Test of Massive Air Force Bomb Set for Tuesday at Eglin AFB (Florida)

AP ^

[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.

[IncPen]

long distance psyops ping

[Semper911]

I Live 10 miles from Elgin

Drive over for a picnic lunch. And ping me when you post the pics of the mushroom cloud.

[Tennessee_Bob]

He blowed up real good!

[Walkingfeather]

You know they could probably pay for some of these bombs if they did a pay per view. Heck I don't even have a tv, But I might just get one for that show.

[Archangelsk]

Any NOTAMS posted yet for restricted areas and MOAs?

[McGavin999]

Anyone else notice that MOAB can also stand for Mother Of All Battles?

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

I hope the second test is scheduled for Berkeley or Santa Cruz.

Why not test it at the State Capital? We could get a two-fer. Bomb test and budget problem solved simultaneously.

[RS]

"I hope someone posts a photo of the mushroom cloud it's supposed to produce!"

Do you have any doubts that Pres. Bush is blowing this off where everyone gets a good look at it ?

[Billy_bob_bob]

Sometimes someone just up and pops out with the darndest ideas here on FR. You are one of those lucky people. Someone in the Pentagon should look into this. At the least, show a time-delayed version of the show so that anything that could compromise security could be edited out. But showing the big boom, with hastily constructed target structures being blown over or other things to show the effects of the blast and yes, I do think we have a cable special here. Could raise quite a few bucks for Uncle Sam.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Hey I love fireworks. Lets put it out in China Lake California, we'll charge admission, put up a few thousands bleachers and save Davis's sorry butt. Not! We'll give the liberal, extreme leftist pinko, America haters the best seats, front and center, up wind....

[jwalburg]

Do you have any doubts that Pres. Bush is blowing this off where everyone gets a good look at it ?

Seems like a good plan to me.

[Hanging Chad]

I need one of these for the 4th of July.

[RS]

"Lets put it out in China Lake California,"

Let the Burning Man hold it like the Muffler Man

[Joe Hadenuf]

LOL!

[RecentConvert]

Isn't a Cameroon a type of cookie...

No. I think you're alluding to macaroons. It could be a hybrid cookie made with caramel and macaroons, however. I don't even know if it's something you eat. The prefix suggests it's something to do with camels.

[Joe Hadenuf]

I needed that......

[AdA$tra]

A B-52 or a B-2 Spirit (shown below)

Nice picture, but BLU-82's are dropped from cargo planes. However, a B-2 Spirit can carry 16
GBU-32 JDAM (2000lbs) or 80 GBU-30 JDAM (500lbs). Each JDAM programmed to hit distinct,
serparate targets.

JDAM being deployed from a B-2 Spirit. The B-2 is a likely delivery platform, perhaps as soon as tonight. These awsome machines frequent the skies over my house on a fairly regular basis. I never get tired of seeing them. They send a shiver down my back to this day.

---

[ConservativeLawyer]

You might appreciate this.

[Unmarked Package]

Do you have any doubts that Pres. Bush is blowing this off where everyone gets a good look at it ?

No doubts at all. In fact, a news report about the MOAB test detonation aired on a local talk radio station in Houston specifically stated that the test will be video taped and distributed widely to the media. They made it clear that this would be done so that Iraq (and others) will get a real good look at the destructive power of the weapon. (heh heh)

[hchutch]

Reminds me of the time we first used the BLU-82 in Desert Storm I.

Apparently a group of SAS called in, saying, "The Yanks have gone and NUKED the place!"