'Bunker Buster' Bomb Production Halted Again

[cyberpj]

'Bunker Buster' Bomb Production Halted Again
5 minutes ago Health - Reuters

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (Reuters) - The plant that makes 2,000-pound (900 kg) "bunker buster" penetration bombs has stopped production for a second time after workers developed anemia due to TNT exposure, officials said on Wednesday.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=751&e=1&u=/nm/20050302/hl_nm/health_bombs_dc

[Webster Green]

1. Nice, the bombs are harming people before they're even built....

Makes me proud to be a murken.

[Just Me]

2. I thought Rummy swore there would ONLY be research, no production.

:nuke: :nuke: :nuke:
:nuke: :nuke: :nuke:

[cyberpj]

3. You may be referring to the Fox article here:

Feb 02, 2005 - Rumsfeld Asks for Restoration of "Program"

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0202-10.htm


Feb 06, 2005 - Efficacy of Bunker-Buster Nukes Up for Debate

"It is a study, it is nothing more and nothing less and it is not pursuing and it is not developing, it is not building, it is not manufacturing, it's not deploying and it's not using," Rumsfeld said in May 2003 of the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (search), or "bunker buster" bomb and the low-yield "mini-nuke."

(snip)

Because RNEPs are modified versions of existing weapons, building them does not violate any of Washington's nuclear treaties. Supporters of RNEPs are quick to point out that they are not new weapons, just "new capabilities." But critics fear that the research will lead to new testing, which may present Washington, D.C. with a host of diplomatic problems.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,146538,00.html
(I know it's Fox but the quote was worth it.)


Feb 18, 2005 - Rumsfeld Defends Funding for Completion of "STUDY"

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200502/s1305832.htm

[Disturbed]

4. How much radioactivitty would remain...

in the area where these weapons were used, how wide of an area and how long would the area be contaminated?

[cyberpj]

6. Judging by the amounts of Depleted Uranium contamination

from the Gulf war and this war in Iraq -- I think we can safely guess they don't care about that.

[daleo]

8. Lots, and for a long time.

Harper's had a good article on this a few months back. The gist was:
- they don't work.
- they are easy to circumvent (dig deeper).
- they kick up plenty of long lasting fallout.

[JohnyCanuck]

5. What diplomatic problems?

But critics fear that the research will lead to new testing, which may present Washington, D.C. with a host of diplomatic problems.


Shrub doesn't have diplomatic problems. He does as instructed by his neocon handlers and tells the rest of the world they can fuck off if they don't like it - problem solved.

[Kagemusha]

11. You're talking about two totally different bombs.

A 2000 lb conventional explosives bomb is not a low yield nuclear weapon. Unfortunately there's a lot of genuine confusion out there.

[cyberpj]

12. I see that. Thanks -- to "hack89" for the info here:

There are conventional bunker busters

This article is talking about the BLU-116

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/blu-116.htm

[rzemanfl]

7. Anybody besides me think this story is a red herring?

"TNT is one of the most common bulk explosives. 2,4,6 Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is an explosive used in military munitions and in civilian mining and quarrying activities. TNT was first used on a wide scale during World War I and is still used today. The United States military stopped production of TNT in the mid-1980s."

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/explosives-nitroaromatics.htm

"The old 'the wagon train is short of ammunition' ploy?

[hack89]

10. The bomb uses Tritonal for its explosive filling ..

Tritonal is a silvery solid that contains 80% of TNT and 20% of atomized aluminum powder. Tritonal is used as filler in bombs and shells.
http://www.islandgroup.com/ExplosiveChemistry.html

[cyberpj]

9. FYI - This discussion was cross posted and continues here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1633543