| From: | Sommers sommers@*****.umich.edu |
|---|---|
| Subject: | More story stuff - Rat, do NOT look |
| Date: | Wed, 22 Sep 1999 23:49:53 -0400 |
>Another question for another story...
>
>Guys, how exactly do FAE (Fuel-Air Explosives) work?
>Can I get an explanation in both technical and
>layman's terms?
Goto this page: http://www.nawcwpns.navy.mil/clmf/faeseq.html.
Its an animation of one exploding.
This is from a US military website:
CBU-72 Fuel/Air Explosive (FAE)
The the 550-pound CBU-72 cluster bomb contains three submunitions known as
fuel/air explosive (FAE). The submunitions weigh approximately 100 pounds
and contain 75 pounds of ethylene oxide with air-burst fusing set for 30
feet. An aerosol cloud approximately 60 feet in diameter and 8 feet thick
is created and later ignited. The main destructive force of FAE is very
high overpressure, useful against soft targets.
BLU-82 bomb: a 10,000 to 15,000 pound fuel-air-explosive. It is a near
nuclear explosive that covers an area about 1000 feet long with blast
overpressures of 200 - 1000 psi. Humans can tolerate up to 40 psi. It has
been used since the Vietnam War to blast out landing pads from the jungle.
Those near ground zero are obliterated while those on the outskirts of the
blast suffer numerous burns and internal injuries.
Generally its not a pretty thing. In the last 20 years, since Vietnam, its
only been used in the Gulf War. It was used then to clear out minefields
and similar targets.
Sommers
Insert witty quote here.
