OT: U.S. dropping VW's on Taliban.

[smallTTs]

The BLU-82 (BLU = "Bomb, Live Unit") or Commando Vault is the 15000 lb monster which is extracted from the back door of a C-130 (called Combat Talon in the Gulf War) perhaps aided by a drouge parachute...it comes out tailend first...then falls to the ground exploding at ground level when the instantaneous (no delay)fuse on a 38 inch extension first touches.

The effect is blast (1000psi!) and shock. It pulverizes anything in about a 600 ft radius, (it looked like a plowed and disked field in the jungle, and was used to make big LZ's or Landing Zones for choppers) and produces a mushroom cloud reminicent of a tiny nuke(there is "only" about 6 tons of explosive, while a small nuke is equivalent 10,000 and up tons).

It's NOT like napalm which "sucks" up the oxygen but doesn't produce much blast. The BLU-82 will ring your bell from a couple of miles away. Within the central blast area virtually nothing survives. Probably a underground concrete bunker would, but that's not the target.

I was airborne a few miles from a detonation in Southeast Asia long ago, and could feel the shock wave. As a matter of fact, in the humid jungle, you could see the shock wave travel out from the blast as the moisture condensed.

That is one awe-inspiring weapon.

My $.02.

• http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/dumb/blu-82.htm

[smallTTs]

blast (overpressure) that the BLU-82 does.

There was a 2000 lb FAE (BLU-96) however.

The link is for the BLU-82, as posted above.

This one is for the FEA bombs.

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/dumb/cbu-72.htm

No offense intended.

• http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/dumb/blu-82.htm

[0TT0 BURNER]

[smallTTs]

If nothing else, plunking down a few "Bluey" 82's should have a pretty good demoralizing effect on the nearby survivors. Bet they duck the next time they see a C-130 fly over!

As I recall, the C-130 zooms up a couple hundred feet as the bomb leaves...sorta like having 65-70 paratroopers leave in 1/10 of a second!

My $.02

[0TT0 BURNER]