GBU-43/B dropped in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan

[DA SWO]

I do not know about $16 million (I had heard that too), but NO way it is $170,000. Hell, the casing probably cost a couple million.

MOABs are essentially built in-house with available (think DRMO ish) parts.
Seeker head, fins and wings are purchased. So 170K could be argued either way (more or less $).
Lot of brainpower at Hill AFB and Dugway Proving Grounds.

 

[Ranger Psych]

I do not know about $16 million (I had heard that too), but NO way it is $170,000. Hell, the casing probably cost a couple million.

$3100 for a totally dumb 2k bomb. Filler on that being just shy of 1k of high ex. Moab is what, 25klbs? Lot more filler as it's not a frag kill by design, and airburst to boot. Just needs to hold it well enough to go high order, and it's probably got an interesting anti-splatter initiation train to boot.

So, on that note, given seeker head and fins addon being bigger, even if it's triple a JDAM kit cost, that's only around 75k for guidance... expand weight-wise in a linear progression (which it's not going to be, it'll be cheaper tbh) and you're looking at 100k for the whole thing. 170k total would be high end. Casing isn't going to be that high speed, as it's just a container, not a method of wounding via fragmentation like other bombs.