MOAB is the largest satellite-guided, air-delivered weapon ever employed. It is designed for use against large area targets, deeply buried targets, or targets in tunnels or caves.
The conventional HE bomb is GPS guided, with fins and inertial gyro for pitch and roll. It was developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate at Eglin in only nine weeks to be available for the 2003 Iraq campaign.
The weapon was designated Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) but is unofficially known as “Mother of All Bombs.” The weapon is designed for deployment from the ramp of an MC-130 without a parachute.
A total of 18,700 lb of the weapon’s 21,000-lb weight is attributed to BLU-120/B warhead. It was used operationally for the first time in April 2017 against an ISIS-occupied cave complex in Afghanistan.
Contractors: AFRL, Dynetics.
First Flight: March 11, 2003.
IOC: April 2003.
Active Variant: •GBU-43/B. GPS guided 21,000-lb bomb.
Guidance: GPS/INS.
Warhead: BLU-120/B 18,700-lb HE.
Dimensions: Length 30 ft, diameter 3.3 ft.
Integration: MC-130H