The United States used the GBU-43 heavy-duty high-explosive aerial bomb, called the "mother of all bombs" (MOAB), in Afghanistan.

For the first time in history, the US Air Force used in combat conditions a super-powerful non-nuclear bomb GBU-43, known as the "mother of all bombs", to bombard fortified positions banned in Russia terrorist organization Islamic state in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

It is reported by CNN.

According to CNN sources, a US military aircraft has been in Afghanistan for a long time "pending orders to hit a suitable target."

According to preliminary information, the tunnels and caves of the Islamic State became the target of the airstrike. Now the US military is assessing the damage caused to the terrorists.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer at a special briefing also officially confirmed the information about the airstrike in Afghanistan. "At 19:00 local time in Afghanistan, the United States used a GBU-43 aerial bomb to destroy a system of tunnels and caves that the terrorists were using to travel," Spicer said.

According to official representative White House, "The United States takes the fight against terrorism very seriously, and therefore it must deprive terrorists of the freedom of movement to continue their activities."

Spicer also stressed that the United States did everything possible to avoid civilian casualties. However, he refused to go into details regarding the details of the operation, and forwarded these questions to the Pentagon.

Later, the Pentagon released an official statement about the operation. The US Department of Defense confirmed the previously announced information, specifying that the purpose of the airstrike was "to minimize the risks for subsequent ground operations by US and Afghan troops."

“ISIS losses continue. They use explosives, tunnels and bunkers to strengthen their defenses. This is exactly the weapon that will weaken these obstacles and allow us to continue our offensive operation against ISIS," said General John Nicholson, commander of the US forces in Afghanistan.

The Pentagon stressed that the US military used all precautions to eliminate the possibility of civilian casualties during the airstrike. "The US Army will continue the offensive operation until ISIS positions in Afghanistan are destroyed," the US Department of Defense concluded.

Journalists emphasize that this air strike was the first use of the GBU-43 in combat conditions in US history. Test video of the "mother of all bombs" published on the web.

test GBU-43 "mother of all bombs"

According to Pentagon officials in 2003, the bomb was designed for "psychological operations" in Iraq. Her powerful explosion was supposed to force the Iraqi forces to surrender.

After the impact, the Pentagon released a new test video of the "mother of all bombs" - the GBU-43/B - in 2003. The recording was published by CNN on its Twitter.

The US tested the "mother of all bombs" about 14 years ago, but it was first used in combat on Thursday, April 13, 2017.

The American president called the attack on the positions of the "Islamic State" in eastern Afghanistan "a very, very successful mission."

This is reported by the CNBC channel.

Trump also noted that he is very proud of the US military.

“Everyone knows perfectly well what happened and that I gave instructions to my armed forces. We have the greatest military in the world, and they are doing their job as usual,” the US president said.

"If you look at what has happened in the last eight weeks and compare what has actually happened in the last eight years, you will see that there is a huge difference," he said.

Trump did not provide more detailed information about the operation.

GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast(high-explosive heavy ammunition; MOAB), also referred to as Mother Of All Bombs ("mother of all bombs")- American high-explosive aerial bomb established in 2002-2003.

MOAB is one of the largest air bombs equipped with a satellite guidance system.

There are 14 MOAB units in the US arsenal.

The first news about the bomb dates back to the early 2000s. In mid-2002, the US Air Force Research Laboratory received an order to improve the BLU-82 bomb, in particular, to equip it with a satellite guidance system, which also made it necessary to improve the aerodynamic qualities of the ammunition.

By March 2003, the new bomb was ready. On March 7, the first solo flight of the MOAB without a warhead was carried out. On March 11, MOAB was tested at the Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, the second test took place there on November 22.

Contrary to popular misconception, MOAB is not a volumetric detonating (also erroneously called "vacuum") bomb. This is FAB - a high-explosive bomb.

MOAB has a length of 9.17 m and a diameter of 102.9 cm, the weight of the bomb is 9.5 tons, of which 8.4 is accounted for by the Australian-made explosive H-6 - a mixture of RDX, TNT and aluminum powder - which is 1 more powerful than TNT .35 times.

The force of the explosion is 11 tons of TNT, the radius of destruction is about 140 meters, partial destruction occurs at a distance of up to 1.5 km from the epicenter.

MOAB is equipped with a KMU-593 / B guidance system, which includes inertial and satellite navigation systems.

During the tests, the bomb was dropped from a Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. Inside the aircraft, MOAB is mounted on a platform, which, along with the bomb, is pulled through the hatch using a parachute. Then MOAB quickly, in order not to lose speed, detaches itself from the platform and parachute, after which it begins to independently aim at the target.

A bomb of this type was once sent to Iraq, but was never used there during the hostilities.

