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Military News: USAF Takes Delivery Of The GBU‑57 A /B Penetrator ‑ Now There's Nowhere To Hide: (MailOnline – 18th November 2011.) Military technology has created some fearsome weapons such as the 5,000 lb GBU-28 Deep Throat bunker buster, the 15,000 lb BLU-82 Daisycutter, the 15,650 lb Russian ATBIP (an aviation Thermobaric Bomb of Increased Power), the 22,000 lb Grand Slam earthquake bomb, and the 22,600 lb GBU-43 MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Blast), but if you were hiding under 50 meters of hardened concrete, none of them were going to bother you. Not any more! The U.S. Air Force has just taken delivery of the first GBU-57A/13 (Massive Ordnance Penetrator). It weighs 30,000 lb and will penetrate 200 ft of hardened concrete BEFORE it goes off. If you are reading this from an underground nuclear facility in Iran or North Korea, might we suggest some extended sick leave is (or soon will be) in order. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator is that it is a relatively simple weapon.
An artist's impression of the GBU‑57 A /B in flight. The GBU acronym at the front of the official designation for the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (GBU57 A /B or MOP) can be found at the front of the name of almost everything the United States Air Force drops from a plane these days. Not all that long ago, bombs were dropped in large numbers in the hope that at least some of them would hit their target. These days, almost every bomb and missile is delivered with pinpoint accuracy. GBU stands for Guided Bomb Unit, and it means that the 20 foot GBU-57 A /B missile is zeroed in on the target by a GPS navigation system guiding its four lattice-type fins. Not surprisingly, the bomb is intended for only one purpose - to destroy the type of hardened concrete bunkers which house central command facilities and weapons of mass destruction. It's hence not surprising that the program has been hurried into readiness with the growing concern that Iran has developed nuclear weaponry. It is designed to penetrate supposedly untouchable facilities in one piece. The warhead case of the MOP is made from a special high performance steel alloy designed to maintain the integrity of the penetrator case during impact so that the payload can then do its job most effectively by exploding deep underground. The MOP is deployed from high altitude and allows gravity to add momentum to its 30,000 pound weight so that it hits with enormous kinetic energy. Put simply, the MOP hits exactly where it is intended to hit with enough energy to bury itself 200 + feet into hardened concrete, then it explodes its 5,300 pound warhead. The image below is a diagram from the original proposal for the MOP from February 2004. The GBU- 57A/B will penetrate 200 feet (61metres) of 5,000 psi reinforced concrete, 26 feet of 10,000 psi reinforced concrete, or 130 feet of moderately hard rock.
The MOP is designed to be carried aboard B-2 and B-52 bombers so there's nowhere that is out of reach. The B-52 has a combat range of nearly 9,000 miles, but aerial refuelling means it effectively has an unlimited range. During Operation Desert Strike on September 2/3, 1996, two B-52s flew out of Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana and disrupted communications in Baghdad with A GM-86C cruise missiles. By the time the mission was over, 34 hours had expired. Hence it would be fair to say that the B‑-52 is only limited in its range by the endurance of the four-person air crew. The most likely aircraft to deliver the MOP however, is the B-2 Spirit which like the B-52, can carry two mops. The largely composite B-2 has vastly reduced infrared, acoustic, electromagnetic, visual and radar signatures, extraordinary aerodynamic efficiency, a long range (6,000 miles) without refuelling and a massive payload. It is hence a potent delivery system for the likes of the MOP, as it is very difficult for defensive systems to detect, track and engage. With aerial refuelling, there is now nowhere to hide.
The actual size of the weapon compared with workers at the manufacturing site Specifications: Length: 20.5 feet (6.2 m)
Remains Of Fallen Diggers Identified: (ABC News – 31st March.) Australian military investigators have successfully identified the remains of Australian servicemen killed overseas during World War I and II. The bodies of two Australian soldiers buried in Papua New Guinea during World War II have been identified after almost 67 years, while investigators identified another nine soldiers who died at the Battle of Fromelles. The men who died in PNG have been identified as Lieutenant Scobell McFerran-Rogers and Private John Whitworth from the Australian Z Special Unit, who were buried in unmarked graves at the Port Moresby War Cemetery. They had been part of a patrol sent to rescue downed US airmen in Sulawesi. Nine more Australian soldiers who died at the Battle of Fromelles in France during World War I have also been identified. The latest identification project has now ensured privates Leonard Broadhurst, Robert Carrington Forland, John Robertson Forrest, John Joseph Goulding, William Alexander Jamieson, Arthur Joseph Johnson, Claude Ward, John Cyril Wynn and Corporal Alfred George Tuck are known by name where they lie in Fromelles. They are among 250 Australian and British soldiers who were recovered from a mass grave at Pheasant Wood in 2009 and reburied with full military honours last year. It brings the total number of Australians identified to 119. Army chief Lieutenant General David Morrison said in a statement that 3,000 family members had become involved in the identification process "but we still need more", he added. If you think you might be related to a soldier who remains unaccounted for from the Battle of Fromelles, please get in contact with the army," Lt Gen Morrison said. The Australian Army's Unrecovered War Casualties team spent several months researching military operations and deaths during the period to formally identify the men.
