Iran's Revolutionary Guard Claims Acquisition of 9,500 Unexploded U.S. Ordnance... Fears of Bunker Buster Technology Leakage

“Iran to Produce Weapons Through Reverse Engineering of U.S. Military Equipment”

Reuters Yonhap News

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran has announced its intention to develop new weapons using unexploded ordnance recovered from Iranian territory during its recent clashes with the United States. As the ceasefire continues, concerns are mounting that Iran could acquire technology through reverse engineering of major U.S. munitions, including bunker busters.

According to Iran's state-run Press TV on April 26 (local time), the IRGC reported the discovery of 15 unexploded U.S. medium-range missiles and as many as 9,500 unexploded shells in southern Iran. Press TV stated, "Unexploded U.S. ordnance found across Iran has been transferred to technical and research departments for reverse engineering and technological acquisition," and added, "A GBU-57 bunker buster bomb has been successfully disassembled and handed over to the relevant authorities."

Reverse engineering of military equipment is common during wartime; previously, the United States used a suicide drone reverse-engineered from the Iranian-made Shahed drone for the first time in the current conflict. According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), in the early stages of the Iran war, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) deployed the LUCAS (Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System) drone—a low-cost suicide drone—in combat for the first time. The production cost per drone is estimated to be between $10,000 and $55,000 (approximately 15 million to 83 million won), making it similar in price to the Shahed drone and significantly cheaper than a Tomahawk missile, which costs about $2 million (approximately 3 billion won) per unit.

Military experts warn that, as seen in the case of the LUCAS drone, a protracted war and extended ceasefire could lead to an increase in instances where Iran is able to replicate U.S. military technology. Al Jazeera commented, "With the prolonged military pressure from the United States and Israel, the West has inadvertently provided Iran with samples of their most advanced weaponry." The outlet further noted, "If Iran reverse engineers the weapons it acquires on the battlefield to produce replica models, the military balance in the Middle East could be further destabilized."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.