Hangar....are confusing two different bombs?

Pretty sure he's describing the GBU-57 MOP, totally different bomb.

Good move with this GBU-43, IMHO.
No matter how many jihadists, mojahedeens and other rats were killed underground, it was a right demo showing that there was no shelter anymore there and that death is just a shot away. Demoralization of the enemy often matters more than "local arithmetics".
BTW, for those interested here is a comparison of this american "mom" with a russian "dad":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_of_All_Bombs

Gums, indeed, I think our paper said 5,000. Must admit I was thinking 'deep in bandit country' rather than CAS. I note it is Afg army units that have secured the site.

Quite; as demonstrated by 'Black Buck'.

HS, You are confusing two different bombs. GBU-43 MOAB is not a penetrator weapon. GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) is the weapon designed to destroy hardened underground targets.

GBU-43

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GBU-43...ance_Air_Blast

GBU-57

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massiv...nce_Penetrator

Wonder why they didn't use the -57?

Basil, I would guess the nature of the target. A hardened underground target will have secure blast doors and probably a reinforced concrete shell. A bomb that penetrates such a structure before exploding will exploit the hardened shell thus increasing its effect.

A cave complex may be susceptible to blast overrepresented.

We can deduce the nature of this target.

Ah, so . . . cunning interpretation of intelligence :cool:

Daisy Cutter dropped by CH-54
 

If you talk about bean counters - here is a cheaper alternative to a MC-130J Combat Spear dropping it..Albeit might need an escort of AH-64D/E and the cost of turning Erickson Aircrane into battlefield use albeit same airframe has not been used for damn near 4 deacdes...and probably some decent CAP overhead,

cheers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2qLuASjKXo

Used to create an HLS, IRC

In GW1 (the 'honest one'), Schwarzkopf suggested use of the BLU-82 to clear Iraqi minefields. He was advised that "Everybody within 3 miles of the drop will be bleeding from every orifice of his body". Combined with suitable leaflet drops, the psychological effect on the Iraqis would be obvious....

One day we were told "Jake and Elwood will be playing the desert tomorrow!". Having no idea what that meant, it was only after the first 2 BLU-82s had been dropped that we realised that this was a reference to 'The BLUes Brothers'. They had an immediate effect on the rate of desertion, as did the B-52 attacks.

The GBU-43 has an even more devastating effect as the rats holed up in their Afghan tunnels have discovered...

Beags. Thanks for that clarification of what I saw. And I even paused to watch the B52's flying overhead ...and turning back, post mission drops, I imagine.
I can't remember the Blues Brothers being mentioned to me, but then, I was just a bloke with a spanner and would possibly only be fed half the info, if any.

Rigga, it was 'just' blokes with spanners like you who kept our ancient jets flying with such a high serviceability rate that I'm pretty sure we didn't lose a single AAR sortie due to tanker unserviceability...:ok: !!

When Jake and Elwood were dropped, it was later reported that an SAS team close to the area thought that Kuwait had been 'nuked'.

...I was one of those tented in the desert, surrounded by spams and Patriots.

I don't know much about bombs, but I did read that the body count was close to 100. One of the stated reasons for using the big bomb was the area was thick with IEDs.I guess the bomb took care of those as well as the tunnels and bad guys. Sounds like the military using the proper tool for the job at hand. It probably cost less than lots of sorties dropping lots of smaller bombs.

Salute !

Word from a USAF source said the weapon was under $200,000. Compared to AMRAAM, SLAM or Tomahawk or a B-2 sortie, sounds decent.

Gums sends...