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America's new mega-bomb is an absolute terror — but Iran may have the last laugh
The Week ^ | August 5, 2015 | Paul Huard

Posted on 08/08/2015 5:59:34 PM PDT by bob_denard

It 's a weapon that justifies the use of the word "awesome" to describe its power. The Massive Ordnance Penetrator — or MOP — weighs in at 30,000 pounds, is almost 20 feet long and is designed to burrow through 200 feet of earth and 60 feet of concrete before detonating.

It's the king of the so-called "bunker busters" and is the largest non-nuclear weapon in the world.

Delivered by the stealthy B-2 Spirit heavy strategic bomber from as high as 20,000 feet, the MOP hits the ground at supersonic speed before slamming its way toward a hardened target through layered subterranean defenses such as native rock, reinforced concrete, and steel plates.

Once it reaches the bunker, the MOP's 5,300-pound warhead detonates, obliterating tunnels, underground chambers and … you name it.

MOP is hard to ignore. Especially for Iran, which has placed key components of its nuclear program such as centrifuges deep beneath the earth. But the MOP's delivery system could be shot out of the sky if an adversary has the right kind of air-defense missiles.

Iran wants those missiles — and Russia is willing to sell them.

(Excerpt) Read more at theweek.com ...


TOPICS: Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: iran; military; mop; nukes
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To: Calpublican
I hate that they are getting it!

Well for me personally; if Obama has a hand in it 99 out of a 100 times I am going to hate it.

41 posted on 08/08/2015 9:44:28 PM PDT by Pontiac (The welfare state must fail because it is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit.)
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To: bob_denard

i’m thinking a weapon like that doesn’t have to hit a hard target. Plenty of earthquakes in Iran. Hit a fault line and multiply the damage.


42 posted on 08/08/2015 9:53:59 PM PDT by wiggen (#JeSuisCharlie)
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To: bob_denard

So they built deep underground facilities because they wanted people to think they were not developing nuclear weapons ?


43 posted on 08/08/2015 10:00:25 PM PDT by justa-hairyape (The use of the name is sarcastic. Although at times it may not appear that way.)
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To: bob_denard

no problem, Barry would never order such a strike-—unless it was against conservatives


44 posted on 08/09/2015 12:25:37 AM PDT by Reverend Saltine (Don't say, "the administration," or "the EPA"--say "OBAMA." Give him full credit)
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To: BwanaNdege

During WWII, my Dad worked on a team with James Van Allen & J Allen Hyneck at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab in Silver Spring, MD, building the Proximity Fuse.

....

Well, I learned something new. I also learned about the creation of the APL.

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1993-01-11/news/1993011049_1_fuse-proximity-smart-weapons


45 posted on 08/09/2015 7:48:35 AM PDT by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
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To: Pontiac

My point being that the bomb can survive an impact of 23 million foot pounds of energy and have its internal control circuits intact to detonate as designed is amazing.

...

It is awesome, in particular, when it belongs to us.


46 posted on 08/09/2015 7:49:39 AM PDT by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
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To: bob_denard; BwanaNdege; Pontiac; Calpublican; Bon mots; yarddog

Years ago here, I remember a thread that described a ‘titanium spear’ that when dropped from 20,000 feet could penetrate ___ (don’t remember how far). Anyone heard anymore about that titanium spear?


47 posted on 08/09/2015 8:12:08 AM PDT by Mr Apple (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCrO2SPsYjI)
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To: DBrow
What’s wrong with the B61-11?

"The B61-11 can penetrate and detonate below the earth's surface, creating a massive shock wave capable of destroying underground targets. In tests the bomb penetrates only 20 feet into dry earth, even when dropped from altitudes above 40,000 feet. But even this shallow penetration before detonation allows a much higher proportion of the explosion to transferred into ground shock relative to a surface burst. It is not able to counter targets deeply buried under granite rock. Moreover, it has a high yield, in the hundreds of kilotons. If used in North Korea, the radioactive fallout could drift over nearby countries such as Japan.

B61-11 Earth-Penetrating Weapon

(that, and the whole "glow in the dark", precedence and escallation thing...)

[I'll throw in two "/sarc" tags - one for you and one for me]

:-)

48 posted on 08/09/2015 8:55:03 AM PDT by BwanaNdege (.)
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To: Mr Apple

I am not familiar with a titanium spear but I saw one program on one of the history type channels where we used practice bombs quite a bit as real bombs.

With the guided GPS packs on them, they had enough energy to destroy the target with just kinetic energy without damaging nearby targets.


49 posted on 08/09/2015 9:30:26 AM PDT by yarddog (Romans 8:38-39, For I am persuaded.)
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To: Moonman62

Thanks for the link! I’ve passed it along to my sister and my kids, too.

The article mentioned testing it along the Potomac - We have an old photo of my Dad in his surveyor boots and Indiana Jones hat out there at the Aberdeen Proving Ground on the Chesapeake Bay, looking for the place the (non-explosive ) test shells landed.

When I was a kid I had an old peach basket with a table spoon, tin cup, etc to dig in the dirt in my grandmother’s front yard. It also contained one of those non-explosive Proximity Fuses. IIRC, it had a green transparent nose cone, (except the very tip) and the back was a threaded steel tube.


50 posted on 08/09/2015 10:10:19 AM PDT by BwanaNdege (.)
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To: Mr Apple

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_bombardment

http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2004-06/rods-god


51 posted on 08/09/2015 10:16:13 AM PDT by BwanaNdege (.)
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To: yarddog; BwanaNdege
Thank you both for hour informative posts.

52 posted on 08/09/2015 10:42:52 AM PDT by Mr Apple (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCrO2SPsYjI)
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To: bob_denard

AIDS — Acquired Islamic Deficiency Syndrome — the body politic in the host country loses the ability to fight off Islamic infiltration. See also Cameron, David; Obama, Barack Hussein.


53 posted on 08/09/2015 10:56:19 AM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: Mr Apple
Anyone heard anymore about that titanium spear?

If I remember correctly it was one of the proposals under Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative.

But I think it was to be dropped from space. Classified as a kinetic energy weapon.

The ‘titanium spear’ with a defeated uranium core could be dropped by the thousands over perhaps a tank battalion, the self-guided spear could impale the tank from the top.

A small rocket motor might be added to ignite at the last moment before impact to aid penetration.

The Rods from God .

Smart Spears .

54 posted on 08/09/2015 3:15:24 PM PDT by Pontiac (The welfare state must fail because it is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit.)
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