GBU-43/B MOAB
American large-yield bomb
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Key Takeaways
- The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast ( MOAB , , colloquially explained as " Mother Of All Bombs ") is a large-yield bomb, developed for the United States military by Albert L.
- It was first tested in 2003.
- The bomb is designed to be delivered by a C-130 Hercules, primarily the MC-130E Combat Talon I or MC-130H Combat Talon II variants.
- The MOAB was first deployed in combat on the 13 April 2017 airstrike against an Islamic State – Khorasan Province tunnel complex in Achin District, Afghanistan.
- Decades later, the BLU-82 was used in Afghanistan in November 2001 against the Taliban.
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Source summary
WikipediaThe GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB, , colloquially explained as "Mother Of All Bombs") is a large-yield bomb, developed for the United States military by Albert L. Weimorts, Jr. of the Air Force Research Laboratory. It was first tested in 2003. At the time of development, it was said to be the most powerful non-nuclear weapon in the US military arsenal. The bomb is designed to be delivered by a C-130 Hercules, primarily the MC-130E Combat Talon I or MC-130H Combat Talon II variants. The bomb's name and nickname were inspired by Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's invocation of the "mother of all battles" (Umm al-Ma'arik) during the 1991 Gulf War.
The MOAB was first deployed in combat on the 13 April 2017 airstrike against an Islamic State – Khorasan Province tunnel complex in Achin District, Afghanistan.
The basic principle resembles that of the BLU-82 Daisy Cutter, which was used to clear heavily wooded areas in the Vietnam War. Decades later, the BLU-82 was used in Afghanistan in November 2001 against the Taliban. Its success as a weapon of intimidation led to the decision to develop the MOAB. Pentagon officials suggested MOAB might be used as an anti-personnel weapon, as part of the "shock and awe" strategy integral to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
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