US uses largest conventional bomb in Afghanistan

Submitted by WW4 Report on Thu, 04/13/2017 - 17:01

The US dropped its most powerful non-nuclear weapon, the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb, on an area of eastern Afghanistan said to be controlled by ISIS militants. The April 13 air-strike targeted a cave complex believed to be used by fighters affiliated with the Islamic State's self-decalred "Khorasan Province" in Achin district of Nangarhar, near the border with Pakistan. A US special forces solider was killed in the same area last week. The MOAB, nicknamed the "mother of all bombs," is a 21,600-pound, GPS-guided munition that is the largest among the Pentagon's series of so-called "bunker-busters." The strike marked the first time it has been used in combat. (The Independent, CNN, LWJ)

Is the MOAB a 'bunker-buster'?

Submitted by Bill Weinberg on Thu, 04/13/2017 - 18:54

A "What is the MOAB?" profile on Fox News states:

The concept behind the MOAB was first developed in the Vietnam War through the BLU-82B/C-130 weapon system, nicknamed the "Daisy Cutter." That weighed 15,000 pounds and, with a huge blast radius, was used to clear jungles. In addition, it was a psychological weapon, in that the loud sound and huge flash helped create “shock and awe” in the enemy. The bomb was later used in Afghanistan.

· During the George W. Bush administration, the BLU-82B gave way to the even larger GBU-43, or MOAB.

· It was first tested back in 2003.

· The bomb, in its first combat use, was dropped on an ISIS tunnel complex in Nangahar province. MOAB is designed for such a situation—it explodes in the air, which creates air pressure that can make tunnels and other structures collapse. It can be used at the start of an offensive to soften up the enemy, weakening both its infrastructure and morale.

So was the MOAB designed for clearing jungle or collapsing tunnels? Was it really militarily mandated in this instance, or was Trump just getting off in using his arsenal's biggest conventional bomb? We're serious.