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Dinosaur-Size Bomb: Extinct!

They were used in Vietnam to clear forests for helicopter landing zones. During the Gulf War, and again in Afghanistan, they served as "psychological weapons" to remind the enemy of America’s destructive power. Last week the Air Force exploded the very last of its old 15,000-pound BLU-82 "Daisy Cutter" bombs (pictured). The warhead contains 12,600 […]

080715f9999n107They were used in Vietnam to clear forests for helicopter landing zones. During the Gulf War, and again in Afghanistan, they served as "psychological weapons" to remind the enemy of America's destructive power. Last week the Air Force
exploded the very last of its old 15,000-pound BLU-82 "Daisy Cutter" bombs (pictured).

*The warhead contains 12,600 pounds of GSX
slurry (ammonium nitrate, aluminum powder and polystyrene). A 38-inch fuse extender detonates the bomb, allowing maximum destruction at ground level without leaving a crater. *

"The power of this weapon is overwhelming," Colonel [Jon] Weeks said. "Even flying the chase plane at 6,000 feet above ground level and approximately three-quarters of a mile away from the bomb's detonation point, we felt a shock wave that shook the aircraft."*

Don't worry. One giant "dinosaur" bomb might be extinct, but two others have taken its place: the 21,000-pound Massive Ordnance Air Burst and the 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator. The former explodes on the surface like the BLU-82; the latter digs deep before going off -- and is meant for taking out deeply buried bunkers.

Big booms are here to stay.

(Photos: Air Force)**
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