The Burrowing Nuke (Saddam Has No Place To Hide)

Village Voice ^ | 25-31 December 2002 | George Smith

[shrinkermd]

Six out of 10 Americans think it would be OK to nuke Iraq. And the president wants the option to use H-bombs preemptively in the war on terror. So what would be the Armageddon punch of choice for the Butcher of Baghdad and a million or so people standing too close to him?

Since The Washington Post spoke for the people on deployment of nukes, it would be good for some people to know that the go-to bomb would be the B-61—one of the nightmare weapons of the thermonuclear armory.

Also affectionately known as the "burrowing bomb," the newest edition of the B-61, called the Mk-11, was developed just for use against non-nuclear third-world patsy-tyrants who have heard the call of "Dig we must," and buried themselves and their alleged caches of biological and chemical weapons deep underground.

Built ram tough with a heavy metal casing for smashing through earth and concrete, the B-61 explodes with the force of an estimated 340,000 tons of TNT. It is lots of bang for the buck, literally two apocalypse bombs in one—a boosted plutonium firecracker called the primary, and a heavy hydrogen secondary for that good old-fashioned H-bomb fireball. The B-61 also features a detonation option called the Dial-a-Yield for those times when 340 kilotons is just a little too much.

To get a handle on the full power of the B-61, consider that the WW II A-bombs produced fireballs about 800 yards across. Seventeen times more powerful, a B-61 over the tip of Manhattan would probably provide decent annihilation, engulfing most of the borough while extending the same courtesy to Brooklyn, Queens, and a good chunk of Staten Island.

Saddam has dug but he won't be able to hide. One B-61 will bring on a calamity of biblical proportions between Tigris and Euphrates. The sky will turn the color of sackcloth, the Arab world will supernova, our European allies will try our leaders in absentia as war criminals in the Hague—but, hey, anyone who contemplates using the thing plans on America's hair getting a little mussed.

Strangeloves in the administration and the weapons labs believe future B-61 blasts will be contained below ground, making this a great war-fighter, not a doomsday device. But the only people who believe that get paid by the government to do so

[shrinkermd]

Village Voice aside, it is nice to know the Prez has options.

[M Kehoe]

I hope that some liberal/democRAT/socialist comes upon this article. Just because I bumped it.

Sometimes, for no good reason, I slaughter the English language.

5.56mm

[error99]

da bomb bump

[piasa]

Cool, but someone needs to tell the Village Voice that the following info, while 'cute,' is utterly worthless, shrill, emotional hype considering that it is a BURROWING weapon and isn't designed to go off ABOVE ground.

Seventeen times more powerful, a B-61 over the tip of Manhattan would probably provide decent annihilation, engulfing most of the borough while extending the same courtesy to Brooklyn, Queens, and a good chunk of Staten Island.

[ARCADIA]

It sounds like just the kind of tribute Saddam deserves. It would probably spare the 10,000 us troops that it would take to dig the maggot out of his hole.

[Paradox]

Blah blah blah, Click Here for some less hysterical info. The B61-11 ("Mod 11") is what he is talking about here. Kills badguys, sounds good to me.

[AngrySpud]

The Village idiots are probably worried that instead of burrowing into the earth, the weapon bounces off a cooking pot and detonates above-ground.

[PoorMuttly]

Please...no more posts like this. I just got in trouble for digging more holes in the back yard. I promised FR was a good influence on me. And if I get the bird-bath to topple over again...even though it's just the best place to hide things...there'll be trouble.

Sounds like a nice gizmo, though.

[freebilly]

New from Ronco! The E-Z Assembly Dial-A-Yield!

[sheik yerbouty]

ith "the Village Voice", it is probably a bungholing bomb.

[Skibane]

Interesting link, Paradox, thanks —

The B61-11 has a reported capability to destroy targets at depths of several hundred feet at its highest yield setting.

[Slewfoot]

Strangeloves in the administration and the weapons labs believe future B-61 blasts will be contained below ground, making this a great war-fighter, not a doomsday device.

This one is designed to take out a hardened site like a missile silo not the really deep bunkers like soddamn has dug. It does not borrow deep enough to contain the blast nor close the hole behind it. It will vaporize a lot of dirt and rock around where it lands especiallly when borrowed in below the surface, making it a very dirt bomb from a fallout perspective. A below surface blast would have a smaller blast damage area than an air blast but much greater fallout. I don't think the voice got it on this bomb.

[slimer]

Strangeloves in the administration and the weapons labs believe future B-61 blasts will be contained below ground, making this a great war-fighter, not a doomsday device.

One way to find out is to give one a try - then we'll know and can proceed vigorously until Iraq glistens like glass from satellite pictures.

[Mr. Mojo]

our European allies will try our leaders in absentia as war criminals in the Hague

That will merely be confirmation - not that we need any - that we did the right thing.

[Slewfoot]

Borrow.....Burrow? did I do that?

[Squantos]

The Village Idiots Presstitutes see "burrowing" and think it's designed to take out the burroughs....:o)

Stay Safe !

[17th Miss Regt]

I must disagree. This one is designed for hardened command sites. It is supposed to burrow about 20 feet or so and then go off. The shock wave will smash the underground site. You still get a big nasty crater. This was a replacement for the older B-53 monsters. Those were to be delivered in a laydown mode on top of a site and then detonated. But the nine megaton yield left a much nastier crater. The Mod 11 bombs are much more efficient. For missile sites we have ICBMs and SLBMs.

[Slewfoot]

We agree, I just shouldn't have used a silo as an example of a hardened target. The voice implied the blast would be contained is what I found misleding. 340kt 20 feet down will not be contained. iirc saddam has burkers 160 ft down these bombs probably would not reach them. I'm thinking these bombs are part of the new strategy putting a smaller bomb in the right place rather than a B-53 in the area of a target and taking out the whole area.

[error99]

HEY !
The B-53 (Mk-53) high yield strategic thermonuclear bomb.
We apparently have 50 of these old babies in current inventory
that are just looking for an excuse to be used "somewhere".

[Tijeras_Slim]

Sedan crater (104KT DOB 632') simulated a 1MT surface burst. It is ~1200' across and 350' deep.

Can I volunteer for putting the "If you're close enough to read this, you're too close." bumperstickers on the B-53?