The MOAB is an Air Force Research Laboratory technology project that began in fiscal year 2002, as a descendant of the BLU-82 "Daisy cutter". It underwent a successful field test at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida on March 11, 2003 and another in mid-November. The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory has said a larger version of the MOAB exists, weighing thirteen tons.
The MOAB is 30 feet (10 metres) in length with a diameter of 40.5 inches (102.9 cm). At 21,000 lb. (9.5 metric tons), high explosives accounting for 18,700 lb. (8.4 tons) of its weight. Due to its large size and weight, it has to be thrown out of the back of a cargo aircraft — usually a C-130, but a C-17 could probably be used as well. It is guided by global positioning technology and does not use a parachute, so it can be dropped from a higher altitude and with higher accuracy than its predecessor, the BLU-82. It is the first US weapon to use Russian-style lattice control surfaces (like those used on the R-400 Oka and Vympel R-77). It is only slightly smaller than the Grand Slam bomb of World War II.
The MOAB uses 18,000 pounds of H-6 as its explosive filler. At 1.35 times the power of TNT, H-6 is one of the more powerful explosives used by the US military.
Although its effect has often been compared to that of a nuclear weapon, it is only about one thousandth the power of the nuclear bomb used against Hiroshima.
It was first tested with the explosive tritonal on March 11, 2003, at a test site in Eglin, Florida.
The basic design is similar to that of the BLU-82 Daisy cutter, which was used in the Vietnam War and in Afghanistan, mostly for clearing of rocky or heavily wooded areas. Pentagon officials had, however, suggested their intention to use MOAB as an anti-personnel weapon, as part of the "shock and awe" strategy integral to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. One MOAB was reportedly shipped to Iraq, but was not used in the invasion.
The utility of the bomb for purely military objectives is limited, as it is used more for its psychological effect on an enemy's morale. The lethal blast radius is surmised to be approximately 400 feet. Pound for pound, it is far less effective than cluster bombs. Second, the bomb is likely to cause significant collateral damage when used in proximity to civilians.
Nonetheless, in tests done by the Air Force, people were shown videos of the MOAB explosion. Except for the nuclear scientists shown the video as a control group, every other person identified the explosion (incorrectly) as a nuclear event, proving the MOAB's potential to inspire psychological terror.
The MOAB could also be effective against hard-target entrances such as caves or tunnels, and soft to medium surface targets covering extended areas. However, multiple strikes with lower yield bombs may be more effective as they can more precisely deliver the ordnance to the exact targets and can be delivered by fighter/bombers such as the F-15 with greater stand-off capability than the C-130. High altitude carpet-bombing with much smaller 2,000 or 1,000 pound bombs delivered via B-52s is also highly effective at covering large swaths of area.
Because of the size of the blast, the MOAB would also be effective for mine and obstacle clearance, therefore being highly effective as a defense against IEDs.
