How's this for clearing the old sinuses?
Here's how your average fuel-air bomb works: A warhead containing a canister of aerosol liquid such as ethylene oxide or an explosive powder is dropped on a target. "A small initial explosive charge bursts this canister at a predetermined height, allowing the contents to form a concentrated explosive vapor cloud. This cloud is then ignited by a second, larger charge, to generate an intense fireball and blast overpressure. . . . Even if the FAE (fuel-air explosive) fails to detonate completely, it will generate a widespread burning effect," says Jane's. "The temperature can be as high as 3,000 degrees Celsius--more than twice that generated by a conventional explosive. The blast wave can travel at approximately 10,000 feet per second."
The Russians used thermobaric weapons during the 1994-1996 war in Chechnya and in Dagestan in 1999. According to GlobalSecurity.org, "conventional weapons could not force out the Chechens and the Russian Army looked for other ways to move them." The Russians ruled out chemical weapons and resorted to "ground-delivered thermobaric weapons." (It is believed that only the United States, Russia, and the United Kingdom possess versions of the thermobaric bomb.)
But the BLU-118/B (which Jane's believes to be the product of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency's Hard Target Defeat Program Office) takes the fuel-air bomb to the next level. First, the warhead is encased in a 2,000-pound bunker-busting bombshell. Rather than exploding over a widespread area above ground, the BLU-118/B penetrates deep into the ground, through concrete barriers, and then ignites everything inside. Says editor Robert Hewson, "The bomb can be delivered by an F-15 or a B-52 or even a B-2. It's a free-falling smart bomb, guided by a laser either from another plane or from the ground and either dropped on top of a cave or in its mouth, depending on the surrounding territory--ideally you want to drop it at the mouth of the cave."
excerpt taken from Sucking the Air out of a Cave
So basiclly, this means that one minute you are all safe and snug in your underground cave/shelter, next second you are flash-fired in 3,000 degree heat. Lovely.
As for whether or not the C-131 could of lifted the plane the manufactures site lists a max weight of 47,000 lbs so it is conceivable. C-131 Manufacturer Specifications
Here's how your average fuel-air bomb works: A warhead containing a canister of aerosol liquid such as ethylene oxide or an explosive powder is dropped on a target. "A small initial explosive charge bursts this canister at a predetermined height, allowing the contents to form a concentrated explosive vapor cloud. This cloud is then ignited by a second, larger charge, to generate an intense fireball and blast overpressure. . . . Even if the FAE (fuel-air explosive) fails to detonate completely, it will generate a widespread burning effect," says Jane's. "The temperature can be as high as 3,000 degrees Celsius--more than twice that generated by a conventional explosive. The blast wave can travel at approximately 10,000 feet per second."
The Russians used thermobaric weapons during the 1994-1996 war in Chechnya and in Dagestan in 1999. According to GlobalSecurity.org, "conventional weapons could not force out the Chechens and the Russian Army looked for other ways to move them." The Russians ruled out chemical weapons and resorted to "ground-delivered thermobaric weapons." (It is believed that only the United States, Russia, and the United Kingdom possess versions of the thermobaric bomb.)
But the BLU-118/B (which Jane's believes to be the product of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency's Hard Target Defeat Program Office) takes the fuel-air bomb to the next level. First, the warhead is encased in a 2,000-pound bunker-busting bombshell. Rather than exploding over a widespread area above ground, the BLU-118/B penetrates deep into the ground, through concrete barriers, and then ignites everything inside. Says editor Robert Hewson, "The bomb can be delivered by an F-15 or a B-52 or even a B-2. It's a free-falling smart bomb, guided by a laser either from another plane or from the ground and either dropped on top of a cave or in its mouth, depending on the surrounding territory--ideally you want to drop it at the mouth of the cave."
excerpt taken from Sucking the Air out of a Cave
So basiclly, this means that one minute you are all safe and snug in your underground cave/shelter, next second you are flash-fired in 3,000 degree heat. Lovely.
As for whether or not the C-131 could of lifted the plane the manufactures site lists a max weight of 47,000 lbs so it is conceivable. C-131 Manufacturer Specifications
Comment