"MOAB"
really just a big fuel tank with a few bells and whistles added on?
More or less...The correct terminology, though, is "Fuel-Air Explosive", which is a nasty little bugger. But an FAE would be the wrong ordinance to drop on a nuc plant. These things are mostly used for targets out in the open (but spread out) or in confined spaces (i.e. a cave, tunnel or something similar).
When I was an AO2 on the Ike, we very often had pilots returning from combat missions without their external tanks. They would accidentally jettison them or drop them in order to manuever somehwat better. It happens in the heat of combat or when someone is not focused on what they're doing. Sometimes, the tanks just weren't installed properly and they could be dropped or torn off by the slipstream.
Nope, sounds to me like someone made a mistake and there's a cover up/propaganda advantage to be gained.