Daisy Cutter

The BLU-82B or “Daisy Cutter” was the largest conventional bomb in existence (until the MOAB) and is 17 feet long and 5 feet in diameter, about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle but much heavier. It contains 12,600 pounds of GX slurry (ammonium nitrate, aluminum powder, and polystyrene), and is so bulky that it cannot even be launched in a conventional method. To put that in context, the ammonium nitrate in just one Daisy Cutter bomb is about six times the amount used in the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City. Although the blast from this bomb is extremely lethal, it still has less than a thousandth the destructive power of the atomic bomb used on Hiroshima.
Because of the cumbersome size of the Daisy Cutter and its deadly results, it must be uniquely deployed and detonated. It is launched on a delivery trolley and forced out the back of a C-130 cargo plane. The plane itself must be at least 6,000 feet off the ground to avoid the bomb’s massive shock wave. Once clear of the plane, the Daisy Cutter releases its own parachute. Attached to one end of the bomb is a three-foot long conical probe. When this probe touches the ground the bomb is detonated. Because the bomb is detonated before the majority of it hits the ground basically no crater results. However, the bomb still inflicts heavy damage, generating pressures in excess of 1,000 pounds per square inch near the point of impact, and the shock waves can be felt miles away.

These powerful effects have caused the Daisy Cutter to be mistakenly identified as a fuel air bomb. The Daisy Cutter is in fact, not a fuel air bomb. Fuel air bombs vaporize a fuel in the air and ignite it. This produces a fireball which rapidly expands making the blast much more extensive than conventional weapons. Although the Daisy Cutter could be used in similar situations as fuel air bombs, it is much too big to depend on the surrounding air and it utilizes its own oxidizer. In addition, the more conventional means of explosion utilized by the Daisy Cutter bomb makes is more reliable than fuel air bombs in significant wind or temperatures.

EVOLVING MILITARY ROLE-The Daisy Cutter bomb is extremely lethal, but was originally used in Vietnam only to clear the helicopter landing sites. In fact, it earned its nickname “The Daisy Cutter” because of the circular pattern of destruction that it left after detonation. Since then, it has been used multiple times, and it was reported that US aircraft dropped 11 Daisy Cutter bombs on Iraq during the Gulf War. Initially, they were dropped to test the ability of the bombs to clear mines, but no reliable assessment could be made about its effectiveness. The horrific blast was found to have a terrible impact on the survivors and as the war progressed, the Daisy Cutter was used less as a lethal and destructive weapon, and more as a psychological tool.
Once the United States fully realized the impact of the bombs on Iraqi troops, a new strategy was developed. A bomb would be deployed, and directly after the blast thousands of leaflets would be dropped over the Iraqi troops with a picture of the Daisy Cutter bomb and the words “Flee and Live, or Stay and Die!” Using experience from the Gulf War, the most recent operations in Afghanistan no longer employ the Daisy Cutter for the traditional purposes of clearing landing sites or destroying personnel, but rather as a psychological tool intended to demonstrate military superiority.

CONTINUING USE-It is easy to see why there would be objections to the use of the Daisy Cutter bomb when it is solely intended to intimidate the enemy with such destructive consequences. There was much concern that the Daisy Cutter bomb was being used against civilians in Afghanistan, but that is reportedly untrue as our only targets are strictly military. In defense of the Daisy Cutter bomb, Britain’s Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon reports that this bomb will be used when it is more suitable for hitting the target than smaller ones, and then its use is entirely justified. Also, because of the cumbersome launching of the Daisy Cutter and the specific conditions that must exist it is not possible to drop them on extremely volatile areas. The very large, slow-flying C-130 cargo planes are easy targets for enemy ground forces and therefore only when the airspace is well controlled is the Daisy Cutter even a viable weapon.
Since the Vietnam War, the Daisy Cutter bomb has been implemented for different purposes to suit varying strategic situations. Its extremely destructive nature and devastating power make it an easy target for controversy, but its most recent use as a psychological weapon is undeniably effective.

My dad was telling me that they were always scared shitless when they transported a Daisy Cutter for delivery because they weren't sure if the parachute to slow it down would work long enough for them to get away

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Deployment Attractive

When an unattractive member of the US military (usually female) starts to look pretty hot the longer an overseas deployment lasts. The longer the deployment, the more desirable she is, therefore the more action she gets. Usually she would qualify as a “Two-Bagger” in the states.

Get it now while you’re deployment attractive, because when we get back to the states, you’re a beast again.

