I was reading that in fact it is not thermobaric or fuel air but a traditional load of 11,000bs of RDX.
“I was reading that in fact it is not thermobaric or fuel air but a traditional load of 11,000bs of RDX.”
GlobalSecurity.org reports:
“The 21,700-pound [9,500 kilogram] bomb contains 18,700 pounds of H6, an explosive that is a mixture of RDX (Cyclotrimethylene trinitramine), TNT, and aluminum. H6 is used by the military for general purpose bombs. H6 is an Australian produced explosive composition. Composition H6 is a widely used main charge filling for underwater blast weapons such as mines, depth charges, torpedoes and mine disposal charges. HBX compositions (HBX-1, HBX-3, and H6) are aluminized (powdered aluminum) explosives used primarily as a replacement for the obsolete explosive, torpex. They are employed as bursting charges in mines, depth bombs, depth charges, and torpedoes. HBX-3 and H-6 have lower sensitivity to impact and much higher explosion test temperatures than torpex. The MOAB weapon produces a very large explosive blast, with lesser fragmentation effects due to a thin-walled aluminum casing.
Contrary to some published claims, it most certainly is not an Ethylene-Oxide Fuel-Air Explosive (FAE).”
Because it is a powdered explosive, some dispersal can be engineered by design, before and during ignition (milliseconds). They do get the kind of high impulse pressure blast and rebound “vacuum” effects for which thermobaric weapons are famous, but I don’t know if it technically qualifies as “thermobaric”. The high pressure (baric) effect is probably the main feature of this weapon.