Posted on 10/08/2005 5:13:52 PM PDT by strategofr
One of the strangest, and most useful, bombs employed in Iraq has been the concrete filled JDAM. Why deliver a 500 pound bomb filled with concrete instead of explosives? You do that if you want to do some damage, but not a lot. Concrete JDAMs were first used in the 1990s to destroy anti-aircraft guns, radars and missiles that Saddam Hussein placed in residential areas.
He believed that the Americans would not attack these weapons, for fear of hurting nearby civilians. But it turned out that a laser, or satellite (JDAM) guided concrete smart bomb could take out the air-defense weapons without hurting nearby civilians. The concrete bombs come in various sizes (500, 1,000 and 2,000 pounds), but the new 500 pound JDAM has become a favorite when a concrete version is required.
Recently, for example, two small bridges near the Syrian border were seen being used by terrorists to bring in people and weapons. There was no need to completely destroy the bridges (which might take months, or longer, to replace), because the terrorists were slowly being chased from the area. But a concrete bomb on each bridge damaged the structures enough so that they could not be used, but not so much that they could not be repaired in a week or two.
Concrete bombs are still used against terrorist targets in residential areas, where the bomb can reach the terrorists before police or ground troops can. Its all a case of a seemingly off-the-wall weapon idea being, not a joke, but actually quite useful.
Wait till you find out about the asphalt bomb.
No, no, it's tooo horrible, I can't tell you, the very
thought makes me ill.
Gives a whole new meaning to the term "getting plastered".
I vote for a bacon grease bomb, with pork rind shrapnel.
I'm still partial to the idea of a MOOREDAM screaming in from about 30,000 feet.
Any way one of these things would be accurate and maneuverable enough to be dropped on Mugabe's head?
Now you're talking! I hope DARPA is on it right now....
or a real funny bomb as use in NAM on the HM trail
I'd like to see the "low bidder" on this contract...
er... well it takes 500 lbs of "Quick-rete" and uh... you pack it into this metal tube with a couple of fins and GPS..
+ +
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Hope the bombs were smothered in lard and then dropped.
"I vote for a bacon grease bomb, with pork rind shrapnel."
Id like to see a MOAB version of that being used.
I just hate the idea of a bunch of terrorists only getting scared instead of dead. Real bombs leading to the approaches, cluster munitions, GATOR mine dispensers, napalm if we still had it.
Great. Like lobbing a $1.5M rock.
I absolutely LOVE this title!!!
Agreed. My father always used to say you should strap a pig to every single bomb dropped just for "good measure."
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