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MOAB

MOAB - Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb/Mother of All Bombs

The GBU-43/B is large, powerful and accurately delivered, high explosive. It is the largest conventional bomb in existence since the BLU-82B or “Daisy Cutter”. The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB) weapon is a 21,000 lbs total weight GPS-guided munition with fins and inertial gyro for pitch and roll control. MOAB is a guided bomb which delivers the 18,700 lb BLU-120/B warhead bomb with KMU-593/B GPS/INS. The MOAB is the largest-ever satellite-guided, air-delivered weapon in history not the largest ever, but the largest satellite guided. The 21,600-pound MOAB is an improved replacement for the unguided 15,000-pound BLU-82 Daisy Cutter. It is 30 feet long with a diameter of 40.5 inches. The warhead is a blast-type warhead. It was developed in only nine weeks to be available for the Iraq campaign, but it was not used in combat.

The 21,700-pound 9,500 kilogram bomb contains 18,700 pounds of H6, an explosive that is a mixture of RDX (Cyclotrimethylene trinitramine), TNT, and aluminum. H6 is used by the military for general purpose bombs. H6 is an Australian produced explosive composition. Composition H6 is a widely used main charge filling for underwater blast weapons such as mines, depth charges, torpedoes and mine disposal charges. HBX compositions (HBX-1, HBX-3, and H6) are aluminized (powdered aluminum) explosives used primarily as a replacement for the obsolete explosive, torpex. They are employed as bursting charges in mines, depth bombs, depth charges, and torpedoes. HBX-3 and H-6 have lower sensitivity to impact and much higher explosion test temperatures than torpex. The MOAB weapon produces a very large explosive blast, with lesser fragmentation effects due to a thin-walled aluminum casing.

Contrary to some published claims, it most certainly is not an Ethylene-Oxide Fuel-Air Explosive (FAE). Some initial reports had stated that this replacement for the BLU-82 bomb uses more of the slurry of ammonium nitrate and powdered aluminum used in the BLU-82. Other reports indicated that the MOAB might use tritonal explosive as opposed to the gelled slurry explosive of the BLU-82. Contrary to some reports, it is not capable of deep ground penetration.

Like the BLU-82, the MOAB rests in a cradle on an airdrop platform inside a C-130 aircraft. Due to the size of the ordnance, the item is extracted from either an MC-130 Talon II or “Slick” C-130 Hercules by way of a parachute. A drogue parachute extracts the weapon, cradle and platform—and the weapon is quickly released to maintain maximum forward momentum. The grid fins then open and begin guiding the weapon to its target.

The MOAB weapon is based upon the same principle as the BLU-82 “Daisy Cutter”, except that it is larger and has a guidance system. The weapon is expected to produce a tremendous explosion that would be effective against hard-target entrances, soft-to-medium surface targets, and for anti-personnel purposes. Because of the size of the explosion, it is also effective at LZ clearance and mine and beach obstacle clearance. Injury or death to persons will be primarily caused by blast or fragmentation. It is expected that the weapon will have a substantial psychological effect on those who witness its use. The massive weapon provides a capability to perform psychological operations, attack large area targets, or hold at-risk threats hidden within tunnels or caves.

The weapon is intended to have a high altitude release, allowing for greater stand-off range for the delivery vehicle. Following deployment from the aircraft via drogue parachute, the MOAB weapon is guided approximately 3 nautical miles through a GPS system (with inertial gyros for pitch and roll control), JDAM actuators, and is stabilized by series of fixed wings and grid fins. The weapon, which uses the aircraft’s GPS prior to launch, takes several seconds to reconnect to the GPS signal after it has been deployed, which is normal for GPS weapons.

The US Air Force developed the satellite-guided Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bombs (MOAB) as a successor to the the 15,000-lb. "Daisy Cutters" used in Vietnam and Afghanistan. The Air Force is said to call MOABs (pronounced MOE-ab) the Mother Of All Bombs. As with the earlier Daisy Cutter, these huge bombs are dropped out of the rear of the C-130 cargo plane. Unlike the Daisy Cutter, the MOAB falls to the ground without the use of a retarding parachute. As a result, the aircraft releasing the bomb can fly at higher altitudes, thus making it safer for US pilots.

Because Charlie got a visit from a Daisy Cutter in Vietnam, Hajji gets an upgraded visit from the MOAB.

In all my years in the military, I've never heard of anyone starting the name of a bomb with the name "Massive". You know it's going to be fucked up for the bad guys!

some people say that we should drop a MOAB on Hajji and bomb his ass back to the stone age. I agree, however, sending him back to the stone age would be an improvement.

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