Bunker Buster

A bunker buster is a bomb designed to penetrate hardened targets or targets buried deep underground. In World War II the British designer Barnes Wallis, of bouncing-bomb fame, designed two bombs that would today be called bunker busters: the five tonne Tallboy and the ten tonne Grand Slam "Earthquake" bombs. The designs were very aerodynamic

with a tail which caused them to spin. This allowed them to break the sound barrier as they fell from a height of 22,000 ft (6,700 m). They had casings made of high grade steel, much stronger than the typical World War II bomb so that they would survive hitting a hardened surface, or penetrate deep into the ground. Though these bombs might be thought of as 'bunker busters' today, in fact the original 'earthquake' theory was more complex and subtle than simply penetrating a hardened surface. The Earthquake bombs were designed not to strike a target directly, but to impact beside it, penetrate under it, and create a 'camouflet' or large buried cavern at the same time as delivering a shock wave through the target's foundations. The target then collapses into the hole, no matter how hardened it may be. The bombs had strong casings because they