For the first time since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) used the new GBU-72 penetrating bomb in combat against Iranian missile sites located near the Strait of Hormuz, in an operation reported by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). According to the official statement, U.S. forces employed multiple 5,000-pound penetrating munitions against fortified positions along the Iranian coast, where anti-ship cruise missiles were located that, according to Washington, posed a risk to international navigation in the area.
According to CENTCOM, the attack targeted hardened positions linked to Iranian missile infrastructure deployed along the coastline near the strait. The U.S. command stated that those sites housed Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles capable of threatening maritime transit in one of the most strategically sensitive corridors for global trade and energy.
U.S. officials later confirmed to CNN Pentagon reporter Haley Britzky that the weapon used was in fact the GBU-72. In that way, the operation became associated with the operational debut of this munition, conceived as a replacement for the GBU-28, a bunker-buster bomb used by the United States since 1991 to strike deeply buried or protected targets.
So far, authorities have not released details about the aerial platform used in the mission or the tactical sequence of the attack. CENTCOM only stated that the operation had taken place “a few hours ago,” in a statement published at approximately 23:00 UTC on March 17, so questions remain regarding the type of aircraft involved, the route followed, and the exact number of bombs dropped.
The information available so far indicates that only two aircraft had previously been authorized to employ the GBU-72: the B-1B Lancer bomber and the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter. The bomb was first tested on the F-15E in 2021, while the first images of trials with external carriage on the B-1B appeared in 2024, although full public details on the weapon’s integration into that bomber’s internal bays did not emerge.
During the initial tests, an F-15E from the 96th Test Wing dropped a GBU-72 Advanced 5K Penetrator from 35,000 feet over the Eglin Air Force Base test range on October 7. That release marked the conclusion of a test series planned by the 780th Test Squadron and carried out by the 40th Flight Test Squadron, which had included the weapon’s first loading, flight, and release on July 23.
According to the Armament Directorate, the test campaign was considered successful and consisted of three flights, in addition to a series of ground tests that included the largest open-air trial of its kind ever conducted at Eglin. The goal was to verify that the weapon could be safely released from the aircraft and to validate that a modified tail kit, originally associated with a 2,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), could guide and control a 5,000-pound bomb.
The GBU-72 was developed to engage deeply buried and fortified targets, and it was designed to be used by both fighters and bombers. According to James Culliton, GBU-72 program manager, “lethality is expected to be substantially greater compared to similar legacy weapons such as the GBU-28,” while Ronald Forch, programming engineer for the 780th Test Squadron, stated that “test series of this magnitude are generally never successful because of a single person or organization.”
At the same time, flight-tracking data cited in the complementary reports recorded two B-1B bomber missions on March 17 departing from RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom, with two aircraft on each sortie. According to those records, two of the aircraft were flying over the sea between Cyprus and Israel at approximately 13:30 UTC en route to Iran and at 22:20 UTC on their return to the United Kingdom, a sequence in time that matches the window mentioned by CENTCOM, although the United States did not officially confirm which aircraft took part in the attack.
Images for illustrative purposes.
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