Reply #24: This is a larger version of the "Mother of all bombs" -

[paul_fromatlanta]

Technically its called a Massive Ordnance Air Blast - you may have also heard it called a Fuel Air bomb when it was developed in just a few weeks at the start of the Iraq war but this turned out not to be correct - it is more like a giant depth charge. The same technology is also used in explosive mining and torpedoes (but on a much smaller scale).

Apparently the main explosives are TNT and RDX plus powdered aluminum.

Here are some references

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-03-11-us-bomb-test_x.htm

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/moab.htm