...you may here a small noise and feel a slight gust of wind today.

Test of 'massive' Air Force Bomb Set for Tuesday at Eglin
The Associated Press
Published: Mar 10, 2003

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AP) - A conventional bomb so big that it's first name is "massive" is set to be tested for the first time at this Florida Panhandle base Tuesday.

Air Force officials Monday warned residents of communities surrounding the western half Eglin's 724-square-mile military reservation to be prepared to hear an explosion that sounds like thunder or a slamming door between noon and 5 p.m. CST although the blast will be miles away.

The loudness of the 21,000-pound "massive ordnance air burst," or MOAB, will vary depending on wind currents and some people may not hear it at all, Eglin officials said in a brief news release.

They added that the test will be conducted only under weather conditions best for minimizing the sound and inside a buffer zone to keep a shock wave and debris from the explosion inside Eglin's boundaries. The backup date for the test is Thursday during the same time frame.

MOAB is similar to but 40 percent heavier than the 15,000-pound BLU-82, billed as the world's most powerful non-nuclear bomb and known to send up a mushroom cloud similar to a nuclear weapon.

The BLU-82, nicknamed "daisy cutter," was developed during the Vietnam War to create jungle clearings for use as helicopter landing areas. It was most recently dropped in Afghanistan on caves where al-Qaida leaders were suspected of hiding.

In the Persian Gulf War, it was used to clear minefields. MOAB is expected to be ready for use this year if the test is successful.

Areas where civilians may be able to hear the blast are Mary Esther, Navarre, Holly, Holt and western Crestview.

Now that's interesting...

"If your house falls over... it wasn't us."

The MOAB (Massive Ordinance Air Blast) has been nicked The Mother Of All Bombs. I can't wait to see footage of it. If the tests are successful then I suspect that Iraq will probably surrender before this war starts. This bomb is 40 times more powerful than the Daisy Cutter (previously the most powerful non-nuclear weapon.) I have also read that it scatters flaming debris quite a distance. So, if you are in Florida near the testing zone and notice your skin blistering and smoldering, "Stop, Drop and Roll."

Quote:

So, if you are in Florida near the testing zone and notice your skin blistering and smoldering, "Stop, Drop and Roll."

LMAO!!

Or head for the polls one...

I saw a couple of Daisy Cutter's dropped in Vietnam. A nuclear bomb is the closest thing I can imagine to it. Yeah, it made a nice little landing area in the jungle.

Man, I would hate to be on the receiving end of that thing. But it is probably quick and painless for those close to ground zero.

:onfire:

LiLWiP wrote:

I can't wait to see footage of it.

Yeah I read on CNN that they may release the footage just to put a fear in Iraq. I can't wait to see it!!

I'd honestly be interested in seeing this...

<--- Check out the MOAB avatar.

ok - I changed it to something else. Here is the orifinal MOAB avatar.