Posted on 05/06/2006 11:10:54 AM PDT by Dark Skies
They're sibling bombs, each weighing three or more times than a Hummer H2, born of engineers at the Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate and defense contractors.
The 30,000-pound MOP -- Massive Ordnance Penetrator -- is growing up outside the media spotlight. That's in contrast to its older brother the MOAB -- the 21,600-pound Massive Ordnance Air Blast -- even though there's tension between America and Iran.
MOAB was dubbed Mother of All Bombs and played to the hilt by the Defense Department as part of a psychological warfare operation against Saddam Hussein in March 2003. The glide bomb was test dropped at Eglin eight days before the Iraq war officially started.
MOP has been so neglected by the media and the Office of the Secretary of Defense -- despite it being the kind of weapon that could be used against deeply buried targets such as uranium enrichment facilities in Iran -- that it has no publicly announced nickname.
Still, the people designing the weapon hope to start dropping the first of five MOPs from a B-52 in mid-2007 at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
"Our goal is to demonstrate the upper limit of conventional weapons to defeat hard targets," said Robert Hastie of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. "We have the same problems that they had during World War II when they developed the Grand Slam and Tallboy bombs."
Among the challenges is building a case that would permit MOP to burrow far into the ground, rock or concrete before detonating. The big bomb would be used to collapse tunnels or destroy bunkers, for example. How deeply DTRA wants MOP to penetrate hasn't been released.
The glide bomb -- it's steered by unique fins and guided by GPS receivers -- will be about 20 feet long and 30 inches in diameter.
Hastie said the MOP prototypes are designed to demonstrate technologies that could eventually be used in war-ready penetrators.
DTRA is paying the $11.5 million MOP tab, but the Munitions Directorate is managing the contract.
Though it helps that the Eglin Air Force Base directorate also handled MOAB, the two bombs are very different, said Sandy Davis, the directorate's MOP program manager, and Fred Davis (no relation to Sandy), the directorate's Assessment and Demonstrations Division technical director.
Unlike MOAB, which was designed to explode close to the ground to destroy concentrations of troops or equipment, MOP has to be right on target and traveling fast to do the job, he said. The penetrator will exceed the speed of sound while it's plunging.
Demands on the bomb's performance are stringent.
Not only does the weapon have to be accurate, it has to stay intact during its high-impact, high-speed burrow through ground, hillsides, mountainsides or feet of reinforced concrete.
Every component of the 15-ton bomb has to work right, said MOP program manager Davis. No one part of MOP is more important than the other.
"All of the components are crucial," Davis continued. "It doesn't do any good to have a hard nose (for penetration) if the fuse doesn't work."
Won't hear it either...its plunge speed is faster than the speed of sound.
"Optimum dual delivery:A second(rocket assisted)penetrator immediately follows the first.A depth of up to 40meters can be achieved in moderately hard rock."Pretty impressive.
Perhaps they just figured that Iranian intellegence Googles for Iran America and Bomb, and wanted to make sure the search picked up this story.
One reason is that the MOAB makes a big explosion which looks great on video. The MOP goes underground and kicks up some dust on the surface which is pretty boring (unless your the unlucky one in the bunker it hits).
I STILL say that If you were Tape and RE-PLAY Any
Speech by Schrillary --In Iraq or Afghanistan--
You'd have the terrorists PLEADING to be taken away!!
How about just calling it " THE CURE " ??
Great site,thanx for the link.
BigOlMofoBo!
Weight, total 13,600 kg [30,000 lb]Weight, explosive 2,700 kg [6,000 lb]
Length 6 m [20 feet]
Diameter ??
Control short-span wings and trellis-type tail
Penetration:
60 meters [200 feet] through 5,000 psi reinforced concrete
40 meters [125 feet] through moderately hard rock
8 meters [25 feet] through 10,000 psi reinforced concrete
Contractors Boeing, Northrop GrummanSponsors Air Force Research Laboratory's Munitions Directorate
Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
Platforms B-52, B-2
Guidance GPS aided INS
Schedule 2005 - Refine MOP concept and begin detailed weapon development and testing
2005 - statically emplaced Proof-of Principle test of payload effectiveness
2006 - static lethality demonstration against hard and deeply buried targets
2006 - scaled penetration and lethality testing
2007 - Conduct Massive Ordnance Penetrator Demonstration
2007 - full-scale performance demonstration against realistic hard and deeply buried targetsSource: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/dshtw.htm
Get the drift, same for rocks, BFR comes to mind.
I thought the Viagra bomb should be the name...... it conjurs up visions of adequate stiffness for deep penetration.
Isn't the MOAB delivered by a C-130? It seem to me you would have to suppress the air defenses FIRST before you moved the slow moving C-130 into the area. They don't dodge real good.
Didn't think of that. How about, "Mr. Miyagi say - "MOAB on, MOP off. Defend yourself.... Nahnananana... Stand up! Now, MOAB on, MOP off."
Trying to find a funny way to use MOAB and MOP in a sentence. If you can think of one, suggest it.
B-52 and B-2 delivery.
For the MOP, that is.
Am I the only one who would like to find out about these after they get used?
You know if it goes into production, us AF line types will call it that, anyway! :)
Yeah, it looks like part of the paragraph dropped off.
We have a winner!
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