Air Force moving several MOAB bombs to Gulf region: Pentagon

AFP ^ | 04/10/03

[voicesinthewilderness]

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

[grumple]

message to Syria, Russia, France, Germany and the UN...
"these bombs aren't going there to drink tea..."

[Michael Barnes]

It was not clear what the air force intends to do with the bombs...

Dumbass..their gonna blow shit up.

[Sgt Hulka 123]

BOMBING PRIORITY LIST:
1. Tikrit
2. Damascus
3 Tikrit
4. Damascus

[holdmuhbeer]

Oh Goody, all the MOAB fanatics at FR are going to have a field day with this.

[ArrogantBustard]

They are guidance vanes. After drop, those vanes fold out perpendicular to the bomb case. Each vane is a composite of many small vanes which are adjusted by the guidance system to steer the bomb. It also has stubby winglets in the middle. And MOAB, contrary to (unfortunately) common belief, is not a fuel-air explosive. It contains 18 tons of tritonal explosive. Tritonal is a mixture of TNT and aluminum powder (80/20 IIRC). FAEs don't work very well past a certain size, which is much smaller than the MOAB. Proper dispersion of the fuel becomes difficult or impossible.

[COBOL2Java]

One of the more prominent Moabites in the Bible is Ruth, who was King David's great-grandmother, and hence an ancestor of Jesus. See the Book or Ruth, and also Matthew 1:5.

[Semper Paratus]

Don't forget Latakia.

[gridlock]

The honor is yours, Oberon!

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

Iraq is also halfway to Korea.

[Normal4me]

This may be a dumb question but, how exactly does gps guidance work on this thing when is pushed out of the back of a plane? Is it not a 'freefall' type of weapon with no propulsion? Seems to me that it would all depend on where the plane dumps this thing out the door.

[Freeper]

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

Even in HORSESHOES a MOAB is close enough!

[randita]

There must be some bunkers in Iraq that we haven't been able to penetrate so far. Another thought:

Last night on Batchelor and Alexander, John Loftus talked about the mountain that Qaddafi has hollowed out in Libya to contain a huge nuclear weapons lab. Supposedly impenetrable. This is where a lot of the Iraqi nuclear scientists are, says Loftus (and he's not the only one to say this, an internet search turned up quite a few articles to this effect dated last fall). Maybe we're going to find out it that hollowed out mountain in Libya is really as impenetrable as is purported.

We've got to take out that weapons lab in Libya sooner rather than later.

[ArrogantBustard]

It's a glider of sorts. See #25.

[winner3000]

Open Wiiide!!!

[Oberon]

The honor is yours, Oberon!

Thank you, sir. Ahem...

OH, the HUGE MANATEE!!!

[meyer]

Check this out...Wonder why they are doing this. This will sure send a message if true.

May be effective in "blowing out" an oil well fire or two. Also useful if the RG gets out in the open.

[Pontiac]

Have a look at what is going to Iraq.

[ZULU]

I think Damascus has a nice ring to it. So does "Mogadishu Sayanora"

[ZULU]

Good point!!!

How about MOABs for Moloch???