Israel Using US Smart Bombs on Gaza

Petite missile one of the world's most precise

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 29, 2008 7:02 AM CST

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Israel Using US Smart Bombs on Gaza — Palestinians run as an explosion is seen during an Israeli missile strike on the Hamas controlled Islamic University in Gaza City, Monday, Dec. 29, 2008. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

The new low-cost, high-precision missiles Israel has been using to bombard Gaza were purchased recently from the United States, the Jerusalem Post reports. In September, the Israel Air Force purchased 1,000 units of the GBU-39, a bunker-buster missile whose small diameter helps minimize collateral damage, earning it a rep as one of the most accurate bombs in the world.

Aircraft can carry a larger number of the petite 6-foot-long bomb, increasing the number of targets possible during a single mission. The GBU-39, which can churn through steel-reinforced concrete a yard thick, can be used in inclement weather and has a standoff range of 68 miles.
(More Israel stories.)

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