Article

2004-03-01

Task Force Ironhorse 2-29-2004

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Posted by Chuck Simmins 2004-03-01 10:03:43 AM|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 and 50 BLU-97 submunitions.
What? Perhaps they salvaged them somehow?

Posted by Shipman 2004-3-1 10:10:56 AM|| 2004-3-1 10:10:56 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 I'm pretty sure that US combat deaths in Feb were well below 29 (one per day), although Iraqis murdered in suicide attacks must have topped 200.

Maybe tomorrow the Central command will put out the stats.

Posted by mhw 2004-3-1 10:38:39 AM|| 2004-3-1 10:38:39 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Shipman, sounds like they picked up the ones that didn't go off:
The BLU-97/B Combined Effects Bomb contains a shaped charge, scored steel casing and zirconium ring for anti-armor, fragmentation and incendiary capability. The bomblet case is made of scored steel designed to break into approximately 300 preformed ingrain fragments for defeating light armor and personnel. CEB is an effective weapon against such targets as air defense radars, armor, artillery, and personnel. However, because the bomblets are dispensed over a relatively large area and a small percentage of them typically fail to detonate, there is an unexploded-ordnance hazard associated with this weapon.

If they picked up 50 of these you gotta wonder how many others went boom when they tried.

Posted by Steve 2004-3-1 10:52:06 AM|| 2004-3-1 10:52:06 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 If they picked up 50 of these you gotta wonder how many others went boom when they tried.

"However, if the submunitions are disturbed or disassembled, they may explode, thus, the need for early and aggressive unexploded-ordnance clearing efforts."

One can only hope that a number of terrorists managed to get their hands blown off in such a manner.

Posted by Bomb-a-rama 2004-3-1 11:56:16 AM|| 2004-3-1 11:56:16 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 "... contains a shaped charge, scored steel casing and zirconium ring..."

Uh, what's the zirconium for? Something the marketing boys dreamed up? "New! Improved! Now with Zirconium!"

Posted by SteveS 2004-3-1 12:39:44 PM|| 2004-3-1 12:39:44 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 Steve, my guess is that it's a fulcrum, intended to pivot the casing pieces as they fragment. It lasts just a tad longer in the explosion than the casing, so it affects the movement of the fragments.

Posted by Chuck Simmins 2004-3-1 1:58:47 PM|| [http://blog.simmins.org] 2004-3-1 1:58:47 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 Zirconium is the indendiary. Much more stable than the old standbyes Magnesium or Phosphorous. Plus, it really catches the eyes of the ladies.

Posted by ed 2004-3-1 4:40:22 PM|| 2004-3-1 4:40:22 PM|| Front Page Top

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