Post amazing pics of military ordinance
Discussion
steve j said:
147 bomblets in all, they were meant to detonate on impact if all the relevant mechanical components had run and aligned the explosive train. A piezo crystal initiated the firing voltage, sometimes though the electrically initiated detonator failed. I was informed that in the fully armed condition a static discharge could set it off.
The bomblets only detonated if they struck a hard surface (armour, a truck etc) otherwise they laid around waiting to be disturbed. A change in temperature (such as casting a shadow) could set them off. Obviously this was not a problem if you dumped hundreds of thousands of bomblets over the Fulda Gap to stop the 8th Guards Army; tidying up after yourself wasn't required. Tango13 said:
badgers_back said:
Jam Spavlin said:
There is a section of this things big brother at Duxford air museum it would have been huge! 3.2ft dia round anyone?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Babylon
When that was built it was known as the 'secret Iraqi missile launcher' by the people on the shop floor as they knew where it was off to and it was way way outside of tolerances for its supposed job (piping).http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Babylon
Edited by Jam Spavlin on Wednesday 25th January 00:00
All was fine until mi6/5 turned up and asked about the job no xxxxx only to be greated with 'oh you mean the secret Iraqi rocket launcher???'
Queue 5/6 closing the door and saying in a realy serous tone what do you know??
Yeah they boys on the floor in jest and indeed guessed its real use......
They replied £190,000 this was a slightly inflated price, their thinking being the customer will haggle etc.
They were shocked to recieve an order almost instantly at full asking price, no haggling just a request to deliver it ASAP, tomorrow would be fine.
Easiest sale ever they thought, until MI6 knocked on the door...
There are so many stories about what 'really' happened at Forgemasters over the Supergun affair that the truth is probably lost forever in myth and legend.
I worked there for 10 years: I've heard all the 'real stories'...and guess what? They're all different.
tank slapper said:
Laser guided bombs can be designated either by the aircraft that drops them, another aircraft, or by ground troops. The attacking aircraft drops the bomb in a similar way that it would an unguided one - the closer the initial aim, the less correcting the bomb has to do in flight. If it is being designated by the dropping aircraft, it can either be designated on release, a set time before impact, or manually. The less time the laser is painting, the less time the bomb has to correct its flight, but the more time a potential target has to react - some armoured vehicles have laser detectors for example.
The bomb looks for the reflected laser spot, which is coded so that the bomb locks onto the correct point. It compares its trajectory to the spot and adjusts the fins to bring them back into line. Paveway IIs use full scale deflection guidance, where the fins always move to their maximum extent, meaning they constantly oscillate around the beam until impact. Paveway IIIs use proportional guidance so can correct their course more finely.
Interesting stuff, thanks for sharing.The bomb looks for the reflected laser spot, which is coded so that the bomb locks onto the correct point. It compares its trajectory to the spot and adjusts the fins to bring them back into line. Paveway IIs use full scale deflection guidance, where the fins always move to their maximum extent, meaning they constantly oscillate around the beam until impact. Paveway IIIs use proportional guidance so can correct their course more finely.
I need a book to read up on this, anyone got any recommendations?
dr_gn said:
Isn't that autogyro thing a spotter aircraft towed by a submarine? There's one very similar on display at Duxford. I've often wondered how well it really worked under water.
I don't think it was particularly popular, either with those who flew it or the submarine crews - if they spotted something it took time to bring back aboard and stow. If an aircraft or warship spotted the submarine using it, then the sub would crash dive leaving the pilot in a rather unenviable position.
Please don't take this the wrong way as I'm not hating but I do have a question to ask: How do you people find such enjoyment in the death of other human beings?
I'm very respectful of our soldiers and understand that they need to be equipped properly, but surely there's only so much of this stuff you can see before bacon becomes a smell you associate more with Iraq than lunch?
I'm very respectful of our soldiers and understand that they need to be equipped properly, but surely there's only so much of this stuff you can see before bacon becomes a smell you associate more with Iraq than lunch?
I think the only deaths mentioned in this thread are:
Gerald Bull
Unfortunate chap disarming BL755 bomblet.
There are a couple of external links where people are possibly dying, and a couple of WW2 pics where someone is about to have something nasty on them, but no actual deaths per se.
It’s possible to admire the engineering and the design, and appreciate the effectiveness of the weapon, without wanting to go out and kill someone with it.
Guys like explosions'n'fire'n'stuff.
Gerald Bull
Unfortunate chap disarming BL755 bomblet.
There are a couple of external links where people are possibly dying, and a couple of WW2 pics where someone is about to have something nasty on them, but no actual deaths per se.
It’s possible to admire the engineering and the design, and appreciate the effectiveness of the weapon, without wanting to go out and kill someone with it.
Guys like explosions'n'fire'n'stuff.
tank slapper said:
I don't think it was particularly popular, either with those who flew it or the submarine crews - if they spotted something it took time to bring back aboard and stow. If an aircraft or warship spotted the submarine using it, then the sub would crash dive leaving the pilot in a rather unenviable position.
Its a Focke Achgelis Fa 330A-1 Gyro Kite looks like a flying deathtrap would probably be safer flying the V1.Tartan Pixie said:
there's only so much of this stuff you can see before bacon becomes a smell you associate more with Iraq than lunch?
Iraq is a muslim country and you'd be pretty hard pushed to find any bacon there at all.But since you ask I never tire of looking at this gear of war. I think it's in the blood though – my Uncle Les, for example, fought from Normandy to the Baltic with the 43rd Wessex Division, helping relieve the Paras at Arnhem and seeing horrible things along the way – but he kept a Bren Gun on his living room mantlepiece as an ornament.
MontyC said:
tank slapper said:
I don't think it was particularly popular, either with those who flew it or the submarine crews - if they spotted something it took time to bring back aboard and stow. If an aircraft or warship spotted the submarine using it, then the sub would crash dive leaving the pilot in a rather unenviable position.
Its a Focke Achgelis Fa 330A-1 Gyro Kite looks like a flying deathtrap would probably be safer flying the V1.Yertis said:
Iraq is a muslim country and you'd be pretty hard pushed to find any bacon there at all.
But since you ask I never tire of looking at this gear of war. I think it's in the blood though – my Uncle Les, for example, fought from Normandy to the Baltic with the 43rd Wessex Division, helping relieve the Paras at Arnhem and seeing horrible things along the way – but he kept a Bren Gun on his living room mantlepiece as an ornament.
Liking your Uncles living room.But since you ask I never tire of looking at this gear of war. I think it's in the blood though – my Uncle Les, for example, fought from Normandy to the Baltic with the 43rd Wessex Division, helping relieve the Paras at Arnhem and seeing horrible things along the way – but he kept a Bren Gun on his living room mantlepiece as an ornament.
It's a funny thing. I've worked in defence for 15 years now, you don't think about the death. Personally I think about those that are saved.
I work peripherally in the oil&gas industry; if I spent much time pondering the people that have died either extracting the stuff from under the ground and beneath the sea(never mind those that have died fighting wars about it) I would be weeping into my bacon butty at breakfast, possibly not pay attention while on watch, the main engine would explode or the engine room would flood, I would lose my annual bonus and the Chief Engineer would be cross with me. It's part of the human condition to disassociate bad things(war, death, Big Brother) from neutral or good things(weapons, heavy engineering, Haribo, advances in trauma medicine).
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