Coverage by BBSNews

Air Force workers prepare the Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) weapon for testing at the Eglin Air Force Armament Center on March 11, 2003. The MOAB is a precision-guided munition weighing 21,500 pounds and will be dropped from a C-130 Hercules aircraft for the test. It will be the largest non-nuclear conventional weapon in existence. The MOAB is an Air Force Research Laboratory technology project that began in fiscal year 2002 and is to be completed this year. DoD photo.

BBSNews - 2003-03-11 -- Today the Air Force tested its Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) weapon at the Eglin Air Force Base Air Armament Center's western test range. Dropped from a C-130, the MOAB is a precision-guided weapons weighing 21,500 pounds. It will be the largest non-nuclear conventional weapon in existence. The MOAB is an Air Force Research Laboratory technology project that began in fiscal year 2002 and is to be completed this year.

To see the test, please go to the following website:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Mar2003/g030311-D-9085M.html

Update: See 12 graphic sequence created from the Defense Department released video here.

Reuters reported on February 28th "The tiny town of Moab, Utah, has asked President Bush not to use the acronym MOAB for a new bomb because it could damage the image of the city best known for outdoor recreation, officials say.

"We realize that it is an acronym, but we are still concerned about the effects it may have on our community. Moab relies on tourism both domestic and foreign and has worked for many years and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to create an image that 'Moab' is a destination," a letter from the Grand County Council said.

BBC reported on the same day that "Its name is taken from the Biblical land of Moab, which lies to the south east of the Dead Sea in the Middle East.

Moab refers to the "land beyond Jordan", according to Utah history references about the origin of the town name."

Michael Hess is the Editor of BBSNews in Charlotte, NC. Write to the editor here. Not all submissions are published. Or visit the completely new BBSNews Blog and Forum on our front page - Please Participate in BBSNews!