Opium Battlefields Sown With Land Mines: (SMH – 13th April.) So focused are the Taliban on securing this year's opium poppy crop that they are targeting officials trying to eradicate the plants. This year, the poppy fields are sown with land mines - the product of co- operation between farmers and the militants they see as protectors of economic interests, officials say. One suicide attack this week in Helmand province, the poppy-growing capital of the world, is evidence of the fight to control the crop, say government officials and residents. The government has embraced eradication as part of a program to discourage farmers from growing poppies. But this has been met with hostility by residents who say they are reduced to poverty without the poppy income.
Taliban Commander Hands Himself In, Demands SUS100 Reward: (NewsCore - 18th April.) A wanted mid‑level Taliban commander left US and Afghanistan officials scratching their heads when he handed himself in and demanded the $100 reward offered for his capture, The Washington Post reported Tuesday. Mohammad Ashan, a Taliban commander in Paktika province suspected of plotting attacks on security forces, was arrested after surrendering last week at a police checkpoint in Sar Howza district, in eastern Afghanistan. US troops were called in to confirm that Ashan was in fact the man officials were looking for. 'We asked him, 'Is this you?"' said Specialist Matthew Baker, adding that the suspect answered, "Yes, yes, that's me! Can I get my award now?" A biometric scan confirmed that Ashan was who he said he was - and he was promptly detained, presumably without his money. "This guy is the Taliban equivalent of the Home Alone burglars," a US official told the Post, referring to the bungling crooks in the 1990 comedy movie.
A Similar Story: Love the old story of the South Korean Captain in Vietnam era when questioned by the American Colonel: “Prisoners? - You wanted Prisoners?
Posthumous Defence Awards for Gallantry: The following was noted from the Defence Honours & Awards website: Looking For Next-Of-Kin: The men listed below have been posthumously approved for the award of the Commendation for Gallantry for their service during World War II and to date their award has not been claimed. If you are related to any of these men, or know of someone who may be related, please contact the Directorate of Honours & Awards' telephone enquiry line on 1800-0111-321. Pte. Alexander John BELL
Australians Urged To Reach Out To Wounded Diggers: (ABC News ‑ 24th April.) Australians are being urged to help wounded soldiers and their families by supporting a new charity being launched in the run-up to Anzac Day. Organisers of the Soldier On charity say more and more troops are returning from the war in Afghanistan with physical and psychological injuries, while more still bear the scars from serving in Iraq. Major Bronson Horan was serving in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province when he was wounded by a roadside bomb which killed Australian Lieutenant Michael Fussell. "I had a crack in my neck, specifically my spine and also had what they call a traumatic brain injury. So forgetfulness, a lack of concentration, those kind of things," Major Horan recalled. The veteran of the US and Australian armies is now on a Defence back-to-work program and is helping to launch Soldier On. "What we're really trying to do is gather up those contemporary wounded and try to get them back to a lifestyle that they would be accustomed to prior to their injury," he said. The Soldier On project has some high-profile backers, among them former Army chief Lieutenant General Peter Leahy. "They've acted on our behalf, on our watch. They've either been physically wounded or psychologically wounded and it's up to us now to say thank you and engage with them and support them into the future," Lieutenant General Leahy said. "If you see a wounded soldier in the streets, say G'day. Say I'm proud of what you've done. I'm proud of what you did for your country. How can I help you?" Defence estimates that just under 2,500 soldiers - about 8 per cent - deployed between 2002 and 2009 now have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Soldier On co-founder Cavin Wilson believes more needs to be done to heal psychological wounds. "Not all wounds are on the outside. Many Australian soldiers come back with physical wounds, we have amputees, we have people that have quite severe physical wounds, but there are also many conditions and I guess most common is PTSD. "These people have a range of requirements, they have a range of needs, but most of all it's about Australians saying thank you and it's about Australians showing that they care." Another Soldier On co-founder, John Bale, says veterans often feel they are being judged because of their physical injuries. "We know a guy who's lost a limb, an eye, has been severely affected by a bomb in Afghanistan, and when he walks down the street he has people stare at him and he doesn't know if he should be proud or if people, you know, are judging him." Soldier On will be launched today in Canberra. |
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