OT: Video of a MOAB
 

This is a BIG bomb. Bomb Video

I wonder how deep the Republican Guard will have to dig their holes to escape this.

In the first half of the video, you can see its flight path flatten out as it guides to the target. Pretty amazing for a 20,000 pound bomb!

Re: OT: Video of a MOAB
 

I want one. Nuff said.

Re: OT: Video of a MOAB
 

Uh... what Republican Guard? That force ceased to exist several years ago. The MOAB may look 'cool' but it's already obsolete. In the future wars will be 'highly irregular' like the current insurgency in Iraq. Conventional weapons -- like the MOAB -- are just too powerful to oppose directly, so the favored style/tactic will be guerilla operations.

Re: OT: Video of a MOAB
 

No would you actually believe that Iran has a "Republican Guard" of their own. Makes you wonder who came up with the name first Iran or Iraq.

But yes, the Iraqi Republican Guard is no more

Re: OT: Video of a MOAB
 

I get the idea that this is more of a propaganda weapon than something that a reasonable military would actually consider using. Anybody know how much one of these costs? I read that it was never actually used in the Iraq war, and its development and testing were merely used as a show of force. That little video is probably the biggest effect this bomb will ever have.

Re: OT: Video of a MOAB
 

Is this similar to the "Daisy Cutter" bomb in Vietnam? It was made to clear landing fields in the jungle. I think the mushroom cloud was more impressive than the actual explosion.

Ever see that rocket fuel plant explode in Nevada?

Re: OT: Video of a MOAB
 

As a "downwinder", I tend to follow things that happen in Nevada... such as the 700 ton ANFO charge set to go soon. The concern is that it's going to throw up dust previously used for above-ground nuclear tests. Yay military!

Yeah, the MOAB is pretty much a daisy-cutter with a guidance system, also allowing the aircraft a greater deployment altitude. Whoopee. It's not even the biggest bomb: that's the WWII-era "Grand Slam", which is supposed to actually cause an earthquake-like effect.

Re: OT: Video of a MOAB
 

Hmmm Can't remember, what it was called but wasn't there a very large bomb dropped in the Tora Bora (afghanistan)May have been a daisy cutter.
I can't remember but the MOAB, may be intended to work like the Grand slam, which generated the the earthquake affect by borrowing under ground then detonating, causing the ground to rumble to take out hard to hit targets, In WWII it was used to take out a bridge to great effect.

Re: OT: Video of a MOAB
 

Not necesarially.
Unconventional warfare occurs after you occupy a country, which only happens after you destroy on the field whatever standing army that country has.
In the case of Iran, they have a rather large standing army, and the terrain is in their favor, mostly, so it will take for the US Army a few more weeks to eliminate their combat power than it took in Irak, and all these MOABs will be very effective on entrenched infantry. The Iranis showed in the Iran-Irak war that they don't know how to fight a combined arms manouver campaign like western armies do, so they will likely entrench in the most defensivable positions they can find, and wait for us to go to them, and the MOABs will be a very valuable asset to the commanders in this situation.

Re: OT: Video of a MOAB
 

A war with Iran would be not at all winnable without massive ground forces and a ruthless occupation, and defeating their standing army would be considerably more difficult than the offensive against Iraq in 2003. From what I remember, there wasn't a single piece of armor used effectively against the US in 2003.

And as for the MOAB: Seeing as Iran isn't exactly filled with jungle, I don't see what this bomb can do that strategic bombing raids can't. What's it supposed to do in Iran; wipe out refugee camps? It's a not-so-fancy piece of technology that's supposed to inspire fear in the enemy and arrogance in Americans.