The US military said it had dropped a huge bomb of the “GBU-43” model, known as the “Mother of All Bombs“, in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, April 13, 2017, targeting a series of caves used by militants of the “Islamic State”.
“This is the first time this kind of bomb has been used in combat operations,” said Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump. He added that an “MC-130” plane dropped it.
According to the free encyclopedia “Wikipedia”, the Mother of All Bombs is characterized by these qualities:
· A conventional (non-nuclear) bomb developed for the US military.
The “mother of bombs” was developed by Albert Weimortes at the Air Force Research Laboratory in 2002.
. Has been in service since 2003.
• Described as the most powerful non-nuclear weapon ever designed.
· The bomb was designed to be dropped by the Hercules C-130 Mac-130 E or Mac-130 H.
· Can be dropped by (fighters / bombers) such as F-16, C-130, and C-17.
· Used by the US Air Force and the Royal Air Force.
· Weight 10.300 kg (22,600 lbs).
· Length is 9.1885 meters (30 feet 1.75 inches).
· Diameter 103 cm (40.5 inches).
· The weight of fillers is 8500 kg (18,700 lbs).
· The weight of explosives is 11 tons (TNT).
The bomb was first tested on March 11, 2003, at the Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, and tested again on 21 November 2003.
· Used with soft-to-medium surface targets such as deep valley or cave inside.