"Mother of all bombs" - unofficial transcript abbreviations for the name of the high-explosive ammunition GBU-43 / B (MOAB), 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(for clearing the jungle under and eliminating enemy manpower, 1970),
  • The conflict related to the capture of the Mayaguez ship by the Cambodian Khmers (1975),
  • Iraqi Mission "Desert Storm" (1991),
  • Afghanistan Campaign (2001).

Despite military merit, BLU-82 had significant drawbacks - insufficiently high aerodynamic properties and the absence of a guidance system. Specialists from the military-industrial company Northrop-Grumman 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 the beginning of 2003, the new GBU-43 product 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 allows you to safely store and transport huge ammunition.

The bomb is not equipped with a parachute - thanks to the 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 tests

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 aircrafts two models - the C-130 HERCULES "transporter" and the B-2 SPIRIT strategic bomber. To pull the load platform with a fixed MOAB, a special parachute system. Having left the plane, the "mother of all bombs" is freed from auxiliary devices and starts solo flight.

In March 2003, the first drop of an inert projectile was carried out (instead of an explosive, rubber or concrete to maintain weight characteristics), and four days after the test of 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.

Weapons 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 Arab state, but for a number of reasons it was not used for its intended purpose.

From a cannon to sparrows

For about 15 years, the United States' most formidable non-nuclear weapon had no 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. According to White House Press Secretary S. Spicer, caves and tunnels contributed to the free and uncontrolled movement of terrorists, which created a real threat to government troops Afghanistan 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 an airstrike.

Representatives of ISIS 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 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 obtained, a table of probable affected areas was compiled.

A clear plus 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.

The use of the most powerful GBU-43 / B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB) by the US Air Force against the militants of the ISIS organization banned in Russia in Afghanistan brought not only military, but also political results. As a result of the strike, at least 36 militants, weapons depots, military equipment and destroyed several underground tunnels through which militants could move freely unnoticed by US soldiers. President Donald Trump called the operation "a very successful mission" for the US military. For its power in the United States, the GBU-43 / B was nicknamed the “Mother of all bombs.” Analyzing the results of the first combat use of the most powerful aviation ammunition, the authoritative American publication National Interest did not fail to recall that the Russians have a similar bomb. And much more powerful. Despite the smaller mass of the explosive, analysts of the American edition write, the Russian volumetric detonating aviation ammunition (ODAB) is 4 times superior to the American MOAB. At the same time, the power of the ammunition is approximately 40 tons of TNT, which is about four times more than that of the GBU-43. In addition, in terms of the radius of guaranteed destruction, the Russian "Papa", as the Russian bomb was called not without pathos, is twice as large as the American "Mama". The temperature at the epicenter of the explosion is twice as high, and total area defeat, our bomb exceeds the American one by 20 times.
The Russian General Staff, commenting on the ODAB tests, reported that our bomb in terms of destructive power is comparable to the action of a nuclear weapon. However, unlike it, the ODAB explosion does not have environmental consequences.
ODAB operate on the basis of the so-called volumetric explosion. They created the "Father of All Bombs" in the Moscow State Research and Production Enterprise "Basalt", known more for its unsurpassed shots to anti-tank grenade launchers. According to the military, ODAB are intended to hit targets located in terrain folds or in field fortifications. open type, and also to make passes in minefields. So, the Americans in Vietnam "cleared" them areas in the jungle for helicopter landings. In Afghanistan, we bombed the caves of Tora Bora and other underground fortifications of dushmans. According to unconfirmed reports, such bombs were used during the operations of the federal troops in Chechnya - to "clean up" the gorges from militants. Before the advent of ODAB in the USSR and Russia, the most powerful aviation ammunition was considered to be the ODAB-1500 volumetric detonating bomb and the FAB-9000 high-explosive bomb.
The design of ODAB is very original. In the nose of the bomb there is a complex electromechanical device designed for cocking and spraying explosives. After resetting the device, spraying starts after the set time combat substance. The resulting aerosol is converted into a gas-air mixture, which is then blown up by a fuse. ODAB creates a shock wave with an overpressure of about 3000 kPa (30 kgf/cm). In fact, forming a vacuum environment completely devoid of air at the epicenter of the explosion. This pressure drop literally tears everything from the inside: people, military equipment, fortifications and defensive structures of the enemy. Bombs can be used in any weather conditions from heights of 200-1000 m at speeds of 500-1100 km/h.
Volumetric detonating bombs are classified by the UN as "inhumane means of warfare causing undue human suffering". However, despite this wording, they are not prohibited and generally do not fall under any international treaty. Russia believes that ODAB will allow replacing a number of previously created low-yield nuclear weapons. The United States takes a similar position. It is for this reason that the US Congress authorized the acceleration of the implementation of the program for the development and production of this type of weapon.
The military does not hide the fact that they are creating these weapons to strike at Iranian nuclear facilities and North Korea. Legislators even allowed the Pentagon to use funds allocated for other weapons projects for this program: $19.1 million for the purchase of four superbombs, $28.3 million for testing, and $21 million for accelerating the process of upgrading B-2 bomb bays. In 2010, MOABs adopted B-2 strategic bombers. First used last Thursday.
- The use of MOAB in Afghanistan may have been aimed at demonstrating the capabilities of the US Air Force to Kim Jong-In, - said Vadim Kozyulin, professor at the Academy of Military Sciences. - There is no other reason for this. The effect of using the bomb on ISIS militants is highly questionable.
What's going on today with Russian program creation of ODAB is unknown. The Russian Defense Ministry has not yet commented on the results of the use of MOAB in Afghanistan - after all, there is nothing to comment on. Heavy duty weapons are not prohibited international treaties and its use is not regulated. However, after the Tomahawk missile attack on the Syrian Air Force air base and the show of force in Afghanistan, it is likely that our military will not fail to remind that Moscow has a similar super-powerful argument, Kozyulin believes.

