Posted on 04/05/2007 11:17:57 AM PDT by NavyCanDo
As U.S. concern about the nuclear ambitions of North Korea and Iran have grown, weapons designers have been working on bombs capable of destroying those countries' underground nuclear sites.
Some nuclear facilities in both countries are believed to be buried deep, so U.S. designers — including some from Boeing — are developing a new class of bombs for plowing through hundreds of feet of earth and concrete before detonating.
The latest of these weapons is the MOP — short for Massive Ordnance Penetrator — built by Boeing's Advanced Systems unit in St. Louis. The 20-foot-long bomb that weighs 30,000 pounds — much heavier than the 21,000-pound MOAB, or Massive Ordnance Air Burst bomb, unveiled in the prelude to the Iraq war. The MOAB was designed by the Air Force Research Lab and is built at the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant in Oklahoma.
The MOP is an unusual bomb in that more than 80 percent of its 15 tons is in its casing, while it carries only 5,300 pounds of explosive payload
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
I love the glow of ordnance in the morning .... :)
This is a racist name!
The Moops are the Moors who invaded Spain in the 8th century.
This thing is the Moop-Buster.
Too funny.
The size of Boeing’s MOP presents a delivery challenge. There are only two planes in service that could deliver the bomb against significant air defense, the Northrop Grumman B-2 stealth bomber, which would have to be modified, and Boeing’s aging B-52.
Other concepts under study include:
Lockheed Martin’s Kinetic Energy Cavity Penetrator Weapon, which would rely on a phenomenon called “terradynamic cavitation” to drastically reduce drag as the bomb rips through earth and concrete to its target.
The Deep Digger, would sport a 7-barrel rapid-fire cannon in its nosecone that in theory would pulverize earth and concrete in its path as it burrows into the earth. Its developers speculate that a synchronized array of 20 Deep Diggers could produce an artificial earthquake that could collapse tunnels and other underground facilities. The Digger is a joint project from several weapons developers, including designer ARTEC.
Google MOAB
Load it in a B-2, go in at night, naturally, they can’t see it coming, they can’t see it leave, then deny all knowledge. Must have been a large meteorite.
Yes.
R-A-G-G H-E-A-D Ragg Mopp
amazing... the video animation is a must to watch.
MOP up the right set of ragheads with it, and the roadside bombs will go away.
I think the right set of ragheads is not located in Iraq ...
Looking at the picture on post #8, you would think that it would have a more pointed front for penetration
MOP = Massive Ordinance for Persia.
If people work underground in these “bunkers”....and people generally require some kind of air to breath....wouldn't it just be easier to lob a few conventional 500 pounders down the air shaft / ventilation system?
Or after we secure the area.... get a whopping tank of HALON and pipe it in, displacing all the breathable air?
.....just a thought.
This is the upgrade to the Boeing J DAM it is called the O DAM .
The shafts have multiple bends and offsets as well as blast shutters to keep the shock wave from propagating all the way to the habitable areas.
I like the Halon idea.
More fun with unodorized propane, though...
LOL!!! Best post of the day!
Hmmmmm, Ground Opening Deep Direct Attack Munition, Non-nuclear?
See mine...
Walk into a market in Gaza during evening shopping and drop a vial of ebola.
When the first person starts to cough, yell EPIDEMIC! and seal the borders.
Give Iran a wink and a nod.
Nukes will be gone within a month.
The Mills Brothers covered by the USAF, Ragg Head Mop.
Number one with a bullet.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.