Posted on 04/09/2002 4:18:35 PM PDT by Excuse_My_Bellicosity
04/09/02 - WASHINGTON -- Despite reports to the contrary, defense officials said they have not violated the law of armed conflict during the war on terrorism.
Some media organizations, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, have questioned the Air Force’s use of the BLU-118/B “thermobaric” bomb on March 5 against al-Qaida fighters in a cave near Gardez, Afghanistan. Critics have claimed the bomb qualifies as a weapon of mass destruction because it is designed to detonate in two stages.
That claim is untrue, officials said.
The design of the BLU-118 allows for greater internal blast effectiveness, said Lt. Col. Thomas Ward, program manager of the hard target defeat branch of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
“This is done with a single-stage detonation, not in two stages as hypothesized by the articles,” he said.
“Many explosive fills try to balance the fuel and oxidizer within the same mix,” Ward said. “The general principle behind the new weapon is to carry a higher percentage of fuel, and attempt to use available oxygen from the target area to add to the reaction, resulting in a higher overpressure.”
Other reported inaccuracies were caused in part, Ward said, by wrongly comparing the BLU-118 to a dissimilar Russian weapon. The Russian weapons used during its occupation of Afghanistan and, more recently, in Chechnya are more similar to a fuel-air explosive. These fuel-air bombs relied on a mist of liquid explosives to provide a secondary detonation.
The United States used a two-stage fuel-air explosive weapon, the BLU-82, in Vietnam. During the first stage, the fuel was spread and combined with oxygen in the atmosphere. A second stage detonator then ignited the fuel-air mixture. Unlike the BLU-82 or the Russian weapons, the BLU-118 uses a solid explosive that is detonated without previously having been dispersed and mixed with air, thereby making it a single-stage weapon.
The BLU-118 uses its fuel-rich composition to release energy over a longer period than traditional explosives, thereby creating a longer-duration blast effect when detonated in a confined area, such as a cave.
“The blast pressure from a traditional bomb explosive material starts strong but dissipates rapidly, which can result in relatively limited base effects deep within tunnels,” said Lt. Cmdr. Donald Sewell of the office of the Secretary of Defense for public affairs.
“The blast pressure of a thermobaric weapon, which combines a smaller amount of traditional explosive material with fuel enriched compounds (mostly aluminum), begins less strongly but builds within a confined space and extends over longer duration,” he said.
This increased blast pressure produces destructive effects over much greater distances within a tunnel or cave.
An added benefit to the thermobaric bomb, Sewell said, is reduced potential for collateral damage when detonated outside of a confined space.
“As with all new weapon acquisitions and modifications, use of the BLU-118 was reviewed and found consistent with all international legal obligations of the United States, including the law of armed conflict,” Sewell said.
'nuff said.
This rag makes Pravda look reactionary.
Now that's what I want to hear!
Just for the record...
Memo to U.S. Air Force: The designated test range for the BLU-118/C shall be the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Rat poison injections?
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