News

Actions

This is what it looks like when the 'mother of all bombs' explodes

What the MOABB looks like when it explodes
Posted
and last updated

On Thursday, the United States military dropped its most powerful non-nuclear weapon on an ISIS cave complex in Afghanistan. 

Nicknamed the "mother of all bombs," GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air-blast Bomb (MOAB) is a 30-foot-long, 21,600 pound missile-guided bomb. Some sources say the bomb can penetrate to depths of 100 feet before detonating, leaving behind a blast diameter of up to two miles.

According to a 2003 article in the National Review, the purpose of the bomb is primarily psychological — a weapon that leaves so much destruction in its wake that it inspires "shock and awe" in the enemy.

Though no video has been released yet from Thursday's attack, the US military has tested the bomb in 2008. Watch video of the video test in the player below.

Alex Hider is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @alexhider.

 

Sign up for our Morning E-mail Newsletter to receive the latest headlines in your inbox.

,

Weather

Daily Forecast

View Hourly Forecast

Day

Conditions

HI / LO

Precip

Sunday

11/02/2025

Sunny

79° / 56°

1%

Monday

11/03/2025

Mostly Sunny

83° / 54°

2%

Tuesday

11/04/2025

Sunny

79° / 53°

2%

Wednesday

11/05/2025

Partly Cloudy

76° / 56°

0%

Thursday

11/06/2025

Partly Cloudy

71° / 54°

5%

Friday

11/07/2025

Partly Cloudy

71° / 52°

6%

Saturday

11/08/2025

Sunny

76° / 55°

3%

Sunday

11/09/2025

Partly Cloudy

79° / 56°

2%