The Indian Air Force (IAF) is planning to buy advanced ‘bunker-buster’ version of Spice-2000 bombs, which can completely destroy buildings and bunkers. The Spice-2000 bombs were successfully used against the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camps in Balakot, Pakistan.
During the Balakot strikes, a pack of 12 Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft flew across the Line of Control and dropped the Spice-2000 bombs hitting the Jaish facility in the Khyber Pakhtunwa province.
The Spice-2000 bombs used in Balakot strikes were of the penetrator version which does not destroy the buildings. The guided bomb enters the target building by making a hole on the roof, followed by an explosion within the building to kill enemies with the mix of 70-80 kg explosives with shrapnel.
“The IAF is now planning to acquire the bunker buster or the building destroyer version with Mark 84 warhead which can decimate targeted buildings,” said government sources.
The three armed services have been granted emergency powers to acquire equipment of their choice worth up to Rs 300 crore to prepare for any hostilities. The Spice-2000 bomb is likely to be acquired by these emergency powers.
The Army has already planned to acquire Spike anti-tank guided missiles to be deployed against any possible armoured threat posed by the enemy troops.
The Spice-2000 bombs are supplied by Israel which is a key weapon and ammunition supplier for the IAF.
The bombs are manufactured by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defence Systems. Each Spice-2000 is approximately a 1000 kg air to ground bomb that can be launched from a distance of 100 km. It has also been reported that IAF would also be equipping Sukhoi-Su 30MKI combat aircraft with the Spice bombs. In a dossier submitted by the IAF to the government, it has been proved that during the Balakot 80% of the bombs had hit the target.
