(22 Nov 2003)
1. Shot from below aircraft dropping bomb
2. Bomb falling through air
3. Ground shot of explosion
4. Wide ground shot of explosion
STORYLINE:
The US Air Force on Friday carried out a second test of the Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) a weapon that has been nicknamed the "Mother of All Bombs".
The blast occurred at the Eglin airforce base in Florida early on Friday afternoon, Eglin spokesman Jake Swenson said.
However the base was awaiting instructions from the Pentagon before releasing more details.
The 21,000-pound (9,525 kilogram) bomb, which contains 18,000 pounds (8,160 kilograms) of explosives, was first tested on March 11, eight days before the United States invaded Iraq.
The spring blast shook windows miles away and sent up a huge mushroom cloud, although some people in nearby communities said it was no louder than some other weapons tested at Eglin.
Air Force officials said one role for the bomb is as a psychological weapon, but it has yet to be used in combat.
It is being eyed as a replacement for the 15,000-pound (6,800 kilogram) BLU-82, known as the "Daisy Cutter," that was used in the Vietnam War to clear jungle for helicopter landing zones.
It also was dropped in the 1991 Persian Gulf War to clear minefields and more recently to blast caves believed to be hiding enemy fighters in Afghanistan.
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