Partner 2025: Vlatacom showcases a MOAB concept for unknown Middle Eastern country

Vlatacom's vMOAB-4t, with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead, that can be supplied in 4, 7, and 10 tonne variants. (Janes/Christopher Petrov)

Private Serbian company Vlatacom Institute presented the vMOAB-4t concept at the Partner 2025 defence exhibition held in Belgrade from 23 to 26 September. The MOAB section of the name, standing for Massive Ordnance Air Blast, as well as its general design, share a resemblance to the American GBU-43/B munition of the same name.

The bombs are intended to be launched by either the Boeing C-17 or the Lockheed Martin C-130 transport aircraft using a specially designed cradle carried within the cargo section of the aircraft. When the ejection command is given, a parachute attached to the cradle is released, and together with the bomb, the cradle is pulled out through the rear ramp. The parachute is deployed to ensure the warhead end of the bomb points to the ground. A second stage separates the cradle from the bomb, which is then guided via global navigation satellite services (GNSS)/inertial navigation system (INS) with movement conducted using four actuating grid fins at the rear of the bomb. While the bomb can be steered onto the target, it must be dropped with relative precision above the target area.

The bomb is intended for the destruction of soft- or medium-fortified surface targets, such as command-and-control centres. This concept of the vMOAB-4t was presented with a 4 tonne warhead variant, utilising the vMT-4t high-explosive fragmentation warhead. It is linked to a vPSK-M23 proximity sensor, which allows the warhead to be activated above surface, which unless desired would lead to a large percentage of the warhead's energy being dissipated into the ground rather than nearby surface targets.

A Vlatacom representative told Janes