The pilots flying over Iraq during the First Gulf War nicknamed it the "Hammer",[2] for its considerable destructive power and blast radius.

[4] The first foreign sale of the GBU-27 was the acquisition by Israel of 500 units equipped with BLU-109 penetrating warheads, authorized in September 2004.

[5] Delivery of such precision guided weaponry was accelerated at the request of Israel in July 2006, though the exact munition were not specified.

Israeli Defense Forces officials state that other precision-guided munitions have been used to attack Hezbollah facilities in the 2006 Lebanon War.

[6] However, the bunker busting technology in the GBU-27 could be directed, according to Israeli military sources, at Iran or possibly Syria.