The BLU-82 uses ammonium nitrate and aluminium (cf. The new BLU-82, developed in 1969, entered service later in the Commando Vault program. Decades later, the BLU-82 was used in Afghanistan in November 2001 against the Taliban. The BLU-82 was originally designed to clear helicopter landing zones and artillery emplacements in Vietnam. The BLU-82 was retired in 2008 and replaced with the more powerful GBU-43/B MOAB.