US Forces Just Dropped Their Largest Non-Nuclear Bomb for the First Time - US just dropped MOAB (Mother of all bombs) on ISIS Cave Complex in Afganistan-kNrvte2sqp4_xvid.avi (01/10)

On 13 Apr 2017 11:07:45 -0700, Miloch
wrote:

http://gizmodo.com/us-forces-just-dr...for-1794298289

Citing military sources, CNN reports the United States just dropped a
30-foot-long bomb with a blast yield equivalent to 11 tons of TNT on suspected
ISIS targets in Afghanistan. Nicknamed MOAB (short for “Mother of All Bombs”),
the weapon is the largest non-nuclear bomb in America’s arsenal. This is the
first time a MOAB has been used in combat.

Details of the attack remain sparse. According to CNN, the bombing aimed to take
out ISIS tunnels in the Achin district of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. The
network also says that the bomb was dropped from an Air Force Special Operations
Command MC-130 aircraft and that the military is “currently assessing the
damage.”

What we do know is that the MOAB is an extremely powerful weapon. First
developed in the lead up to the 2003 Iraq invasion, the bomb, officially named
the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, had only been detonated in testing
before Thursday’s attack in Afghanistan. However, the MOAB served as a weapon of
psychological warfare after it was moved into the theater back in 2003. The US
military also distributed videos of test drops that show how the 21,600-pound,
GPS-guided bomb can level entire armies. They are indeed scary videos:

This story is developing, and we’ll update it as we learn new information. In
the meantime, don’t even bother hiding in a bunker. The MOAB is the best bunker
buster we’ve got.

Update 1:49pm - White House press secretary Sean Spicer confirmed the MOAB
attack in Afghanistan at a press conference. Spicer didn’t provide any more
detail about the attack but instead referred reporters to Gen. John Nicholson,
commander of US forces in Afghanistan, as well as the Defense Department for
more information. It remains unclear if President Trump authorized or even knew
about the bombing.



The Grand Slam bomb, developed by Barnes Wallace during the second
war, was a 22,000 lb. monster which was loaded with Torpex. Grand
Slam was a penetrator, able to bury itself up to 130 ft below the
surface before detonating.

The MOAB is loaded with H6 and is designed to air burst, not
penetrate, if I am not mistaken.

I wonder what the advantages are of the MOAB vs. the Grand Slam. As I
recall, the Grand Slam was extremely effective.