Although separate vehicles can be used for targeting and strike functions, a single vehicle can often do the job more efficiently and reliably.
The B-2, for example, has several unique attributes that are particularly useful for integrated targeting and delivery of GPS/INS-guided bombs. The first is its long range and large payload capacity. One B-2 can take off from the continental United States with sixteen 2000-pound bombs and deliver them halfway around the world on sixteen different target points or all on the same target point. (In fact, the B-2 dropped two bombs on the same point during a test drop from an altitude of over 12 kilometers in April 1998.)
The second noteworthy attribute is its stealth. The craft can perform targeting during ingress, reach the target without detection by enemy radar, and perform "launch and leave" weapon drops during day or night even under complete cloud cover.
These features—together with the highly accurate stellar-inertial navigation system, synthetic-aperture radar, and weapon delivery subsystem—contributed to the success of the B-2 in missions over Kosovo and Afghanistan.
Although 2000-pound bombs can be used on most targets, there are some hardened targets—such as deeply buried bunkers—that require special weaponry. All the concepts and features relating to conventional munitions can also be applied to "bunker busting." If the tail kit assembly used on a bunker buster has enough control authority (in terms of fin actuator torque and fin surface area), a bunker-buster bomb can not only pinpoint a target, but also penetrate the ground to a prescribed depth before detonating its explosive charge. Obviously, accuracy is critical for a bunker-buster bomb. With GPS-based radar targeting and a GPS/INS navigation tail kit, the accuracy can be assured along with a high confidence of no collateral damage.