Mother of all bombs may be tested in Iraq war

By Michael D. Wallace, Wednesday 26 February 2003

NEW YORK: The United States, if it goes to war with Iraq, intends to use a new monster weapon whose explosive punch is equivalent to a small nuclear device, a media report said today.

ABC television network quoted military sources as saying that the weapon, still in the experimental stage, would be used during the first nights of the attack.

The bomb is called MOAB—short for “Massive Ordnance Air Burst” bomb—and is the bigger version of the 15,000 pound “Daisy Cutter” used in Vietnam, the Gulf war and in Afghanistan.

MOAB is a 21,000-pound bomb that will be pushed out of the back of a C-130 transport and guided by satellite because it is not dropped by parachute, as was the old Daisy Cutter. The aircraft can let it go from far higher altitudes, making it safer for US pilots.

MOAB's massive explosive punch, sources say, is similar to a small nuclear weapon. It is intended to obliterate a command center hidden in tunnels and bunkers or a concentration of Iraqi tanks.

Whatever the target, it must be far from cities where civilians might be hurt. But one important aspect of using this type of weapon, sources say, will be psychological impact on enemy troops. It is intended to terrorize Iraqi troops, drastically reducing their desire to continue the fight, they add.

Michael D. Wallace
Department of Political Science & The Liu Centre for the Study of Global Issues
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, Canada V6T 1Z1
phone:(604)822-4550,
fax:822-5540