JHP; Likely was a daisy cutter type bomb
It is in fact the poor mans nuke.
Using highly volatile fules, including ethylene oxide, proplene oxide , eththylacetlyene, propadiene, propane and butane it produces a explosive rather than incendary effect.
It is a two stage aerial munition, stage one generates a higly combustiable cloud that is then detonated.
Produces five times the energy of the same weight of TNT. (you can do the same thing with a grain
silo, called a dust explosion).
The blast overpressure is such that it
kills with lethal concussion and is effective in detonating, magnetic, electromagnetic, hydraulic, seismic and infrared antitank and anti-personnel mines, long impulse and duble-impluse fusing.
Developed toward the end of the Vietnam war.
Some types in service
CBU-55/B 500-LB FUEL AIR MUNITION
CBU-72/B 500-LB FUEL AIR MUNITION
PAVE PAT II 2,500 FUEL AIR MUNITION
MAD FAE (MASS AIR DELIVER, FUEL AIR EXPLOSIVE, 12 X 136 LBS OF ETHYLENE
OR PROPLENE OXIDE)
FAESHED (FUEL AIR EXPLOSIVE, HELICOPTER DELIVERED
SLUFAE (SURFACE LAUNCHED UNIT, FULE AIR EXPLOSIVE
BLU-82/B 15,000-LB GENREAL PURPOSE BOMB, the famouse Daisy Cutter or Big
Blue 82, 12,600-lbs, a cast steel case filled with DBA-22m, aqueous
ammonium nitrate, aluminum powder and polystyrene soap as a binder.
Generates a blast overpressure in excess of 1,000 pounds per square inch
capable of sheering trees and other obstructions at ground level. |
