The US is known as a superpower for a reason. It dropped the largest non- nuclear bomb known to mankind on Afghanistan. Known by the moniker of GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), this giant bomb is said to kill 36 militants of the ISIS and destroy a deep tunnel complex used by the terrorist group. You can call this act a manifestation of the vicious cycle of fear, America’s vigorous war on terror or perpetration of terror by the Western world. Here are the most important facts you should be knowing about MOAB,
1. This is the first time it has been used in combat, since being developed during the Iraq war.
2. The bomb resulted into the killing of 36 ISIS militants and the US President Donald Trump has termed the mission as “very very successful”.
3. The gigantic bomb weighs a whopping 9.8 tonne and follows a guided trajectory. It contains 8,480 kilograms of an explosive H6. This quantity of explosive is as powerful as 11 tons of TNT.
4. It weighs as much as another American weapon – an F16 fighter jet. It is satellite-guided, delivered by air and is the largest weapon in the history of humankind.
5. Its descent on the ground can be slowed down by a parachute letting the military have enough time to ensure maximum precision. It is dropped off from the cargo ramp of a C-130 transport plane.
6. This bomb is a concussive bomb. This means it detonates before hitting the ground. As per a report on Wired.com it can have a shockwave of up to 150 metres. Its blast radius is maximized by a thin aluminium skin.
7. It was made by Dynetics – an aerospace and defence company based in Alabama in partnership with Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) in 2002-2003.
8. The bomb took an unbelievably short span to develop – just three months. It was successfully tested thrice in thirteen days.
9. The Nangarhar province of Afghanistan where the bomb was dropped is said to be extremely remote and of consisting a mountainous terrain. The area is so remote that it has little or no civilian population forces and is inaccessible to the government forces.
10. According to White House spokesperson, Sean Spicer, the bomb was used to destroy a system of caves and tunnels that were used by ISIS fighters to move around freely and in the process easily targeting US military advisors and Afghan forces.
Comments
- Advertisement -
