GBU-43: Everything you need to know about ‘Mother of all Bombs’

This photo provided by Eglin Air Force Base shows the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb. The Pentagon says U.S. forces in Afghanistan dropped the military’s largest non-nuclear bomb on an Islamic State target in Afghanistan (Eglin Air Force Base via AP)

The USA dropped the most powerful non-nuclear bomb on the Afghanistan on Thursday targeting a series of caves used by Islamic State militants in the Nangarhar province. The GBU-43 or the Massive Ordnance Air Blast is also commonly known as the ‘Mother of all Bombs’. The non-nuclear bomb developed by Albert L Weimorts, Jr of Air Force Research Laboratory, was first tested in the year 2003 in Florida at the Eglin Air Force Base. The MOAB is believed to be the deadliest non-nuclear weapon designed, left a cloud of smoke that was visible up to 20 miles from the scene of the blast, an article by the Eglin Air Force Base said.

According to a military information website Deagel, the weapon weighs 21,600 pounds and costs around 16 million dollar. The bomb was designed to be delivered by a C-130 Hercules, primarily the MC-130E Combat Talon I or MC-130H Combat Talon II variants.

The MOAB was originally devised in order to win a ‘psychological’ war against the Iraqi army. It was meant to act as a deterrent against the Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein as the USA invaded Iraq and overthrew him.

The GBU-43 was meant for targets which were not easily reachable, such as those within caves and canyons. It is GPS enabled and can target with smarter and improved accuracy. The weapon is similar to the BLU-82 Daisy Cutter, used in the Vietnam War and in Iraq later, was more advanced and developed as replacement to the existing weapon.