The United States Air Force recently dropped a 21,600-pound Massive Ordnance Air Blast, or MOAB, bomb on ISIS militants in Afghanistan, wrecking havoc on the dreaded terrorists and creating sensational ripples all across the world media.
Reports suggest that at least 36 and as many as 96 people were killed in the explosion of the America’s largest non-nuclear bomb, and its after effects were seen as far wide as Pakistani border region of Kurram Agency.
Here Are 12 Facts That You Did Not Know About MOAB: Mother Of All Bombs
But beyond the human cost, people started a debate on how much did the bomb cost the American taxpayers with the air warfare reporter, Valerie Irinna, now debunking the initial estimate of $170,000 per unit in a scoop saying,
“And $170,000 per unit is a lot cheaper than some of the numbers being bandied about, ranging anywhere from $16 million to a whopping $314 million.”
Finally, the @usairforce gives us details about the MOAB's cost per unit. It's $170,000. Pretty cheap, when compared with $1M Tomahawks.
— Valerie Insinna (@ValerieInsinna) April 14, 2017
Since this is in the military domain, the number is and probably will remain fuzzy. According to Business Insider:
The weapon, whose acronym inspired the nickname “Mother of All Bombs,” was produced by the Air Force, not by a third party like Lockheed or Boeing, “so we don’t have a standard procurement cost associated with them,” an Air Force official said.
But everything points to that number swelling up. For example, if you add the operating cost of the MC-130 special mission cargo aircraft that was used to actually kick the massive bomb out, you’ll have to add $32,752 an hour.
Pentagon Releases Video Of The Mother Of All Bombs Dropped By US Forces In Afghanistan
Just wonder if MOAB costs this much, how much would the Russian FOAB (Father of All Bombs) costs!
It’s best not to dwell on the number if you want to avoid a headache!
