US Air Force Awards Contract for Next-Gen Bunker Buster Prototype

The U.S. Air Force has awarded a two-year contract to Applied Research Associates (ARA), in partnership with Boeing, to develop the Next Generation Penetrator (NGP), a successor to the 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) used in June 2025 to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities during Operation Midnight Hammer. ARA will act as the system design agent, producing and testing sub-scale and full-scale prototypes designed to destroy hardened, deeply buried targets, while Boeing will develop the new bomb’s tail kit and assist with integration. The NGP is expected to be lighter than the MOP, with a target weight under 22,000 pounds, yet maintain blast, fragmentation, and deep penetration capabilities, and feature a highly accurate guidance system operable in GPS-denied environments. The MOP was exclusively carried by B-2 stealth bombers, which can carry two bombs per flight; the upcoming B-21 Raider bomber, smaller in size, may carry one NGP depending on its final design. The development reflects the U.S. military’s effort to maintain superiority against increasingly fortified underground threats posing critical national security challenges. Air Force officials have emphasized precision, reliability, and adaptability in the NGP’s design to address lessons learned from MOP’s combat use and evolving battlefield conditions.