Posted on 11/05/2001 5:47:46 PM PST by Lady In Blue
Nov 5, 2001
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
That's a curious title.
My understanding was that these "daisy cutters" were used to clear landing areas for planes and helicopters.
Anyways, it's the kind of headline I look forward to every day.
Thanks!
Not likely. 7.5 tons I would believe. But not 7.5 kt.
Hah!
Glad you're recovering from your post-dynastic funk so quickly, Senator.
a 62 Caddy de Ville.
Yes, series 75 overall length: 242.3 inches -- Bombs away!
Goodbye Taliban and Bin Laden...say hello to the Mullah....rofl.
I'm ready to send in my $$$$ for more of these. Perhaps the Red Cross could help, heheh.
A little smaller than the Daisy Cutter, THIS sucker is filled with liquid petroleum, is ruptured just above the ground near the entrance to a cave (where bin Dumbass might be hiding) and the LP allowed to sink into all the little nooks and crannies THEN the ignition source goes off.
If the blast doesn't do the job, the fire will.
Oh yeah -- the thing burns so intensly that it literally sucks all the O2 out of the area, causing suffocation.
Any or all of those methods work for me for bin Dumbass.
"After Rivera."
The article didn't say "30,000 feet." It said that minimum altitiude was 6,000 feet.
IR and GPS technology is very new in terms of dropping bombs. Ever heard of bomb sights? Go back to sleep or a few read WWII novels. If you can't read, then you can watch war documentaries on tv.
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