XPost: uk.politics.misc, uk.legal, alt.politics.uk   
   From: nedlatham@woden.valhalla.oz   
      
   Nightjar wrote:   
   > Ned Latham wrote:   
   > ....   
   >> Supposedly, MOAB is an acronym, standing for "Massive Ordinace Air Blast:.   
   >   
   > Which is what the weapon is. There is discussion over which is the best   
   > way to deal with a cave system - an air blast weapon, blanket bombing,   
   > or guided bunker buster bombs. However, if you want to give POTUS a   
   > publicity opportunity, choose the MOAB, which has never been used in   
   > action before.   
      
   Nowhere near massive enough to be effective as an air blast weapon   
   against underground assets that are anything like well built. That's   
   why the Tallboy and Grand Slam were designed to penetrate deep into   
   the ground before exploding. It causes a local earthquake.   
      
   A big enough air blast will punch a cavern flat if it and the target   
   are both near enough to ground zero, but the power required is   
   disproportionate: with all but nuclear weapons, the target needs   
   to be only a few tens of metres away, because the blast deflects   
   along the ground. As I said, a gas bomb delivers much more bang for   
   the buck (as an air blast weapon).   
      
   MOAB is a misnomer. It should be called what it is. Maybe then it   
   would get used correctly.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)