U.S. Unleashes 'Mother of All Bombs'

[LarryW]

The GBU family of munitions: "They're not just for breakfast anymore." DPRK and Iran might want to take notice.

The United States dropped "the mother of all bombs," the largest non-nuclear device it has ever unleashed in combat, on a network of caves and tunnels used by Islamic State in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, the military said.

President Donald Trump touted the bombing as evidence of a more muscular U.S. foreign policy since he took office in January after eight years of President Barack Obama.

The 21,600 pound (9,797 kg) GBU-43 bomb, which has 11 tons of explosives, was dropped from a MC-130 aircraft in the Achin district of Nangarhar province, close to the border with Pakistan, Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said.

The GBU-43, also known as the "mother of all bombs," is a GPS-guided munition and was first tested in March 2003. It is regarded as particularly effective against clusters of targets on or just underneath the ground. Other types of bombs can be more effective against deeper, hardened tunnels.

It was the first time the United States has used this size of conventional bomb in a conflict.

(more)

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-us...-idUSKBN17F27U

...and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9H50tHiHjs

[Old Dog New Trick]

It was near its shelf life of 15-years.

One can only hope the Air Force painted "In Memory of SSG De Alencar" on the side of it.

[echoes]

Saw this earlier today....

US drops largest non-nuclear bomb in Afghanistan after Green Beret killed
By Lucas Tomlinson

Published April 13, 2017

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/04...et-killed.html



Prayers out to the family...


http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/04...d-as-hero.html


"Afghanistan: Maryland Green Beret killed in ISIS fight remembered as hero

The Green Beret killed in eastern Afghanistan over the weekend -- days before the U.S. announced it dropped the "Mother of All Bombs" there -- strove to be "the best of the best," his family said.

Staff Sgt. Mark De Alencar of Edgewood, Md., died Saturday of wounds sustained when his unit encountered enemy small arms fire in Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province, U.S. military officials said. He was 37, and had a wife and five children.

In order to join U.S. Special Forces, military officials "told him he had to lose some weight. So Mark would put on a backpack, put bricks and books in it, and you'd see him running up and down the road there getting in shape to re-enlist," his uncle, Jansen Robinson, told WMAR.

De Alencar was assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

Among a slew of honors he received over the course of his military service: A Purple Heart, five Army Commendation Medals and six Army Achievement Medals, the Army Times reported.

"Mark died doing what he wanted to do," his uncle added."

[glebo]

Well, someone's gonna have to do a BDA...we'll see...

[Surf n Turf]

Originally Posted by glebo

Well, someone's gonna have to do a BDA...we'll see...

I hope the BDA is something along the lines of OHHHH SHIT.

eta....spring planting should be especially good this year with all the extra nitrogen, etc. in the soil to nuture the grapes, olives, oranges, watermelon, okra, tomato, and spinach for the remaining local farmers.

SnT

[Peregrino]

Originally Posted by Surf n Turf

I hope the BDA is something along the lines of OHHHH SHIT.

eta....spring planting should be especially good this year with all the extra nitrogen, etc. in the soil to nuture the grapes, olives, oranges, watermelon, okra, tomato, and spinach for the remaining local farmers.

SnT

Except the USAF turned the (not very) fertile valley into a sterilized gravel pit!