US B-52s drop new cluster bombs on Iraqi tanks

Reuters | 4/02/03

[kattracks]

US B-52s drop new cluster bombs on Iraqi tanks

WASHINGTON, April 2 (Reuters) - U.S. B-52 bombers dropped six new precision-guided 1,000-pound (454 kg) "cluster" bombs on Wednesday on an Iraqi tank column defending Baghdad, the U.S. military said.

The U.S. Central Command's air component command said the CBU-105 bombs, which each dispense a number of armor-destroying bomblets, were dropped for the first time ever "to stop an Iraqi tank column from continuing its route" toward American troops fighting the Iraqi Republican Guards.

The release did not provide any battle damage assessment of the bombing in central Iraq or say exactly where they had landed. The bombs are upgraded versions of older munitions and have been adapted to allow for wind and weather conditions to make them more accurate.

04/02/03 08:25 ET

[LS]

I think I can give you the "battle damage." DEAD.

[Gefreiter]

Cool. New ordnance for a new model year.

[trebb]

I saw a vid clip on TV last night, where it looked like a whole ridge line exploded at the same time and couldn't figure out how we managed that; they then said it was cluster bombs, but I still had trouble believing it as there was no perceptible delay from one end to the other, it all seemed to happen at once. Looks like our technology is cranking...

[Oldeconomybuyer]

CBU-97/CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon

[BruceS]

I'm wondering why the Iraqis still think they can move "columns" of anything without them being destroyed - whether by cluster bombs or ordinary bombs. I know they are evil, but I didn't think they were this stupid.

[First_Salute]

That was not a cluster bomb strike.

That was a coordinated time to target strike by artillery. The time to target is coordinated so that all the shells arrive at the same instant.

[Riley]

This was the one with the three guys walking from right to left at the bottom of the ridge who went flat when it hit, right?

I saw that, too. I *just missed* getting a video capture of it.

[BillM]

This munition distributes miniature anti tank devices on parachutes. They orient themselves towards armored vehicles and destroy them from above. They use the shaped charge technique and are devastating to massed armor.

[MEG33]

I like your assessment.

[xkaydet65]

Are these the "Rods of God" that I've wondered about since Jerry Pournelle described something similar in "Footfall"?

[Riley]

That was a coordinated time to target strike by artillery.

I think you're right. There wasn't any of the 'crackly' fireworks effect typical of CBUs.

[driftless]

We probably should have dropped leaflets thanking them for being so stupid as to move their armor out into the open. The equivalent of some rag-armed pitcher serving up a fifty mph chest-high fastball to Barry Bonds with the bases loaded.

[EternalVigilance]

Amazing weapon. One minute the enemy has a tank corps, the next minute he doesn't...

[EternalVigilance]

The equivalent of some rag-armed pitcher serving up a fifty mph chest-high fastball to Barry Bonds with the bases loaded.

Yeah, when we were already up 23-0 in the bottom of the ninth... ;-)

[EternalVigilance]

Tom Clancy had us using these on the Chinese in 'the Bear and the Dragon'.

[Daniel Ramsey]

Here is some info and links about fuzed cluster bombs against armor. The CBU-105 is reported to being used just lately.
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/dumb/cbu-87.htm

[CatoRenasci]

Ah, nothing like a nice Divarty 3 in Effect, Time-on-Target fired on a line off a registration point..... Ruins the perps whole day.

[conservativecorner]

BOMBS AWAY FOR FREEDOM!!

[EternalVigilance]

Thanks for the link. Very interesting.

It would seem that in addition to being devastating to armor, they are specifically designed to be anti-personnel, too.

I hate to say it, but I am more concerned about reducing their personnel than I am in taking down their tanks. The Abrams that are rolling in are going to make mincemeat out of any tank they have anyhow, but after the atrocities committed by their troops, they pose a greater longterm danger, IMO.