Back جي بي يو-43/بي Arabic GBU-43 Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb Catalan GBU-43 MOAB Czech Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb Danish GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast German GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Spanish GBU-43 Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb Basque بمب جیبییو-۴۳/بی Persian GBU-43 Finnish Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb French
| GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) | |
|---|---|
 GBU-43/B on display at the Air Force Armament Museum, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Note the grid fins. | |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2003–present |
| Used by | United States Air Force |
| Wars | War in Afghanistan |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Air Force Research Laboratory |
| Designed | 2002 |
| Manufacturer | McAlester Army Ammunition Plant |
| Produced | 2003 |
| No. built | 15 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 21,715 lb (9,850 kg) |
| Length | 30 ft 1.75 in (9.1885 m) |
| Diameter | 40.5 in (103 cm) |
| Filling | H-6 |
| Filling weight | 18,739 lb (8,500 kg) |
| Blast yield | 11 tons TNT (46 GJ) |
The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB, /ˈmoʊæb/, colloquially explained as "mother of all bombs") is a large-yield bomb, developed for the United States military by Albert L. Weimorts, Jr. of the Air Force Research Laboratory.[1] It was first tested in 2003. At the time of development, it was said to be the most powerful non-nuclear weapon in the American arsenal.[2] The bomb is designed to be delivered by a C-130 Hercules, primarily the MC-130E Combat Talon I or MC-130H Combat Talon II variants. The bomb's name and nickname were inspired by Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's invocation of the "mother of all battles" (Umm al-Ma'arik) during the 1991 Gulf War.[3]
The MOAB was first deployed in combat in the 13 April 2017 airstrike against an Islamic State – Khorasan Province tunnel complex in Achin District, Afghanistan.[4]
- ^ "Albert L. Weimorts Jr. 67; Engineer Created 'Bunker Buster' Bombs". Los Angeles Times. Times Wire Services. 27 December 2005. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
- ^ "GBU-43/B "Mother Of All Bloons" / Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb". Globalsecurity.org. 2017. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
- ^ "'Mother of All Bombs' Is Successfully Tested". Los Angeles Times. 12 March 2003. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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