On Sat, 9 Aug 2003 12:44:05 -0400, "Peter Reilley"
wrote:


This brings to it's military uses; When would you use such a thing.
The idea is to attack targets that are deeply buried. Obviously
such a device can penetrate no deeper than current penetrating weapons.
The penetration technology is no different. The question is; does the
few tens of feet closer placement of the warhead to the ultimate target
gain you very much? A similar warhead on the surface will probably
also destroy the target. The only difference being the amount of radiation
released.

A bunker buster, even with a 700lb core charge, has a very limited
kill range. If one is dropped into a well designed tunnel complex, it
may not kill or damage the entire complex, nor the folks within it.
This is simple physics and is understood by anyone engineering a
bunker complex.

A warhead of 700lbs, versus a warhead of 5,000 Tons (5kt = explosive
force of 10,000 lbs of explosive is the difference. Not to mention the
additional heat and pressure generated by our nuke bunker buster. The
rads are totally besides the point.

As to the comment, about a nuke set off above ground, being the same
as it being detonated underground inside or near the
complex..bull****. One has to increase the tonnage of the nuke by
orders of magnitude to get damage deep in a well designed complex.

Nukes are NOT magic death rays. They are simply really really big
chemical bombs in a very small package.

A properly designed undergound nuke will release far smaller amounts
of radionucleids than one that is detonated on the surface. The
blast/overpressure pulse is the bunker killer, not the radiation, else
one could simply detonate a neutron device above the target and kill
it. That simply is not possible. 3' of dirt will stop a lot of
radiation, 300 feet, will stop a whole bunch.

A chemical bomb is simply a point weapon. A nuke is no more and no
less a point weapon. But the same size package has a much larger
point..

Gunner

"What do you call someone in possesion of all the facts? Paranoid.-William Burroughs