Yesterday, the United States used one of the most powerful non-nuclear aerial bombs in the world, the GBU-43/B, in combat for the first time. It was dropped from an MS-130 aircraft to destroy tunnels and caves in eastern Afghanistan used by the Islamic State terrorist group. By preliminary estimates, more than 36 terrorists died.

Australian explosives

The official name of the bomb is Massive Ordnance Air Blast, "Heavy Explosive Ammunition". The abbreviation MOAB is often deciphered as Mother Of All Bombs - "mother of all bombs."

GBU-43/B of course not nuclear weapon, but, unlike him, it can actually be used to intimidate the enemy. The bomb weighs about 10 tons, 8.4 of which are H6 explosives.


By the way, BB is of Australian origin. This explosive consists of a mixture of RDX (cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine), TNT and aluminum powder.

The main feature of this explosive is resistance to damage and safe handling. Therefore, it is also used in torpedoes and naval mines.

All living things die within a radius of 140 m

The explosion force of the GBU-43/B is 11 tons of TNT. Within a radius of 140 meters from the epicenter of the explosion, not only enemy infantry, but also tanks are destroyed. Partial destruction occurs at a distance of 1.5 km from the epicenter.

The explosion of this bomb is a powerful psychological weapon: the surviving enemy fighters receive severe injuries and shell shock, being out of action for a long time.



Image is for illustrative purposes only.

The GBU-43/B was created by renowned design engineer Albert Wimorts in 2002. In 2005, he died of brain cancer without seeing combat use of his invention.

A total of 15 such bombs were made at the McAllister Arms Factory. The United States wanted to use one of them in Iraq as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, but by the time it was delivered, active fighting were finished.

High accuracy

Because of large sizes(length 9.17 m and diameter 102.9 cm) the bomb is dropped from the cargo compartment of a special aircraft MC-130 Combat Talon, developed for special forces by Lockheed on the basis of the C-130 Hercules multi-purpose transport aircraft.

Inside the aircraft, the bomb is mounted on a special platform, which, together with the bomb, is pulled through the hatch using a parachute. After that, in order not to lose speed, the GBU-43 / B detaches from the platform and parachute, starting an independent fall on the target.

The bomb is equipped with a KMU-593/B guidance system, which includes satellite and inertial navigation systems. Lattice stabilizers allow the GBU-43 to glide and engage targets with high accuracy.

Not the biggest, not the most powerful

Although the GBU-43/B bears the proud title of Mother Of All Bombs, it is not actually the largest or most powerful bomb in the world. The Americans have the GBU-57 adjustable anti-bunker aerial bomb.



GBU-57.

It weighs 13,600 kg, however, it carries quite a bit of explosives - 2,700 kg, but it is able to break through a 60-meter layer of concrete. The GBU-57 has GPS-assisted laser guidance and will be delivered to the target by the B-2A Spirit strategic stealth bomber.

And the most powerful non-nuclear bomb was tested by the Russians. There is also the "father of all bombs" - high-power aviation vacuum bomb (AVBPM). It was dropped from a Tu-160 strategic bomber on September 11, 2007. AVBPM weighs less than GBU-43 / B, but the explosion power is higher - 44 tons of TNT versus 11 tons for MOAB. The temperature at the center of the explosion of the Russian AVBPM is 2 times higher than that of MOAB, the radius of destruction is also 2 times larger (300 meters versus 140). By power Russian bomb comparable to tactical nuclear weapons.