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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Why Concrete Filled Bombs are Useful |
| 2005-09-15 |
| September 15, 2005: One of the strangest, and most useful, bombs employed in Iraq has been the concrete filled JDAM. Why deliver a 500 pound bomb filled with concrete instead of explosives? You do that if you want to do some damage, but not a lot. Concrete JDAMs were first used in the 1990s to destroy anti-aircraft guns, radars and missiles that Saddam Hussein placed in residential areas. He believed that the Americans would not attack these weapons, for fear of hurting nearby civilians. But it turned out that a laser, or satellite (JDAM) guided concrete smart bomb could take out the air-defense weapons without hurting nearby civilians. The concrete bombs come in various sizes (500, 1,000 and 2,000 pounds), but the new 500 pound JDAM has become a favorite when a concrete version is required. Recently, for example, two small bridges near the Syrian border were seen being used by terrorists to bring in people and weapons. There was no need to completely destroy the bridges (which might take months, or longer, to replace), because the terrorists were slowly being chased from the area. But a concrete bomb on each bridge damaged the structures enough so that they could not be used, but not so much that they could not be repaired in a week or two. Concrete bombs are still used against terrorist targets in residential areas, where the bomb can reach the terrorists before police or ground troops can. It’s all a case of a seemingly off-the-wall weapon idea being, not a joke, but actually quite useful. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #13 I think a JDAM kit on an ACME anvil would be a hoot. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2005-09-15 22:11 |
| #12 The original "Hush-A-Bomb" was the main espionage target of Boris and Natasha on the "Bullwinkle" cartoon. |
| Posted by: SR-71 2005-09-15 19:24 |
| #11 Mahmoud, I have some experience in these matters. They are highly effective! You may want to consider stocking up in ACME regeneration pills. |
| Posted by: Wil E. Coyote 2005-09-15 15:53 |
| #10 Nah, for the New Orleans levees we used the laser guided ice bombs. They melt and don't leave a trace. |
| Posted by: Steve 2005-09-15 14:32 |
| #9 Wonder if some of them ended up in the New Orleans levees. |
| Posted by: john 2005-09-15 13:12 |
| #8 Brings to mind the "Hush-a-Boom" or is it "Hush-a-Bomb" from "Clear and Present Danger" |
| Posted by: Cheaderhead 2005-09-15 13:07 |
| #7 Start them in low earth orbit next. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2005-09-15 11:50 |
| #6 mmurray - lol! Basically your highly accurate seige engine starts at 10,000 ft high? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-09-15 11:12 |
| #5 Acme Industries' anvil project ran into cost overruns. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2005-09-15 11:09 |
| #4 High tech version of the catapult stone. There is always something fullfilling about watching a rock moving at high speeds smash something. |
| Posted by: mmurray821 2005-09-15 11:00 |
| #3 Why Concrete Filled Bombs are Useful up next, Concrete Bombs w/# 24 re-bar. |
| Posted by: Red Dog 2005-09-15 10:52 |
| #2 They don't make the nice "clang" of a cartoon anvil, though. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-09-15 10:40 |
| #1 Improvise, adapt, overcome... |
| Posted by: Raj 2005-09-15 10:37 |