Posted on 11/06/2001 1:15:25 AM PST by kattracks
The U.S. has begun attacking Taliban military forces with the biggest conventional bomb in the Air Force arsenal: a 15,000-pound behemoth known as the daisy cutter.
Daisy cutter bombs — officially called BLU-82s — were used on Taliban front-line positions in northern Afghanistan for the first time over the weekend, U.S. officials said yesterday.
The giant bombs — which are dropped by parachute and detonate just above the ground — cause massive pressure blasts that can kill or maim fighters hiding in caves and tunnels.
The bomb sprays a mist of chemicals over a large target area, then ignites the mist for a huge explosion that incinerates everything within up to 600 yards.
Because the blast is so enormous, the bomb must be dropped from an altitude of at least 6,000 feet so that the plane carrying it can avoid the massive shock wave.
The daisy cutter gets its nickname from the distinctive daisy-like pattern of destruction it leaves behind.
Each bomb is more than 17 feet long and 5 feet in diameter — about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle, but far heavier.
It is so powerful that U.S. forces used it to create instant helicopter landing pads at the end of the Vietnam War, and it can clear large minefields by detonating every mine with its massive concussive blast.
The bomb — 80% of which is explosive material — is sometimes used as much for its psychological impact against the enemy as for its explosive power, senior defense officials said yesterday.
The daisy cutter also was used against Iraqi troops during the Gulf War.
It will be very interesting to find out how effective this little Daisy is.
12,000 lb of high explosive, going off in one tiny spot. Remind me to stay away from such spots.
Because the blast is so enormous, the bomb must be dropped from an altitude of at least 6,000 feet so that the plane carrying it can avoid the massive shock wave.
Sounds like a damned fine thing to drop into a steep-walled valley -- especially one with cave entrances at the bottom.
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The United States has used 15,000-pound ``daisy cutter'' bombs, similar to the one shown in this undated file photo, in the Afghanistan campaign, a defense official said Monday Nov. 5, 2001. The BLU-82 bomb, was developed to provide the USAF with a high-blast bomb for creating corridors through large minefields, but also for use against ground forces. This bomb was also used to clear helicopter landing areas in the jungle. The bomb was designed to be delivered by pushing it out of the rear cargo doors of the USAF's MC-130H Combat Talon (Hercules) aircraft. The bomb was first used in the mine-clearing role by the USAF in 1991, to open the Desert Storm ground war. ( AP Photo/JANES) - Nov 06 12:34 AM ET |
I don't think so. It's because it cuts all (as in ALL!) vegetation down to the ground.
Just the appropriate bomb for these uncivilized dumb barbarian rag heads, I'd say!
The BLU-82 is a 15,000 pound GP bomb originally designed to clear helicopter landing zones in Vietnam. The warhead contains 12,600 pounds of GSX slurry and is detonated just above ground level by a 38-inch fuze extender. The weapon produces an overpressure of 1,000 pounds per square inch. Eleven BLU-82s were dropped during Desert Storm, all from Special Operations C-130s. The initial drops were intended to test the ability of the bomb to clear mines; no reliable bomb damage assessment exist on mine clearing effectiveness. Later, bombs were dropped as much for their psychological effect as for their destructive power.
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