Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Strategies & Market Trends : YEEHAW CANDIDATES -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jibacoa who wrote (18498)	6/8/2006 4:38:10 PM
From: Galirayo	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 23958

[Fire One Off for TXN] UPDATE 1-US precision-guided bombs used for pinpoint strikes Thu Jun 8, 2006 4:30pm ET By Jim Wolf WASHINGTON, June 8 (Reuters) - The two 500-pound bombs used by U.S. forces to kill Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al Qaeda leader in Iraq, are designed for pinpoint strikes meant to curb harm outside the immediate target. The first bomb was a laser-guided GBU-12, said Lt. Gen. Gary North, the top U.S. air commander in the region. It was followed by a GBU-38 strapped to a satellite-guided Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM). Both were dropped by a single F-16C fighter jet that was part of a constant air surveillance effort focused on what the pilots knew to be a "high-value target," North told reporters. An additional bomb was dropped because Zarqawi had been targeted in a "reinforced" safe house, said Maj. Brenda Campbell, an Air Force spokeswoman. "Using two munitions was the right choice," she said. Six people, including a woman and a child, were reported killed in the attack, including Zarqawi, blamed for a bloody campaign of bombings and beheadings, and Sheikh Abdul-Rahman, Zarqawi's spiritual advisor. The attack was against a house in a date palm grove, North said. "We knew with 100 percent assurance that the house that you have seen destroyed was the house that Zarqawi was in," he said. The so-called JDAM is a guidance kit, built by Boeing Co (BA.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and costing less than $25,000, that converts existing unguided free-fall bombs into accurately guided "smart" weapons. Continued... JDAM continues to be the Air Force "warfighter's weapon of choice," an official Air Force Web site said in a headlined article in March. To strike its target, the JDAM relies on a built-in inertial navigation system assisted by the Global Positioning System, a satellite navigation tool operated by the U.S. Defense Department. "In most cases, our bombs are going to fall within 10 feet (3 metres) of the target coordinates," said Steven Wingfield, JDAM business development manager for Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems business unit in St. Louis. Air crews may pick the angle at which the JDAM strikes its target, for instance sending it through a front door rather than a roof. In addition, the weapon can be programmed to go off with a millisecond delay in a basement, for instance, so as to curb what the U.S. military calls collateral damage. JDAM kits come in four sizes: the 2,000-pound (900 kg) BLU-109, the 1,000-pound (450 kg) MK-83 and the 500-pound (225 kg) models, include the MK-82 and GBU-38. The laser-guided bomb, produced by Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN.N: Quote, Profile, Research), uses a 500-pound MK-82 general warhead. Gliding on folding wings, it homes in on a target that has been illuminated with a laser designator, guided by the reflected energy. JDAM can be launched from more than 15 miles (24 km) from its target, guided in by satellite updates that keep it on a precise course. It was first used by allied forces in the Balkans in 1999 and has been used extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan. < Previous 1 \| 2 Next > © Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved. yahoo.reuters.com