GBU-43/B dropped in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan

[Kraut783]

"The target was an ISIS cave and tunnel complex and personnel in the Achin district of the Nangarhar province, a remote area in the country's."

First on CNN: US drops largest non-nuclear bomb in Afghanistan - CNNPolitics.com

 

[RackMaster]

Already posted this but it's relevant here.

 

[SpongeBob*24]

BOOM.....:-"

 

[Kraut783]

I like POTUS's comment...

Trump declined to say whether he personally signed off on the strike, but did comment, "Everybody knows exactly what happens. So, what I do is I authorize our military."

He continued, "We have given them total authorization and that's what they're doing."

 

[pardus]

I love it!
My question is, why the fuck is this the first time we've used this!?

 

[Ooh-Rah]

Okay, question for those who know about such things....

While I am assuming Trump is the average commander's wet-dream, is too little restraint a bad thing?

Genuine question, not a shot at Trump. (Or Obama for that matter)

 

[Jay_Pew]

I love it!
My question is, why the fuck is this the first time we've used this!?

My flight chief was telling me today that back in Vietnam we used to use these type of bombs to create landing zones for helicopters in the middle of the jungles all the time. And back then obviously they were unguided systems and literally just dropped out of planes... and back then this was considered an amazing capacity.

 

[Diamondback 2/2]

I remember all the media hype about the MOAB when they tested it. It's about time they used one! That had to be one hell of a shock wave to see from the air...


A part of me wonders if it's use was more of a "oh North Korea" type thing vs best munition for the job deal. Or possibly a way toget a BDA for future use on under ground nuclear facilities. IDK, just thoughts...

 

[Gunz]

I love it!
My question is, why the fuck is this the first time we've used this!?

EDIT--sorry @pardus , you were right, I got my Daisy Cutters and my MOABs confused as you will see from the barrage of corrections I got from the rest of these wankers.

 

[Gunz]

My flight chief was telling me today that back in Vietnam we used to use these type of bombs to create landing zones for helicopters in the middle of the jungles all the time. And back then obviously they were unguided systems and literally just dropped out of planes... and back then this was considered an amazing capacity.

Those were 15,000-lb Daisy Cutters dropped from a C-130 by parachute and detonated above ground.

 

[SpitfireV]

It's the first time against ISIS. We dropped one in the first Gulf War and another in Afghanistan in the Tora Bora region in early '02. I used to go into Glenn Beck's studio a few times a week--when he was out of Tampa-- to explain the military's various lethal hardware being used in OEF...and later OIF...and the MOAB and its history was the subject of our first on-air conversation, shortly after it was detonated. I don't believe it did much damage.

There was a British SAS team out in Iraq's eastern desert looking for Scud launchers in '91 when a MOAB was dropped some 10 miles away and they thought we'd dropped a nuke.

The Iraq War (I) one was a smaller one IIRC. This one has only been in service since 03.

 

[Gunz]

Sorry, Spitfire, I had to disagree. The BLU-82s dropped in Iraq during the Gulf War, Afghanistan and earlier in Vietnam were 5000 pounds heavier than the MOAB dropped today.


There were eleven 15,000 lb BLU-82 "Daisy Cutters" dropped during the Gulf War. There were two BLU-82s dropped on AQ/Taliban forces as early as November 2001.

While I was in Vietnam during Lam Son 719, we dropped 22 BLU-82s on North Vietnamese positions inside Laos.

All the BLU-82s dropped in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan were delivered from C130 or MC140 aircraft.

 

[Totentanz]

There were eleven 15,000 lb BLU-82 "Daisy Cutters" dropped during the Gulf War. There were two BLU-82s dropped on AQ/Taliban forces as early as November 2001.

While I was in Vietnam during Lam Son 719, we dropped 22 BLU-82s on North Vietnamese positions inside Laos.

All the BLU-82s dropped in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan were delivered from C130 or MC140 aircraft.

This was a GBU-43, not a BLU-82. IIRC, the GBU-43 (MOAB) is a follow-on to the BLU-82 (Daisy Cutter).

