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

[kristinn]

No, I said Bud Light !!! Anheuser Busch, St. Louis, MO.

[Southack]

So basically one of our C-130 CARGO planes can drop more firepower during a single flight than the entire Taliban has in their arsenal, for a mere $27 grand...

[Riley]

I was reading on another thread today that Taliban trains to run toward descending parachutes. Heh, heh, heh...

That's great. The Tallyban will think they're running for the smorgasbord. Won't they be surprised!?

Reminds me of an incident involving an SOG spy team that had been captured as soon as they hit the ground in North Vietnam. North Vietnamese intelligence kept up radio communications, masquerading as the 'team', with controllers at SOG. SOG told them that there would be a supply drop at thus and such grid coordinates at thus and such time and day. The drop would be from an F-4 Phantom, and the supply canisters would be disguised as bombs. Heh, heh, heh...

[Southack]

Post #80 Rocks!

[GOPJ]

An idea whose time has come...

"Do we have any Freepers at DoD? We could start a fundraising effort to buy and have delivered a FreeRepublic bomb."

[Trueblackman]

Where do I send my check???

[F.J. Mitchell]

# 7: The Muslims surely approve- the way they embrace death, this bomb must be the fulfillment of their most erotic dream.

[libsrscum]

I can see it now... the Free Republic Bonnie BLU-82!!

Aw... beauuuutifull!!

So where do I send my donation?

[Riley]

An idea whose time has come...

I wonder if there's some mechanism in place for doing so.
If it happens, I vote for buying a BLU-82 as the...

FREEREPUBLIC.BOMB

[Clinton's a liar]

LOL! I looooove you, man! hehe

[los]

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

Do you suppose the taliban fighters saw the chute and thought they were receiving a relief package intended for the refugees?

[BobinIL]

I have a great idea. use a bunch of those crash test dummies dressed as specials forces as a decoy parachuting out of C 130 in broad daylight real close to the taliban lines and mix a couple of these daisy cutters in with them. The ole taliban will come running out of there trenches thinking they are going to reap that big reward Osama has put on our guys when kaboooooom all the get is their 72 virgins.

[FreeReign]

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

Let's keep the SUV's here. Send them an Air Born B-58 Buick Special.

[Bogie]

Kool!

[Clinton's a liar]

You have a future in PSYOP and deception plans, BobinIL!

[Come get it]

bump

[TRY ONE]

But we must first determine if John McLain approved...

[alley cat]

Is this one of those fuel/air jobs that FReepers are so enamored of?

[xkaydet65]

I haven't checked out all the replies so I apologize if I repeat mentioning some points. The term daisy cutter referred in VietNam to a bomb that exploded metal fragments at a fixed height above the ground,cutting all people and vegetation off at the knees, so to speak. The weapon described here sounds like a fuel air explosive. Weapons of this type were used to form LZ's in Nam, and the VietNamese Air Force used a few, hurled from C123 aicraft to impede NVA units in their attack on Saigon in May 75. There was a rather shocked reaction from NViet propaganda people on the barbaric nature of the weapon. I guess Afghanistan is a fitting place to use it.

[ol' hoghead]

Send them an Air Born B-58 Buick Special.

or a 62 Caddy de Ville.