GBU-43/B MOAB

The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) was developed for the United States military by the Air Force Research Laboratory. First tested in 2003, the system was designed as a successor to the BLU-82 Daisy Cutter used in the Vietnam War and the 2001 conflict in Afghanistan. It originated as a crash project to meet urgent operational requirements for an anti-personnel weapon capable of providing surface destruction and psychological effects during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The system is a GPS-guided, air-burst weapon intended for soft to medium surface targets, including cave systems and targets within deep canyons. It is not a penetrator weapon. Delivery is executed via C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft, specifically the MC-130E Combat Talon I and MC-130H Combat Talon II variants. The bomb is carried on a cradle resting on an airdrop platform; during deployment, a drogue parachute extracts the platform from the aircraft. The bomb subsequently separates from the cradle and falls to the target without a retarding parachute. The GBU-43/B utilizes an aluminum casing and a thermobaric explosive filler consisting of Composition H-6. Due to the high aluminum content, the weapon consumes atmospheric oxygen in the target area upon detonation.

The United States is the sole operator of the GBU-43/B, with units manufactured at the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant. The weapon was first used in combat on April 13, 2017, in an airstrike against an Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP) tunnel complex in the Achin District of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. Afghan military officials reported that the strike killed 94 militants, including four commanders. Conflicting reports from local sources indicated the potential death of two civilians. Prior to this engagement, the weapon had not been used in combat operations due to concerns regarding potential civilian casualties.