"Oh, Lord, bless this thy hand grenade that with it thou mayest blow thy enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy."

 

[Diamondback 2/2]

A GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB) 21,600lbs

The BLU-82 "Dasiy Cutter" is a 15,000lbs bomb.

 

[AWP]

It's the first time against ISIS. We dropped a number of them in the first Gulf War and two in Afghanistan in the Tora Bora region in early '02. I used to go into Glenn Beck's studio a few times a week--when he was out of Tampa-- to explain the military's various lethal hardware being used in OEF...and later OIF...and the MOAB and its history was the subject of our first on-air conversation, shortly after it was detonated. I don't believe it did much damage.

There was a British SAS team out in Iraq's eastern desert looking for Scud launchers in '91 when a MOAB was dropped some 10 miles away and they thought we'd dropped a nuke.

Those weren't MOABs, they were older BLU-82's. A badass weapon all the same.

ETA: Math Geek posted while I typed. Stupid job...

 

[SpitfireV]

Sorry, Spitfire, I had to disagree. The BLU-82s dropped in Iraq during the Gulf War, Afghanistan and earlier in Vietnam were 5000 pounds heavier than the MOAB dropped today.

There were eleven 15,000 lb BLU-82 "Daisy Cutters" dropped during the Gulf War. There were two BLU-82s dropped on AQ/Taliban forces as early as November 2001.

While I was in Vietnam during Lam Son 719, we dropped 22 BLU-82s on North Vietnamese positions inside Laos.

All the BLU-82s dropped in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan were delivered from C130 or MC140 aircraft.

Oh man, feel free to disagree, no need to apologise!

Like the others have said, different bomb mate. This one came off an MC130 like the others though.

 

[Gunz]

This was a GBU-43, not a BLU-82. IIRC, the GBU-43 (MOAB) is a follow-on to the BLU-82 (Daisy Cutter).

"Oh, Lord, bless this thy hand grenade that with it thou mayest blow thy enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy."

A GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB) 21,600lbs

The BLU-82 "Dasiy Cutter" is a 15,000lbs bomb.

Oh man, feel free to disagree, no need to apologise!

Like the others have said, different bomb mate. This one came off an MC130 like the others though.

ok ok ok ok SHUTUP EVERYBODY Spitfire is right, Tonentazz is right, the Texas dude is right..I was looking at kilograms instead of pounds. Indeed the MOAB weights 22000, the BLU82 some 15000. And yeah, the 82 was retired when I was ignominiously sacked. But we did drop 22 of those motherfuckers in April 71 and we weren't trying to clear an LZ, we were trying to turn the gooks inside out so our allies could unass the AO where they were getting slaughtered by the hundreds. And yes anytime we drop them it is good.

And fuck all of you

 

[Il Duce]

I have zero firsthand knowledge - so this is just rank speculation.

This does not smell like strategy to me. This smells like some USAF bubba has a budget meeting coming up and says 'dammit, we need to drop one of these things or this program is going to lose funding.' They run it up half the flagpole, nobody kicks, so they rock out. It makes news in the middle of the rest of the circus and folks at the top just say 'whatever, I've got other shit going on, tomorrow's tweet is going to top this thing.'

I just find it hard to believe it's part of some strategy to 'get tough' or send a message - and there was little to no PAO rollout before or after the drop.

 

[SpitfireV]

ok ok ok ok SHUTUP EVERYBODY leave me alone. Spitfire is right, Tonentazz is right, the Texas dude is right..I was looking at kilograms instead of pounds. Indeed the MOAB weights 22000, the BLU82 some 15000. And yeah, the 82 was retired when I was ignominiously sacked. But we did drop 22 of those motherfuckers in April 71 and we weren't trying to clear an LZ, we were trying to turn the gooks inside out so our allies could unass the AO where they were getting slaughtered by the hundreds. And yes anytime we drop them it is good.

And fuck all of you

I'm just glad you're the first American to accidentally invoke Metric...and hopefully not the last!

 

[DA SWO]

Big ops test to see what it would do to a tunnel complex, just in case...