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.
From a safe distance. :)
What's a Cameroon?
Maybe so the full report will run across the N. Korean news wires?
Or maybe to piss off the chicks in pink?
Before or after a MOAB?
I think they're those coconut cookies.
Exactly.
it's a cookie
That's what our Commander in Chief begs to, for permission to send our forces into battle. A Guinea is the same, as is an Angola. Meanwhile, the windy season has come to where are troops sit, waiting permission from Cameroon, Guinea, and Angola. Today those winds hit 70mph.
This was on the opposite side of Eglin, on the Eastern side. I didn't even know there was a range on the Western side but Eglin is so large that there are probably dozens of different ones. I now live back in the general area after being away for most of my life. Will be listening.
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.