{"id":35244,"date":"2026-03-19T18:53:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T18:53:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2026\/03\/19\/us-strikes-iranian-underground-missile-storage-with-5000-pound-penetrator\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:23:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:23:19","slug":"us-strikes-iranian-underground-missile-storage-with-5000-pound-penetrator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/03\/19\/us-strikes-iranian-underground-missile-storage-with-5000-pound-penetrator\/","title":{"rendered":"US strikes Iranian underground missile storage with 5,000-pound penetrator"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The U.S. military employed 5,000-pound penetrator weapons against underground Iranian storage facilities holding coastal defense cruise missiles and related support equipment during the latest phase of Operation Epic Fury, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine confirmed Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs reported by U.S. CENTCOM yesterday, the US military dropped 5,000 pound penetrator weapons into underground storage facilities storing coastal defense cruise missiles and other support equipment,\u201d Caine said at a Pentagon briefing with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. \u201cThese weapons are bespokely designed to get through concrete and\/or rocks and function after penetrating those barriers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coastal defense cruise missiles, which Iran has deployed along its coastline to target naval and commercial vessels transiting the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, have been a recurring focus of U.S. strikes since Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The munitions are consistent with the GBU-72 Advanced 5K Penetrator, a bunker-buster, which U.S. officials confirmed made its combat debut in similar strikes on hardened coastal missile sites near the strait on Tuesday, The War Zone first reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The GBU-72 is a precision-guided, deep-burial defeat weapon designed for hardened and deeply buried targets. It uses GPS guidance and a high-explosive warhead optimized for post-penetration detonation. Developed to replace the GBU-28, which has been in service since 1991, the Air Force expects the GBU-72 to offer substantially higher lethality against deeply buried and fortified targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\t