riga@uncecs.edu (Helmuts A. Fiefs) (10/10/90)
From: Helmuts A. Fiefs <riga@uncecs.edu> The poster that indicated that FAM's were used to clear lz's was most likely wrong. I remember that a blockbuster , 10k tnt bomb, used in WW2 was the weopon of choice. It knocked down trees and really cleared the area. As I remeber in one instance a c130 was used to deliver the ordinace. I was on a team that evaluated FAM's as tools for clearing minefields, worked well, but it did not knock down trees. The blast did defoliate all bushes and small trees in it's blast area. The wepon was really developed to be used to get troops in protected area (trenches, tanks, etc). Air delivery would be a problem because of the exquisite fusing required. Distance of the ground, airspeed and ground temperature could all be significant problems in the effective used of this ordinance. Not a fun weapon if youy are in the cloud.
markc@hpcvlx.cv.hp.com (Mark Cook) (10/15/90)
From: Mark Cook <markc@hpcvlx.cv.hp.com> Helmuts, certain types of FAMs were used to clear LZs during the Vietnam war. The BLU-82/B 15,000-lb. general purpose bomb is specifically referenced in the following expert. The following text is excerpted from "Arsenal of Democracy-III: AMERICA'S WAR MACHINE (The Pursuit of Global Dominance)" by Tom Gervasi (Global Press, 1984 - ISBN 0-394-54102-2) page 253: "FUEL AIR MUNITIONS - Developed toward the end of the war in Vietnam, this new type of air munition uses highly volatile fuels, including ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, meththylacetlyene, propadiene, propane and butane, to produce an explosive rather than an incendiary effect. Released into the air, they form a highly combustible cloud that, on detonation, produces more than five times the energy of its equivalent weight in TNT. This is more than sufficient to detonate magnetic, electro-magnetic, hydraulic, seismic and infrared antitank and anti-personnel mines, whether of long impulse of double-impulse fusing. Fuel air munitions are also a formidable anti- personnel weapon, producing blast overpressures that casue lethal concussion. These are the major types in service or in development: CBU-55/B 500-lb. FUEL AIR MUNITION: Three 100-lb. canisters, each with 72 lbs. of fuel, which separate on release from the launching aircraft and disperse a cloud of fuel 56 feet across and 9 feet thick, that is detonated by delayed-action fuses 3 inches above the ground, producing a blast overpressure of 300 pounds per square inch, sufficient to incapacitate or kill men in bunkers, foxholes and tunnels. Total weight: 460 lbs. CBU-72/B 500-lb. FUEL AIR MUNITION: The CBU-55/B fitted with drogue parachutes to retard descent, for delivery by high-speed aircraft such as the A-4 Skyhawk and A-7 Corsair II. PAVE PAT II 2,500 lb. FUEL AIR MUNITION: A sheet steel container filled with 2,245 lbs. of pressurized propane. The Pave Pat Blue 72 version is for delivery by the A-1 Skyraider, and the Pave Pat Blue 76 version is a reinforced container for delivery by high- speed aircraft such as the F-4 Phantom. MAD FAE (MASS AIR DELIVERY, FUEL AIR EXPLOSIVE): Twelve containers, each of 136 lbs of ethylene oxide or propylene oxide, attached on a line in single file to the freight hook of the CH-46, CH-53, or UH-1 helicopter, with stabilizing panels to keep the line from twisting, and releasing simultaneously or in sequence, dispersing a volatile cloud over an area of more that 1,000 feet in length. In development for the Marine Corps, and first tested at China Lake, California in 1960. FAESHED (FUEL AIR EXPLOSIVE, HELICOPTER DELIVERED): The CBU-44/B modified for use by the U.S. Army in mine clearance operations. SLUFAE (SURFACE LAUNCHED UNIT, FUEL AIR EXPLOSIVE): A mobile ground unit based on the chassis for the M-113A1 armoured personnel carrier, mounting a series of 30 launch