Breaking. US drops MOAB in Afghanistan.[W:305]

Re: Breaking. US drops MOAB in Afghanistan.

Unitedwestand13 said:

It is the price tag that comes along with it.

Also, the bomb was dropped in the region were a green beret was recently killed, so it gives the appearance we are dropping the Moab for one death.

Is one death really worth dropping a 20,000 pound bomb in retaliation? Wouldn't a drone strike be a cheaper alternative?

Click to expand...

Yeah, it gives the appearance of overkill retaliation for one death...but a drone strike would not have been as effective.

The MOAB is not a penetrator weapon and is primarily an air burst ordnance intended for soft to medium surface targets covering extended areas and targets in a contained environment such as a deep canyon or within a cave system. The bombing was in a valley where the targets were suspected of being in a cave system. And as we learned in WWII's Island Hopping Campaign and in the jungle caves of Vietnam...fighting in those caves is very difficult for the invading forces. They would have had the home field advantage.

Drones can't go into the caves if they're large enough to be packing an effective amount of ordinance. One MOAB and you're damaging the whole area, the valley, and the caves.

And anything in those caves.

Going Boots on Ground would have been costly in the number of lives lost. A single 16 million dollar bomb does the job and we don't have to lost any of our soldiers doing it.

The fact that it is also a weapon that caused shock and awe is an added benefit.

Re: Breaking. US drops MOAB in Afghanistan.

Hypnotoad said:

Yeah, it gives the appearance of overkill retaliation for one death...but a drone strike would not have been as effective.

The MOAB is not a penetrator weapon and is primarily an air burst ordnance intended for soft to medium surface targets covering extended areas and targets in a contained environment such as a deep canyon or within a cave system. The bombing was in a valley where the targets were suspected of being in a cave system. And as we learned in WWII's Island Hopping Campaign and in the jungle caves of Vietnam...fighting in those caves is very difficult for the invading forces. They would have had the home field advantage.

Drones can't go into the caves if they're large enough to be packing an effective amount of ordinance. One MOAB and you're damaging the whole area, the valley, and the caves.

And anything in those caves.

Going Boots on Ground would have been costly in the number of lives lost. A single 16 million dollar bomb does the job and we don't have to lost any of our soldiers doing it.

The fact that it is also a weapon that caused shock and awe is an added benefit.

Click to expand...

The weapon used cost about $150,000. And I'm sure this attack has made other jihadists think twice about hiding in caves and tunnels.

Re: Breaking. US drops MOAB in Afghanistan.

matchlight said:

The weapon used cost about $150,000. And I'm sure this attack has made other jihadists think twice about hiding in caves and tunnels.

Click to expand...

Well whatever the cost...it was the right tool for the job. This is exactly what the dang thing was designed for.

Re: Breaking. US drops MOAB in Afghanistan.

jmotivator said:

As I stated, the smallest bomb in our arsenal. We don't have the Davy Crockett anymore, and haven't since 1968:

"The 55th and 56th Infantry Platoons, attached to the Division Artillery of the US 82nd Airborne Division, were the last units equipped with the M-29 Davy Crockett weapons system. These two units were parachute deployed and, with a 1/2 ton truck per section, (3 per platoon) were fully air droppable. The units were deactivated in mid-1968."

So, again, the idea that this is a preparation for tactical nuclear weapons is just plain goofy and the smallest weapon in our arsenal is hundreds of times more powerful than a MOAB.

Click to expand...

Yes the smallest current is many times bigger, however this was meant to measure to our small nukes of old. The issue with nukes was even tiny ones with low radiation yeilds, they had a nuclear fallout.

The moab is all the bang without the nuclear side effects, russia even created a much more powerful version for the same reason, to gain the advantage of the old mini nukes, without the side effects.