Here's why the 'mother of all bombs' exploded 6 feet above its target in Afghanistan
. . . "The MOAB itself never touched the ground at the complex, however. Instead, like most large weapons, including nuclear bombs, it detonated in the air moments before impact. There was probably about 6 feet between the MOAB and the ground when it unleashed its destructive force, which was equivalent to about 11 tons of TNT.
"Why didn't the MOAB strike the ground before detonating? "The main attribute of the MOAB is that it causes overpressure," Adam Lowther, the director of the US Air Force's School of Advanced Nuclear Deterrence Studies, told Business Insider reporter Alex Lockie.
"Overpressure" is a term for the sharp spike in air pressure that a bomb causes. That change in pressure moves away from the bomb in a wave in all directions. Any mines, tunnels, or bodies caught in the blast would be unrecognizable after it passed." . . .
Here are the basic facts about the MOAB: "The idea behind an "air burst" weapon, as opposed to a weapon that explodes on impact with the ground, is to increase its destructive range. A bomb that penetrates the ground and then bursts tends to send all of its energy either down into the ground or straight up into the air. An air burst weapon sends a great deal of its energy out to the side."