Posted on 03/10/2003 7:08:26 PM PST by Semper911
Mar 10, 2003
Test of 'massive' Air Force Bomb Set for Tuesday at Eglin
The Associated Press
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AP) - A conventional bomb so big that it's first name is "massive" is set to be tested for the first time at this Florida Panhandle base Tuesday.
Air Force officials Monday warned residents of communities surrounding the western half Eglin's 724-square-mile military reservation to be prepared to hear an explosion that sounds like thunder or a slamming door between noon and 5 p.m. CST although the blast will be miles away.
The loudness of the 21,000-pound "massive ordnance air burst," or MOAB, will vary depending on wind currents and some people may not hear it at all, Eglin officials said in a brief news release.
They added that the test will be conducted only under weather conditions best for minimizing the sound and inside a buffer zone to keep a shock wave and debris from the explosion inside Eglin's boundaries. The backup date for the test is Thursday during the same time frame.
MOAB is similar to but 40 percent heavier than the 15,000-pound BLU-82, billed as the world's most powerful non-nuclear bomb and known to send up a mushroom cloud similar to a nuclear weapon.
The BLU-82, nicknamed "daisy cutter," was developed during the Vietnam War to create jungle clearings for use as helicopter landing areas. It was most recently dropped in Afghanistan on caves where al-Qaida leaders were suspected of hiding.
In the Persian Gulf War, it was used to clear minefields. MOAB is expected to be ready for use this year if the test is successful.
Areas where civilians may be able to hear the blast are Mary Esther, Navarre, Holly, Holt and western Crestview.
'Mother of all bombs' tested at Eglin AFB
By BILL KACZOR
Associated Press
Posted March 11 2003, 2:38 PM ESTEGLIN AIR FORCE BASE -- The largest conventional bomb in the U.S. military's arsenal was tested Tuesday at this Florida Panhandle base, shaking some buildings in neighboring towns.
The 21,000-pound bomb exploded shortly after 2 p.m. EST, but no further information was immediately available, Eglin officials said. It was dropped out the rear of a C-130 transport plane and is guided to its target by satellite signals.
Some have wondered if the test was meant to show the bomb was ready for use in a war against Iraq.
The U.S. military could use ``anything we have in the arsenal'' in almost any stage of development against Iraq, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers told reporters at a Pentagon news briefing Tuesday.
``We're certainly not going to deploy something that is not ready yet,'' he added.
Some area residents felt the bomb go off, but the explosion was not as big as they expected.
At the Best Western hotel in Navarre, on the base's southern edge along the Gulf of Mexico, the blast was barely noticeable, said Patricia Sariego, a receptionist. She stood in the lobby talking to guests when it went off.
``We really didn't hear anything,'' she said. ``It just shook the doors. We were expecting something bigger to shake us. It was kind of weak.''
Air Force officials had warned residents of communities surrounding the western half of Eglin's 724-square-mile military reservation to be prepared to hear an explosion that would sound like thunder or a slamming door.
The loudness of the ``massive ordnance air burst,'' or MOAB, was expected to vary depending on wind currents and some people may not hear it at all, Eglin officials have said. It has also been called the ``Mother of All Bombs.''
MOAB is similar to but 40 percent heavier than the 15,000-pound BLU-82, billed as the world's most powerful non-nuclear bomb and known to send up a mushroom cloud similar to a nuclear weapon.
The BLU-82, nicknamed ``daisy cutter,'' was developed during the Vietnam War to create jungle clearings for use as helicopter landing areas. It was most recently dropped in Afghanistan on caves where al-Qaida leaders were suspected of hiding.
In the Persian Gulf War, it was used to clear minefields. MOAB is expected to be ready for use this year if the test is successful.
Well?...what did they see?
Did the GPS guidance system work?
And how close did the bomb come to hitting its intended target?
hawk
One of the reasons for the delayed response by the Japanese was that the destruction in Hiroshima was so severe that communications were cut off and Tokyo didn't know what had happened for about a day.
The US had Nagasaki in the pipeline by then, and went ahead with it bombing three days later. Several more bombs could have been dropped in the weeks after Nagasaki if Japan had not capitulated.
The Japanese Government and Military were in complete disarray after the news of Hiroshima was received, and moreso after Nagasaki. Some Generals realized it was the end, and some others were driven into a semi-psychotic funk, offering to defend the island to the last citizen.
The Emperor heard all of this conflicting counsel and decided to cut the Gordian knot. He bypassed the Generals and the Diet and recorded a conciliatory speech for broadcast directly to the Japanese people (few of whom had ever before heard his voice), explaining that it was time for the nation to lay down its arms.
It is ironic that Japan have become one of our few friends in this war.
And what happened to all the plywood cutouts of Iraqi Tanks and Saddam.
In part because the Japanese people are worthy of OUR respect.
And, in part because we showed them kindness and respect after the shooting stopped.
(It would have been sooooo easy to do otherwise. MacArthur stepping off the plane unarmed was a master stroke, both in demonstrating our total success, and our respect for their integrity in ceasing resistance).
Ohhhhhh, you just rest assured that pictures and (along with Rotten Commentary from the Leftist TV Broadcasters of course)will be shown 24 hours a day for the 48 hours following this testing.That's why I don't watch much of any TV news.Once again Thank God for DARPA!
AmericanInTokyo, not only did FR have the report of the blast, we have been discussing it since 10pm ET last night.
1 posted on 03/10/2003 10:08 PM EST by Semper911
And I posted this here long before Drudge put it up. (I know because I looked there before I posted it here.)
Now I want quality video...with audio!
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