tubes for the 5" (121.8 mm) Zuni rocket. Each rocket is equipped with the Pave Pat Blue 73 Fuel Air Munition warhead, and has a range of 750 yards (2,250 feet). Used for mine clearance, the system has a kill radius of 33 feet for pressure- fuse mines and 112 feet for pull-fused trip-wired mines. BLU-82/B 15,000-lb. GENERAL PURPOSE BOMB: ALso known as the Daisy Cutter or Big Blue 82, thsi is a cast steel case filled with 12,600 lbs. of DBA-22M, an aqueous mixture of ammonium nitrate, aluminum powder, and polystyrene soap as a binder. It produces an explosion of a size and intensity that observers have described as "the closest thing to a nuclear bomb" and is used not only for mine clearance but to create landing pads for helicopters and STOL aircraft. Producing blast overpressures in excess of 1,000 pounds per square inch, it literally shears off trees and other obstructions at ground level. The only way to understand the force of concussion it brings to bear on the human body is to picture a man being hit by a baseball bat at full strength, and then to imagine him hit by that kind of force at every exposed portion of his body simultaneously." Whew! Kind of makes you want to run right off, rip the propane tank off of your travel-trailer, and pitch it into a bonfire, doesn't it? :-) Later, "Most human problems can be solved by an appropriate charge of high explosive." - Blaster (_UNCOMMON_VALOR_) Mark F. Cook USMail: User Interface Technical Support Hewlett-Packard - Interface Technology Operation 1000 NE Circle Blvd. Corvallis, OR 97330 ARPA: markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.com UUCP: {cmcl2, harpo, hplabs, rice, tektronix}!hp-pcd!hpcvss!markc "The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of my employer, not necessarily mine, and probably not necessary."
major@uunet.UU.NET (Mike Schmitt) (10/18/90)
From: bcstec!shuksan!major@uunet.UU.NET (Mike Schmitt) In article <1990Oct10.000446.29977@cbnews.att.com>, riga@uncecs.edu (Helmuts A. Fiefs) writes: > > > From: Helmuts A. Fiefs <riga@uncecs.edu> > The poster that indicated that FAM's were used to clear lz's was most > likely wrong. I remember that a blockbuster , 10k tnt bomb, used in WW2 was > the weopon of choice. It knocked down trees and really cleared the area.... I've gone into LZs cleared by these types of "daisy cutters" - helicoptors have to hover 5-6 feet off the ground 'cause the splintered stumps of trees are 3-4 feet high. 'Tis no fun jumping out - specially carrying a 50lb ruck sack!!!! Some missions were aborted 'cause the helicoptors could not set down. (Who picked this LZ anyway?) mts
jumper@hobbes.ncsu.edu (Michael Lanham) (10/24/90)
From: jumper@hobbes.ncsu.edu (Michael Lanham) bcstec!shuksan!major@uunet.UU.NET (Mike Schmitt) writes: >In article <1990Oct10.000446.29977@cbnews.att.com>, riga@uncecs.edu (Helmuts A. Fiefs) writes: >> >> >> From: Helmuts A. Fiefs <riga@uncecs.edu> >> The poster that indicated that FAM's were used to clear lz's was most >> likely wrong. I remember that a blockbuster , 10k tnt bomb, used in WW2 was >> the weopon of choice. It knocked down trees and really cleared the area.... > I've gone into LZs cleared by these types of "daisy cutters" - helicoptors > have to hover 5-6 feet off the ground 'cause the splintered stumps of trees > are 3-4 feet high. 'Tis no fun jumping out - specially carrying a 50lb > ruck sack!!!! Some missions were aborted 'cause the helicoptors could > not set down. (Who picked this LZ anyway?) Actually, the poster was not wrong. It probable depends on the area that the FAM was used and the terrain of the future lz. my dad has told me several times that they had to use FAMs to clear bamboo grass for lzs. -- Hewho will not reason, is a bigot; he who cannot is a fool; and he who dares not is a slave. --- Sir William Drummond Michael Lanham mjlanham@eos.ncsu.edu