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Title:
Why the Last Tested Nuclear Weapon Was a Bunker-Buster — Today's Iran Strike Offers Context
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Post Content:
Many don't realize that the last full-scale nuclear test conducted by the United States — “Divider” — was not just another atomic bomb, but very likely an earth-penetrating nuclear warhead, also known as a nuclear bunker-buster.
This test took place on September 23, 1992, at Yucca Flat, Area 3, within the Nevada Test Site, as part of Operation Julin. Though its exact configuration is classified, experts suggest that Divider was designed to validate the functionality and survivability of a low-yield nuclear warhead for use against hardened underground targets.
Key Facts:
Test Name: Divider
Location: Nevada Test Site, Area 3
Date: September 23, 1992
Estimated Yield: ~5 to 20 kilotons (unconfirmed)
Test Type: Underground shaft test
Purpose: Warhead survivability, reliability, and penetrator effectiveness
Operation Series: Part of Operation Julin — the last test series before the U.S. nuclear test moratorium
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Bunker-Buster Evolution During the Obama Administration
Although President Obama upheld the U.S. moratorium on explosive nuclear testing, significant progress was made in modernizing earth-penetrating nuclear weapons through simulation-based methods and subcritical testing (i.e., tests without a nuclear chain reaction).
Two key developments:
1. B61-11:
A nuclear gravity bomb introduced in the late 1990s and improved under the Obama-era B61 Life Extension Program (LEP). It was engineered to penetrate soil or concrete before detonating underground, maximizing shock wave effectiveness.
2. Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) — GBU-57A/B:
A 30,000-pound conventional bunker-buster (non-nuclear) developed for deep underground facilities like Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant. Multiple test drops were conducted during Obama’s presidency to assess its ability to destroy targets buried 200+ feet deep.
Both systems (MOP and B61-11) were designed not to replace each other, but to provide a full spectrum of options — conventional or nuclear — for strategic planning against hardened, deeply buried targets (HDBTs).
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Why It Matters Now
Today’s reported military strikes on Iranian underground facilities bring this entire history into sharper focus. In 1992, the U.S. conducted Divider, likely anticipating future threats involving fortified underground sites. Now, with real-time conflicts targeting those exact types of installations, the purpose of Divider seems prescient.
What seemed abstract Cold War overkill has become strategically relevant again. Nuclear bunker-busters are no longer a Cold War relic — they remain a key part of modern deterrence and strike capabilities, especially in scenarios where conventional weapons cannot guarantee success.
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Sources & Further Reading:
U.S. Department of Energy – DOE Nevada Nuclear Test Site Database
Nuclear Weapon Archive – US Nuclear Tests
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists – B61 Modernization
Federation of American Scientists – MOP & Bunke
r-Busting Weapons
Arms Control Association – Nuclear Testing Timeline
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