Largest non-nuclear bomb dropped on Afghanistan today. First use ever in combat. That ought to shake things up a bit!
You need an earthquake bomb for that.
They are trying to collapse tunnels and bunkers.
I hope this big assed bomb worked.
Tunnels were a huge obstacle in Vietnam. The military tried every bomb imaginable and nothing worked. They had to send small guys in there to fight close quarters. They were called Tunnel Rats.
The Soviets used similar teams in Afghanistan.
That’s exactly what the MOAB is, don’t let the name fool you.
The MOAB is a surface detonation. An earthquake bomb penetrates the ground before exploding.
Obligatory double entendre
Is it, though? Everything I’ve read indicates it, like the Vietnam-era "Daisy-cutter"/BLU-82, and unlike the Tallboy or Grand Slam earthquake bombs from WW2, or the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator today, detonates on or just above the surface of the ground. Conversely, the earthquake bombs mentioned penetrate well into the earth (>~20 feet of reinforced concrete for Grand Slam) before detonating, as it better couples the bomb’s explosive energy to the ground.
OTOH, it makes a hell of a show, with a back-of-the-napkin estimated minimum safe distance of 4-5 km. Further this tunnel complex in Afghanistan, that was the target of the MOAB, bears a teensy bit of resemblance to the kind of fortifications North Korea allegedly uses to safeguard its war material.
All that said, I’d think a B-52 with a full loadout of JDAMs would have been a more efficient way to go. But we do that seemingly every month, and that wouldn’t make any headlines, would it?
EDIT, and I see running coach got there ahead of me. As you’d expect of a running coach.
The MOAB is good at clearing all the trees, mines, and everything else for about a mile in every direction. Not so good for caves. But hey, who’s going to complain about a 2 mile circle that’s clear of EVERYTHING?
The MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator) would be GREAT for caves, as well as the GBU-28 (Deep Throat, no lie). Granted, you would need more of the GBU-28s, but is anyone going to complain?
Well, we’ve learned one thing in the last week or so. Trump likes making things go boom and I suspect he’s having fun doing it. Which doesn’t bode well for North Korea. Or for the rest of us, come to think of it.
Oh god, the toddler has discovered the toy chest.
In one of the myriad threads, a poster quoted someone (blogger/comedian/columnist) that “The monkey has learned that pushing the button gives him a treat.”
I agree this was also a message to N Korea.
They reported on ABC nightly news that the bomb was positioned in Afghanistan by the Obama administration. Apparently this plan to take out the tunnels was in place for awhile.
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Oh, yes. I’m intimately familiar with tunnels in Afghanistan.
http://oi65.tinypic.com/5osgv6.jpg
http://oi64.tinypic.com/35aln4p.jpg
That looks like all kinds of fun.
They did not booby trap those did they?
Plus won’t White Phosphorus be better than sending one crawling in?
I couldn’t give a fuck how many Isis they blow up. The more the better. On the other hand, it would be nice to have a president who knows what he’s doing in charge of the blowing up.
But that’s the problem. If people keep on not caring, then he’ll keep on bombing, precisely because he doesn’t know what he’s doing.
Plus bombing ISIS is exactly what they want. They’re trying to start a war. They are declining in power. Let them die without their war.
AIUI - fight my ignorance here - the MOAB is a fuel-air explosive so spreads then consumes all the oxygen in the area. So it suffocates those in tunnels.
It uses Composition H-6 so I think its is a normal HE bomb rather than a FAE.
The Russian, FOAB (officially Авиационная вакуумная бомба повышенной мощности, Aviation Thermobaric Bomb of Increased Power ) is a FAE type bomb.
And he likes being on TV. I think he should take over Mythbusters.
Not defending the prez, but in the interest of accuracy…
Two different news sources report the decision was made by generals, not the Trumpster. Fox news and US News/World report.