US considers using GBU-43 MOAB bomb to strike Iran's nuclear facilities and energy infrastructure.

The U.S. military is considering using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), known as the Mother of All Bombs, against Iranian nuclear facilities and energy infrastructure, including the underground Pickaxe Mountain installation. The 9,850 kg bomb carries 8,500 kg of H-6 explosives and produces an estimated yield equivalent to 11 tons of TNT, but its airburst design limits its ability to destroy nuclear facilities protected by thick granite formations. The potential strikes would require authorization from President Donald Trump and could precede a reduction in U.S. military deployments in the Middle East.

The GBU-43/B MOAB, nicknamed the Mother of All Bombs, is the most powerful conventional air-dropped bomb ever used in combat by the United States, carrying 8.5 tons of explosives to produce a blast equivalent to 11 tons of TNT. (Picture source: Wikimedia/Fl295)

CNN revealed on October 16, 2026, that the U.S. military was considering employing the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), nicknamed the Mother of All Bombs, for possible strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities and energy infrastructure, including the underground Pickaxe Mountain facility, if President Donald Trump authorizes further strikes. The options include attacks against Iranian oil and energy installations and this mountain-protected facility, where Washington and Israel believe Tehran has stored components of its nuclear program. Weighing 9,850 kg and carrying 8,500 kg of H-6 explosives, the MOAB produces an estimated yield of 11 tons of TNT, but its airburst design limits its effectiveness against deeply buried structures. The plans come ahead of the November 3 midterm elections and amid discussions about reducing U.S. deployments in CENTCOM's area of responsibility.

Pickaxe Mountain and Iran's energy infrastructure present fundamentally different structural characteristics. For the first, granite formations protect the nuclear-related installation, with the rock cover intended to protect internal chambers against conventional aerial bombardment. Its vulnerability to the MOAB would depend on the depth of the chambers, the location of access tunnels, the continuity of underground passages, and the extent to which surface entrances communicate with protected areas. A MOAB could damage entrances, ventilation outlets, electrical connections, and exposed buildings, but such damage would not establish the destruction of nuclear equipment located deeper inside the mountain.

Related topic: US Air Force develops Next Generation Penetrator to replace GBU-57 MOP on B-21 Raider strategic bomber

Iran's energy infrastructure presents a different problem: oil refineries, pumping stations, storage tanks, and electrical substations are more exposed to blast pressure, although their distribution across industrial complexes limits the effects of a single detonation. Destroying one processing unit could interrupt part of a refinery's output without disabling other production lines, while damage to shared electrical equipment could temporarily affect several installations. Striking these facilities near populated areas would also increase the risk of damage to civilian infrastructure. The GBU-43/B was developed in 2002 under Albert L. Weimorts Jr. at the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and underwent explosive tests at Eglin Air Force Base on March 11 and November 21, 2003. It measures 9.1885 m long and 1.03 m in diameter, with an 8,500 kg explosive filling of H-6, a mixture of RDX, TNT, and aluminum.

Explosives account for 86.3% of its 9,850 kg mass, while its aluminum casing weighs 1,300 kg, leaving approximately 50 kg for other components, making it the largest U.S. conventional aerial bomb by explosive filling. Its nominal 11-ton TNT-equivalent yield corresponds to 46 gigajoules of energy. Fifteen bombs were manufactured at McAlester Army Ammunition Plant in Oklahoma beginning in 2003, but the historical $170,000 unit cost reflected the use of existing components and internal development resources, not the expense of restarting production in 2026. However, the bomb uses a lightweight aluminum casing weighing approximately 1,300 kg, a design that prioritizes explosive filling rather than the structural strength required to survive penetration into reinforced concrete or rock. The MOAB's delivery arrangement also imposes a limitation that is particularly relevant to operations against Iran.

The Mother of All Bombs was developed to be delivered by MC-130E Combat Talon I and MC-130H Combat Talon II aircraft, both now retired from U.S. Air Force service. Its cradle and cargo airdrop assembly are extracted through the rear opening by drogue parachutes, after which the bomb separates and uses GPS/inertial guidance and grid fins to reach its target. Without propulsion, it cannot provide the stand-off reach of an AGM-158 JASSM cruise missile or a B-2 Spirit employing GBU-57A/B MOP bunker buster bombs, requiring the C-130-based aircraft to reach a suitable release position. This would be a significant constraint if Iranian fighter aircraft or surface-to-air missile systems remained operational near the target. The retirement of the original MC-130 variants also raises a practical question about which currently available aircraft and certified delivery arrangements could support a new MOAB mission.

The weapon's employment would therefore require a target whose dimensions, structural characteristics, and operational importance justified concentrating such a large explosive charge in one location. The distinction between the MOAB's explosive yield and its ability to destroy protected structures is central to evaluating its usefulness against Pickaxe Mountain. The MOAB's 11-ton TNT-equivalent yield represents 46 billion joules, but most of this energy is released into the surrounding atmosphere rather than inside the targeted structure. Its airburst produces overpressure capable of damaging exposed equipment, buildings, and personnel, while terrain and structural resistance determine how those effects vary across the target. Blast waves can enter caves through accessible openings, but thick granite prevents direct transmission of the same pressure into deeply buried chambers.

This distinction matters at Pickaxe Mountain, where construction continued through 2026, and satellite imagery showed hardened southern and eastern portal entrances, additional concrete surfacing, and increased internal road activity. The facility's operational status remains uncertain, with no confirmed evidence that uranium enrichment is occurring inside. Consequently, even a large surface explosion could damage access infrastructure without necessarily disabling the equipment that makes the installation strategically important. The only confirmed combat employment of the GBU-43/B MOAB occurred on April 13, 2017, when a U.S. Air Force MC-130 dropped one bomb against an ISIS-K tunnel complex in Achin District, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan.

The strike formed part of Operation Hamza, during which Afghan commandos had spent four weeks attempting to advance against fortified positions, difficult terrain, and improvised explosive devices. Afghan authorities reported the destruction of three tunnels and associated ammunition, while their casualty estimates increased from 36 to 82 and subsequently to 94-96 ISIS-K fighters; the organization denied suffering casualties. U.S. and Afghan officials maintained that no civilians were killed, although Afghan parliamentarian Esmatullah Shinwari alleged that a teacher and his son had died, and buildings in Shaddle Bazar, 2.4 km from the impact area, reportedly sustained damage. Fighting continued afterward, with two U.S. special operations personnel killed in Nangarhar on April 27. The attack demonstrated the weapon's effects against an accessible tunnel network, but not its ability to penetrate nuclear facilities protected by substantial granite cover.

The GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) illustrates why explosive mass alone does not determine effectiveness against Iran's underground nuclear facilities. Its 12,304 kg bomb body contains 2,423 kg of explosives, including 2,082 kg of AFX-757 and 341 kg of PBXN-114, compared with the MOAB's 8,500 kg filling. The GBU-57 therefore carries 3.51 times less explosive material but uses a high-strength steel BLU-127 body, KMU-612 GPS/inertial guidance, and a Large Penetrator Smart Fuze to detonate after entering hardened material. Its estimated penetration reaches 18 m of reinforced concrete or 60 m of earth under specified conditions, although granite strength and geological layering can reduce its performance. On June 22, 2025, seven B-2 Spirit bombers dropped 14 GBU-57 bombs against Iranian nuclear facilities, including 12 at Fordow and two at Natanz. However, even that capability did not guaranteed the destruction of deeply buried equipment when geological cover exceeds the weapon's effective penetration depth.

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Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.