 bunker buster precision-guided bomb held by the South Korean Air Force. Due to its excellent underground penetration capability, the MOP is evaluated as a super bomb targeting North Korea, which has many underground facility targets.

The last is the B61-12 tactical nuclear bomb developed by the U.S. Air Force, like the previously mentioned MOP.

The tactical nuclear bomb B61-12 is known as a bunker buster that can penetrate up to 328 feet underground, and it is the first nuclear weapon that can be used with high accuracy, low radioactive fallout, and minimizing civilian casualties. It has been confirmed to have the ability to remove North Korea’s nuclear and missile bases and command centers in the event of war.

In 2022, the U.S. Air Force announced that it had completed the final performance test of the improved tactical nuclear weapon B61-12. This weapon, which has a GPS guidance device and tail wings attached to the existing tactical nuclear bomb B61, can accurately strike targets within a 98-foot error.

This test proved that the B61-12 could adjust the explosion power from a minimum of 0.3kt (1kt=1,000T of explosive power) to a maximum of 50kt, and it was named a smart nuclear bomb. It can also be used as a bunker buster to destroy enemy targets deep underground and is considered to have high extended deterrence power.

According to the U.S. Air Force, the B61-12 can adjust its power in four stages: 0.3kt, 1.5kt, 10kt, and 50kt, and both ground and underground explosions are possible.

When the B61-12 explodes after penetrating several feet underground, its destructive power is said to be tens of times that of the Hiroshima ground explosion, and it is considered the most powerful weapon that can prevent North Korea’s nuclear provocation.

When the power of the B61-12 is set to the lowest 0.3kt, it shows a destructive power of 4.5kt~7.5kt, and when adjusted to the highest 50kt, it shows a power of 750kt~1,250kt.

Considering that the Hiroshima nuclear bomb had an explosive power of 15kt, the B61-12, which has a maximum power of 1,250kt, proves that it is not an ordinary tactical nuclear bomb.

Meanwhile, our military authorities are known to be conducting military exercises at any time in preparation for North Korea’s emergency provocations. On the 17th, a large-scale joint artillery firing drill was conducted at the artillery firing range in Munhye-ri, Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon-do, in preparation for North Korea’s firepower provocation.

According to military officials, the Republic of Korea Capital Corps-led drill is an integrated firing drill with surveillance, detection, and firepower assets within the corps to strengthen the strong response and retaliation spirit against the enemy’s provocations. It was reported that about 430 soldiers and 30 K9 and K55A1 self-propelled guns were deployed in the drill conducted on this day.