The US military has just carried out an airstrike using GBU-43/B super bombs against ISIS militants in Afghanistan.
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| Yesterday (April 13), the US Air Force dropped the GBU-43/B super bomb on Afghanistan. This bomb, also known as the "Mother of All Bombs," was the world's most powerful non-nuclear bomb when it was developed in 2002. (Image source: Financialexp.) |
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| The bomb was dropped on a cave complex believed to be a hideout for ISIS militants in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. This was the first time the GBU-43/B bomb had been tested in the field and only the third time the US had used it; the previous two were test drops. (Image source: Financialexp.) |
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| The GBU-43/B, also known as the Mother of All Bombs, was manufactured by the United States starting in 2003. At the time, it was considered the world's largest non-nuclear weapon and was given the euphemistic name "Mother of All Bombs" (MOAB). Image source: Wiki. |
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| This bomb has a diameter of up to 1.02 meters, a length of 9.17 meters, and weighs 10.3 tons. Its explosive power is equivalent to 11 tons of TNT and has a blast radius of up to 137 meters. Due to its enormous weight, this bomb can only be transported by heavy transport aircraft, and the GBU-43/B was originally designed to be dropped from a C-130 transport aircraft. However, theoretically, the GBU-43/B could be dropped from a C-17 transport aircraft, although there is no evidence to support this. Image source: Global. |
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| Upon detonation, the shock wave from the GBU-43/B can spread up to 900 meters if it doesn't encounter any terrain obstacles. This bomb was also the first American weapon to use a Russian-style tail fin similar to the R-300 Oka and Vympel R-77 bombs, which increased its accuracy upon impact. Image source: Wiki. |
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| The bombs will be released from the transport aircraft by parachute, similar to how the air force drops cargo or tanks from the air. After exiting the aircraft, the parachute will automatically detach, and the GBU-43/B will deploy its guidance fins and begin the process of locating the target upon impact using its GPS system. Image source: Wiki. |
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| The GBU-43/B uses H6 explosive, which is 1.35 times more potent than TNT. This explosive is a mixture of hexogen, TNT, and aluminum powder, providing immense destructive power while being inexpensive to produce, easy to transport, and easy to use, making it widely used by the US military. (Image source: Wiki) |
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| It wasn't until 2007 that Russia developed a new type of bomb with power equal to the "Mother of All Bombs," and they named it... the "Father of All Bombs." The Father of All Bombs weighs 7.1 tons, but its explosive power is equivalent to 44 tons of TNT, which is four times greater than the "Mother of All Bombs." (Image source: Wordpress) |
According to Kienthuc
