US officials have pushed Israel to use more of these types of bombs, as they may reduce civilian casualties because they are generally more accurate, the New York Times reports
The bombs used in Sunday’s Israeli airstrike that killed 45 Palestinians in the Rafah refugee camp were made in the United States, according to a New York Times report.
In their report, the NYT cites visual evidence examined by weapons experts.
In particular, according to what the NYT reveals, the munitions debris at the site of the attack the next day was the remains of a GBU-39, a bomb designed and manufactured in the United States.
Interestingly, the report reveals that during the Gaza war, US officials pushed Israel to use more of these types of bombs, as they might reduce civilian casualties because they are generally more accurate and better suited to urban environments than the biggest bombs”.
Trevor Ball, a former US Army explosive ordnance disposal technician and one of the experts cited in the NYT article, identified the weapon in X.
The NYT, citing Ball, points out that “a key detail in the remains of the weapon was the tail actuation system, which controls the flaps that steer the GBU-39 toward a target.”
US made Small Diameter Bomb (SDB)/GBU-39 fragments visible in the Rafah strike. This is from the rear control section. pic.twitter.com/Jk0jtflGES
— Easybakeoven (@Easybakeovensz) May 27, 2024
At the same time, the NYT writes that “the gun’s unique bolt pattern and slot where the folding flaps are mounted could be seen in the wreckage.”
The NYT also says a unique identification code linking the weapon to a Colorado-based aerospace manufacturer is also visible on video showing ammunition fragments.
Source :Skai
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