USA – Mother of All Bombs (MOAB) vs RUSSIA – What is Father of All Bombs (FOAB)
What is Mother of All Bombs (MOAB)?
The “Mother of All Bombs” or MOAB is officially known as the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, is said to be the most powerful non-nuclear weapon in United States arsenal. The bomb has a capacity to penetrate through 60 meters (200 feet) of enforced concrete and is therefore suitable for deployment in contained environments such as bunkers and caves.
This is the first time a MOAB has been used in the battlefield. The MOAB was developed during Iraq War.
MOAB is considered as “the most fearsome explosive weapon” in the Pentagon’s possession. The Russian version of the MOAB is nicknamed as the “Father of All Bombs” or FOAB which is a bomber-delivered thermobaric weapon.
Radius Damage:
- Up to 1000 yards: Obliterates everything.
- Up to 1 mile: Knocks people, tents, light buildings, cars and jeeps over within 1-mile radius.
- Up to 1.7 miles: Shockwave kills people, causes severe damage to properties, equipment, blows trucks, tank off road.
- Up to 2 miles: Causes deafness.
- Up to 5 miles: Shakes ground, break windows.
- Up to 30 miles: 10,000 foot high mushroom crowd.
Watch How Mother Of All Bombs Explodes:
Most information on MOAB comes from a 2008 article from Eglin Air Force Base. The article which marked the five-year anniversary of the bomb, says that the GBU-43 weighs a massive 21,600 pounds. During testing, the MOAB created a mushroom cloud which was visible from 20 miles away from the blast.
MOAB is highly efficient in destroying underground bunkers, caves and mines.
It’s efficiency is about 1 mile/radius. However, it is always observed to cause more impact than that.
Trinitrotoluene popularly known as TNT is used as an explosive material in MOAB.
TNT is mixed with 20% of Aluminium powder to increase it’s impact efficiency.
Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is mixed along with 20% Aluminium powder and this mixture acts as a explosive in MOAB
Here are some features of MOAB:
- Each MOAB costs around US $16 million.
- So far the United States has 20 such weapons and the military has spent almost $314 million on the production of the explosive.
- The original goal of building the MOAB was to act as a non-nuclear deterrent against former Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein.
- At the time of its development, MOAB was considered as the most powerful non-nuclear weapon ever designed.
- After MOAB was tested, Russia on the other side tested its “Father of All Bombs”, which is claimed to be four times as powerful as the MOAB.
What is Father of All Bombs (FOAB)?
The Father Of All Bombs, designed by Russian military is reportedly four times as powerful as the United States Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB). Which means that the Russian device is much more powerful conventional weapon in the world. On the other side, Russia’s claims had concerned the United States and its defence analysts had always questioned about the power of FOAB.
In 2007, FOAB was first successfully field-tested in the late evening of September 11. The thermobaric device yields equivalent of 44 tonnes of TNT.
According to some reports, General Alexander Rushkin, the Russian Deputy Chief of Staff, claimed that the new bomb is smaller than the MOAB but much deadlier as the blast is twice as high then compared to MOAB.
Watch How Father Of All Bomb Explodes:
Here are some features of FOAB:
- “Father of All Bombs” (FOAB) is a Russian-designed, bomber-delivered thermobaric weapon.
- Some reports suggest that the bomb specially designed by Russian military is four times more powerful than MOAB.
- Hence FOAB is considered as the most powerful non-nuclear weapon in the world.
- Also, United States defence analysts had several time raised questions on the veracity of Russia’s claims.
- On September 11, 2007, FOAB was successfully tested in the late evening.
With US strike on ISIS terror launch pads in Afghanistan with MOAB, many believe that the world has entered into the third world war.
What significant is that this comes before a peace conference on Afghanistan, which is scheduled to begin on Friday in Moscow, involving the Afghan government and representatives of twelve other nations.
