What is the "mother of all bombs" and why is she unique?

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

"The mother of all bombs" is an unofficial abbreviation for the GBU-43/B (MOAB) high-explosive munition, created and first tested by the US military at the beginning of the third millennium. At the time of development, this product was considered the most powerful non-nuclear weapon in the history of mankind.

Prerequisites for Creation

The novelty received the palm from the BLU-82 bomb with the romantic name "daisy mower", weighing 6.8 tons. The predecessor had by that time an impressive track record, which included:

• War in South Vietnam (to clear the jungle for helipads and eliminate enemy manpower, 1970),
• Conflict over the seizure of the ship Mayaguez (1975) by the Cambodian Khmers,
• Iraq Mission Desert Storm (1991),
• Afghan campaign (2001).

Despite its military merits, the BLU-82 had significant drawbacks - insufficiently high aerodynamic properties and the absence of a guidance system. Specialists from the Northrop-Grumman military-industrial company and developers from Lockheed Martin Corporation volunteered to correct the situation.

Mother of all bombs

The project of a high-explosive heavy aviation bomb (the English abbreviation MOAB), proposed by the designers, was approved by the top leadership of the US Air Force. By early 2003, the new GBU-43 was ready for testing.

In combat gear, the bomb weighed 9.84 tons (1.4 times more than the BLU-82). The projectile, which had a length of 917 cm and a diameter of about a meter, quickly received an alternative decoding of the abbreviation - Mother Of All Bombs ("Mother of all bombs"). The photo gives an idea of the relative simplicity of the design of the product - inside the metal case there are 8.4 tons of H-6 explosive, which is more than 11 tons in TNT equivalent (the addition of RDX and aluminum powder to the TNT mass increases its effectiveness by more than a third). At the same time, this type of explosive is highly stable, which makes it possible to safely store and transport huge ammunition.

The bomb is not equipped with a parachute - thanks to lattice rudders and aerodynamic bearing surfaces, it is able to plan, which, together with the satellite guidance system, guarantees high accuracy in hitting the target. The radius of the complete destruction of enemy armored vehicles and manpower is 140 meters, the shock wave is noticeable at a distance of more than 1.5 km from the epicenter.

First trials

"The mother of all bombs" is a very unique and specific weapon in the sense that not every military transport aircraft is able to deliver it to the place of combat work. In the US Air Force, only two models of aircraft are suitable for this purpose - the C-130 HERCULES "transporter" and the B-2 SPIRIT strategic bomber. A special parachute system is used to pull the cargo platform with the MOAB fixed. After leaving the plane, the "mother of all bombs" is released from auxiliary devices and begins independent flight.

In March 2003, the first drop of an inert projectile was carried out (instead of explosive - rubber or concrete to maintain weight characteristics), and four days after checking the aerodynamic qualities - a fully equipped MOAB was dropped (Eglin Base, Florida). The tests carried out and the results obtained impressed the military experts, and the manufacturers received an order for three such products.

Weapon of Mass Deterrence

A total of 15 GBU-43 combat units were manufactured. The cost of each sample is about $ 16 million. According to experts, the explosion of the "mother of all bombs" is characterized not only by impressive destructive power, but, mainly, is designed to show the enemy the strength and power of the United States, to have a demoralizing effect on enemy combat units.

The premiere demonstration of a formidable weapon was to be held in Iraq, at the end of 2003. An aerial bomb was even delivered to the territory of an Arab state, but for a number ofwas not used for its intended purpose.

From a cannon to sparrows

For about 15 years, the United States' most formidable non-nuclear weapon has not found a worthy target.

Finally, on April 13, 2017, in the province of Nangarhar in Afghanistan, the "mother of all bombs" was dropped on the underground communications network of Islamic State militants. According to White House Press Secretary Sh. Spicer, the caves and tunnels contributed to the free and uncontrolled movement of terrorists, which created a real threat to the Afghan government forces and the lives of American military advisers.

Specialists carefully prepared the operation for several months. An MC-130 aircraft delivered the "mother of all bombs" from the United States to Afghanistan to the place of combat work. The US authorities have not yet provided specific information about the results of the bombing, but President D. Trump approved the actions of the military, calling the mission "very successful." News agencies (for example, France-Presse), relying on information from their own sources, claim that from 40 to 90 extremists could have suffered from the airstrike.

ISIS representatives completely deny such information, stating that no damage was caused to underground infrastructure and manpower.

Many experts consider the operation to be a successful demonstration action, warning other countries against conflicts with the United States, but completely devoid of any military-tactical sense.

Dad can…

To date, the GBU-43 is not the most powerful weapon. The rating of the most destructive non-nuclear munitions is headed by the Russian high-yield aviation vacuum bomb, named by analogy with the American MOAB, "the father of all bombs." Its power in TNT equivalent is four times greater than the overseas sample, and the area of the affected surface is 20 times! At the same time, the vacuum bomb has a significantly lower weight (the mass of explosives is 7.1 tons). The bomb was first dropped from a Tu-160 strategic bomber and successfully tested in September 2007. Based on the results, a table of probable affected areas was compiled.

AFBPM affected areas

Distance to the epicenter, m	Probable Consequences
90-100	Complete destruction of buildings and fortified structures
170-300	Complete destruction of unfortified buildings
up to 450	Partial collapse of residential and industrial buildings
1150	Shock wave destruction of glass structures
2300	Strongly felt shock wave

A clear advantage of the Russian development is that bombing can be carried out under any weather conditions from altitudes from 200 to 1000 meters at speeds from 500 to 1100 km/h.