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To: CathyRyan
Air Force moving several MOAB bombs to Gulf region: Pentagon
59 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Air Force is moving several 21,000-pound MOAB bombs, the largest US conventional bomb, to the Gulf region, a US defense official said.

It was not clear what the air force intends to do with the bombs, which are most effective against troops or tanks in open areas.


"What we were told today is that they are on the way," said the defense official, who asked not to be identified.


He said several were being shipped to the Gulf region.


MOAB stands for Massive Ordnance Air Blast, but it is known informally as the "mother of all bombs."


Developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base in Florda, where it was tested last month, the bomb is a larger version of the 15,000 pound "daisy cutter."


The "daisy cutter" was used in Vietnam to clear jungle for helicopter landing pads, in the 1991 Gulf War (news - web sites) to clear minefields and in Afghanistan (news - web sites) to clear caves and strike fear into al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters.


The MOAB has a satellite guidance system and a tail kit to steer it to within about 13 meters (14 yards) of its target.


It is too big to be dropped normally. It is dragged out of the back of a C-130 cargo plane
45 posted on 04/10/2003 7:59:31 AM PDT by voicesinthewilderness
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To: voicesinthewilderness
Massive Ordnance Air Blast

I thought the official designation was Massive Ordnance Air Burst.

56 posted on 04/10/2003 8:03:01 AM PDT by Petronski (I'm not always cranky.)
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To: voicesinthewilderness
Air Force moving several MOAB bombs to Gulf region:

One word: Tikrit.

140 posted on 04/10/2003 11:16:41 AM PDT by El Gato
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To: voicesinthewilderness
How large is the Bekka Valley?
163 posted on 04/15/2003 1:01:34 PM PDT by Redleg Duke (Stir the pot...don't let anything settle to the bottom where the lawyers can feed off of it!)
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