BLU - 82 The BLU - 82B / C - 130 weapon system , known under program " Commando Vault " and nicknamed " daisy cutter " in Vietnam and in Afghanistan for its ability to flatten a forest into a helicopter landing zone , is a 15 , 000 pound ( 6 , 800 kg ) conventional bomb , delivered from either a C - 130 or an MC - 130 transport aircraft . There were 225 constructed . The BLU - 82 was retired in 2008 and replaced with the more powerful MOAB . Overview . Originally designed to create an instant clearing in the jungles of Vietnam , the BLU - 82B / C - 130 was test - dropped there from a CH - 54 Tarhe " Flying crane " helicopter . Later it was used in Afghanistan as an anti - personnel weapon and as an intimidation weapon because of its very large lethal radius ( variously reported as 300 to 900 feet / 100 to 300 meters ) combined with a visible flash and audible sound at long distances . It is one of the largest conventional weapons ever to be used , outweighed only by a few earth quake bombs , thermobaric bombs , and demolition ( bunker buster ) bombs . Some of these include the Grand Slam and T12 earthquake bombs of late World War II , and more currently , the Russian Air Force FOAB and USAF GBU - 43 / B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb , and the Massive Ordnance Penetrator . The designation " BLU " stands for Bomb Live Unit , as opposed to " BDU " ( Bomb Dummy Units ) used for practice . Specifications . The BLU - 82 uses ammonium nitrate and aluminum ( cf . " ammonal " ) . The warhead contains 12 , 600 pounds ( 5 , 700 kg ) of low - cost GSX slurry ( ammonium nitrate , aluminum powder and polystyrene ) The " Daisy Cutter " has sometimes been incorrectly reported as a fuel - air explosive device ( FAE ) . FAE devices consist of a flammable liquid and a dispersing mechanism , and take their oxidizers from the oxygen in the air . FAEs generally run between 500 and 2 , 000 pounds ( 225 and 900 kg ) . Making an FAE the size of a Daisy Cutter would be difficult because the correct uniform mixture of the flammable agent with the ambient air would be difficult to maintain if the agent were so widely dispersed . A conventional explosive is much more reliable in that regard , particularly if there is significant wind or thermal gradient . The BLU - 82 produces an overpressure of 1 , 000 pounds per square inch ( psi ) ( 7 MPa ) near ground zero , tapering off as distance increases . It is detonated just above ground by a 38 - inch ( 965 mm ) fuze extender . This results in a maximum destruction at ground level without digging a crater . Guidance . This system depends upon the accurate positioning of the aircraft by either a fixed ground radar or on - board navigation equipment . The ground radar controller , or aircrew navigator if applicable , is responsible for positioning the aircraft prior to final countdown and release . Primary aircrew considerations include accurate ballistic and wind computations provided by the navigator , and precision instrument flying with strict adherence to controller instructions . Due to its extremely powerful blast effects , the minimum safe altitude for releasing this weapon is 6 , 000 feet ( 1 , 800 m ) above ground level ( AGL ) . Operations . The BLU - 82 was originally designed to clear helicopter landing zones and artillery emplacements in Vietnam . South Vietnamese VNAF aircraft dropped BLU - 82 bombs on NVA positions in desperation to support ARVN troops in the Battle of Xuan Loc in the last days of the Vietnam War . During the Mayaguez incident , an MC - 130 dropped a single BLU - 82 to assist US Marine forces attempting to extract themselves from Koh Tang island . Eleven BLU - 82Bs were palletized and dropped in five night missions during the 1991 Gulf War , all from Special Operations MC - 130 Combat Talon s . The initial drop tested the ability of the bomb to clear or breach mine field s ; however , no reliable assessments of mine clearing effectiveness are publicly available . Later , bombs were dropped as much for their psychological effect as for their anti - personnel effects . The US Air Force dropped several BLU - 82s during the campaign to destroy Taliban and al - Qaeda bases in Afghanistan to attack and demoralize personnel and to destroy underground and cave complexes . American forces began using the bomb in November 2001 and again a month later during the Battle of Tora Bora . On 15 July 2008 , airmen from the Duke Field 711th Special Operations Squadron , 919th Special Operations Wing dropped the last operational BLU - 82 at the Utah Test and Training Range .