More background info on the MOAB.
“April 18, 2017: On March 13th the U.S. used one of its large (9.8 ton) MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Blast) GPS guided smart bomb in combat for the first time. The MOAB was dropped on an ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) tunnel and cave complex in eastern Afghanistan. This area was guarded by hundreds of landmines and explosive traps in addition to several hundred of the Islamic terrorists. Officially known as GBU-43/B, the bomb performed as expected, leaving over a hundred visible dead. Some ISIL men may have been vaporized and others buried deep in the collapsed caves and tunnels. A large explosion likes this creates an overpressure that kills troops deep inside of bunkers. In addition to the shock wave and tunnel collapses the explosion also sucks up all the oxygen in caves and tunnels, asphyxiating those not killed by the blast or overpressure.”
“MOAB entered service in 2003 and fifteen were built but was never used for fear it would kill nearby civilians. The ISIL complex in Afghanistan was known to be restricted to ISIL members and had become a major storage site for weapons, ammo and bomb making components. It was also a training center, especially for bomb builders. Afghan forces were reluctant to try and take it from the ground because they had suffered a lot of casualties just probing the defenses. Using smart bombs and laser guided missiles could destroy cave and tunnel entrances but not get at the men and material inside. This was the sort of target MOAB was made for. Within hours of the explosion Afghan troops and American special operations forces advanced through the destroyed (by overpressure and blast) minefields and encountered no resistance. Using robots and various sensors it was found that a lot of items stored in those caves was destroyed or buried. Excavating all that will be time consuming and necessary to recover useful information on ISIL operations.”
Read More…
Air Weapons: MOAB Leaves An Impact - Strategy Page
Vlad's
He’s making a list and checking it twice….Vlad’s back in town.
“Experts reckon the area could be cover more than £23 TRILLION worth of oil and gas. VLADIMIR Putin has his eyes set on starting a new Cold War – by opening a top-secret military base in the Arctic. The giant complex on the northern ice cap is believed to be fully-armed with missile systems and nuclear-ready fighter jets… Putin has ordered elite special forces troops to train up for Arctic warfare - using REINDEER SLEDS for transport in the freezing conditions.”
Read more…
Inside Russia’s top-secret Arctic base which Vladimir Putin has filled with nuclear-armed warplanes and REINDEER-riding special forces
VLADIMIR Putin has his eyes set on starting a new Cold War – by opening a top-secret military base in the Arctic.
The giant complex on the northern ice cap is believed to be fully-armed with missile systems and nuclear-ready fighter jets.
Russia has unveiled its brand-new military base in the Arctic
Vladimir Putin had overseen plans for the massive complex on Alexandra Land
The vast complex is decked out in the colours of the Russian flag
It is part of a drive to take advantage of trillions of pounds worth of natural resources Moscow believes is buried beneath the snow
It is part of a drive to take advantage of trillions of pounds worth of natural resources Moscow believes is buried beneath the snow
Russia sends world's largest submarine - Typhoon-class Dmitry Donskoy - to the Baltic
And Russian economists reckon it could hold the key to the Kremlin unearthing almost £24 TRILLION of oil and gas buried deep beneath the snow, The Times reports.
Moscow yesterday released the first pictures of the giant Arctic Trefoil complex on the Arctic island of Alexandra Land - where temperature can drop to -50°C.
More than 150 troops will be based at the clover-shaped compound - which is decked out in the red, white and blue of the Russian flag.
And more worryingly, Moscow's defence minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed nuke-ready Su-34 fighter jets will be deployed at a nearby air base.
Those inhabiting the base will have to contend with the threat of killer temperatures and ravenous polar bears that live nearby.
More troops are on their way, too.
Putin has ordered elite special forces troops to train up for Arctic warfare - using REINDEER SLEDS for transport in the freezing conditions.
The base will initially be home to around 150 elite soldiers
Moscow has ordered that the country's elite special forces are trained in the art of reindeer-riding as they prepare a move to the base
Russian forces have been pictured fighting using reindeer-pulled sleighs in the past
Putin's plans for the Arctic have been met with opposition in the US
Nuclear-ready Su-34 fighter jets will also be stationed at the base
Nuclear-ready Su-34 fighter jets will also be stationed at the base Russia flaunts its winter warfare capability in latest propaganda video
Russia unveiled the five-storey complex yesterday.
The move comes shortly after the US expressed its concern over Russia building up its military near the North Pole.
Washington's Defence Secretary James Mattis said: "Russia is taking aggressive steps to increase its presence there."
Thriving in Bad Places
link jameslafond.blogspot.com
Five stories? Sounds pretty impressive!
Here's Alexandra Land: google.co.il/maps/place/Alexandra+Land/@83.4496556,14.6334927,1812296m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x4511334480891ef1:0xe98cc91b8e8833e4!8m2!3d80.6339!4d46.5839?hl=en
Notice anything?
1) It's in Bumfuck, Egypt. 1000km to Arkhangelsk. 1000km to the nearest point in Greenland.
2) It's in a place with awful weather.
Just resupplying the base will be a huge project half the year.
It's nice to have SU-34s based there, but what are they going to bomb? They have 4000 km range. That will get them to Alaska, on a one way flight.
In short, glad I'm not stationed there.
If stranded, they will have reindeer to eat!