U.S. Uses Huge Bomb Against Taliban Forces

Associated Press ^ | November 5, 2001 | staff

[Lady In Blue]

Nov 5, 2001

U.S. Uses Huge Bomb Against Taliban Forces

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - With its use of the 15,000-pound "daisy cutter" bomb in Afghanistan, the United States has unleashed one of its most powerful weapons - billed as the world's largest conventional bomb.

The BLU-82 combines a watery mixture of ammonium nitrate and aluminum with air, then ignites the mist for a huge explosion that incinerates everything within up to 600 yards. The shock wave can be felt miles away.

The BLU-82 uses about six times the amount of ammonium nitrate explosive that Timothy McVeigh used in the bomb that blew up the Oklahoma City federal building in 1995.

First created during the Vietnam War to quickly clear jungle landing zones, the daisy cutter also was used against Iraqi troops during the Gulf War. Reports from the ground in Afghanistan indicate the huge bombs have been used against front-line Taliban positions.

The bombs cost about $27,000 each. They are dropped from a C-130 cargo plane flying at least 6,000 feet off the ground, to avoid the bomb's massive shock wave. Each is more than 17 feet long and 5 feet in diameter - about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle but far heavier.

AP-ES-11-05-01 2047EST

This story can be found at : http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGA6ASS1PTC.html

[Lady In Blue]

FYI and DISCUSSION.

[anniegetyourgun]

We need to make 'em bigger still and even more deadly. In fact, someone needs to create something that works like a nuke but isn't a nuke. Then we can wage war and the peaceniks will never know the difference....

[LoneGOPinCT]

Fire away. Money well spent.

[nevergore]

Cool! Pretty reasonably priced for the bang.......

NeverGore

[Kevin Curry]

The bombs cost about $27,000 each.

Dirt-cheap bargains. Talk about "bang for buck."

[Trueblackman]

Daisy cutter and the size of a VW it gives new meaning to the word FLOWER POWER!!!

[GuillermoX]

Yeah, but do the Muslims across the world approve??

[auggy]

Question is: Why have they waited,until ,now to use them?

[Boston Capitalist]

I am presuming they are "unguided". What kind of accuracy can they get from 30,000 feet?

[Kevin Curry]

Daisy cutter and the size of a VW it gives new meaning to the word FLOWER POWER!!!

Good one!

[Hillary 666]

The bombs cost about $27,000 each.

Right on, the price is right, too! No need to use million dollar cruise missiles after achieving air supremacy. I hope the Taliban loves it as much as we do.

[Nuke'm Glowing]

$27,000? Where do we send our money to?

[doug from upland]

This isn't good enough. I want it the size of a Lincoln Navigator not a damn little V-dub.

[Timmy]

Just saw this on TV. They use a parachute to float them down in order to give the plane time to clear the area.

[Hillary 666]

The bombs cost about $27,000 each.

Dirt-cheap bargains. Talk about "bang for buck."

You beat me to it. The price is right and that bomb has got to pure terror for the frontline troops. Still feeling frisky, Taliban?

[TomGuy]

Does this mean the duel's off? Awwwwwwwwww! Shucks!

[Lady In Blue]

I saw a bit of Fox News Channels,late Thursday and they showed something that was awsome! It was,I think, a "Fire bomb"? Did anybody see Fox last Thursday? It was a monster.It doesn't explode right away.It goes down about 50 feet and then explodes.It looked like the opening to hell!

[CWOJackson]

Bombs Away!

[Lady In Blue]

Agree!

[classygreeneyedblonde]