Engineering News

Personally I'm sorry that this article was even published.

I pretty much hate all bombs and wish that the rules of war were so enforced that people got killed by nothing bigger than rifles, shotguns, and grenades.

It was profoundly depressing for Rod Serling that after he made a TV show that employed a Barometric Bomb, one was used.

It hadn't been thought of before...

Funny how even Jimmy Carter was a proponent of the Neutron Bomb. From my remembrance it left no radiation, and didn't tear apart buildings, but simply killed people.

I thought of it due to the threats from Korea.

Transcendian,

I also share your hate for bombs; I find it disgusting that people have used their ingenuity to concieve of new and more horrible ways to kill people. What a perverse way to use a creative gift. But why draw the line at bombs? I'm interested to know your view point, as my objection to bombs stems from the same moral values as my objection to guns, mines, grenades, nerve gas etc. : they're all used to kill people.

dave

Gentlemen,

Clearly you have never been faced with annihilation by a ruthless, determined and capable enemy.

The purpose of war is to kill the enemy; this seems a very effective tool and shows typical British resourcefulness and ingenuity.

Chris

While that may be true, most often the purposes in going to war are avoidable, and serve the purposes of a few who will benefit economically. Thats why they made those enemies in the first place. For the innocent draftees and volunteers... the just get sold the nationalistic patriotism routine, and blown to bits.

Chris

What can you say about a race that on one hand is all worried about limited energy supplies while wasting tremendous, incalculable resources on war? I am pretty sure I am not from this planet. The only causal factor I can see is that humans are defective. They inherently surmise an incorrect solution to the problem of limited resources. Bang your neighbor in the head and take his is not a good long term plan. As a species we are defective and like all defective species will die out. Until then, enjoy the show, it's just our nature.

Hey its not 'our' species thats to blame.. its those others... you know.. the enemy... Them!. Didn't you watch "They Live" with Rowdy Roddy Piper?

"we hate those people from the valley" Jethro Tull, now I know what to put on iTunes while I work tonight. Thanks Chris, you saved me from the foolish notion that "we" are to blame! I all but forgot about "them". Damn "them" anyway for causing all this ruckus.

Which TV show (was it T.Z.?) and episode did Rod Serling showcase a barometric bomb? Was it a barometric fuze or did it specifically cause damage from over-pressure shock?

Just curious.

I cannot remember the exact show, though I am fairly certain it was not the bomb itself, but the fuse. Or in other words at a certain MSL, or barometric altitude the bomb went off.

Further I did not research my post, and it is in those sorts of files we collect in our heads over long periods.

I have been known to make corrections.

I did go to a summer school where Mr. Serling's daughter also went, and was introduced briefly to him. Of course we were interested in whatever she might have had to say about her father, and I may have picked it up during that time.

-Still I think it is something I read about relating to the responsibility of the artist.

Even the great Daniel Schoor withheld stories when he knew that to reveal them, would cause death.

Hopefully we will reconvene here later with more details for the edification of our peers.

As to Dave's question about why I would allow for weapons of war in what is considered the "Small Arm" categories, I have to say I simply feel it will be a cold day in hell when I or anybody else can stop all conflicts between men, nations tribes, or bands.

I do think that there are precedents in the history of man for "rules of war" as horrible as it is, to be adhered to, recognized, and enforced.

I have contemplated what is fair to all, and have come to the conclusion that Weapons of Mass Destruction such as Atom Bombs, Chemical and Biological Weapons ought not be allowed. I have come to the conclusion that the reasons they ought not be allowed are ethical now, and it is not unethical to kill to prevent such threats to innocents.

This sort of decision is not made lightly at all, and does recognize that there was a period when the USSR, and the USA where the only ones who had these weapons.

We got through that period, and now things are different.

So far Sir Robin I have not been able to find substantiation for my barometric bomb story related to Rod Serling.

Apparently Barometric Fuses were used during WWII, but the reporting is slightly fuzzy on Wikepedia.

Certainly I am wrong as far as my statement that "nobody had thought of it before", though it is still possible that Mr. Serling may have used it as a device in one of his stories, and lamented the soon after employment for a civilian employment.

In FLL I did hear of its use in such a fashion in the early 80s.

So far then, I am called to say that my statement is partly known to be mistaken, and may well be completely wrong.

I appreciate your asking about it, for, well, I believe that a proper gentleman must accept that he may on occasion, mis remember, or flat out be wrong.

Rules of war. ha. Isn't that why it's called war.

"Funny how even Jimmy Carter was a proponent of the Neutron Bomb. From my remembrance it left no radiation, and didn't tear apart buildings, but simply killed people."

One has to look at it from a humanitarian perspective. The Nasties, in their tanks and armored personnel carriers, are rolling across scenic Germany, with it's priceless baroque churches and such. Problem: How to kill lots of Nasties without killing even more Germans? Answer: use a neutron bomb. The Germans will go down into their cellars, as they did when the allied air forces tried to kill them in WW-2, but the Nasties will be in the open. A neutron bomb has comparatively little blast, so the civilians are not killed by collapsing buildings, and the priceless cultural treasures are spared, but the Nasties in the open get irradiated by neutrons. The moist earth of Germany is good at absorbing neutrons, so the civilians in their cellars don't get irrradiated. The guys behind armor are not protected, as most neutrons go right through, and the ones that are stopped generate secondary radiation that enhances the lethality. Given that it's not nice to kill, sometimes self-defense is necessary. However, isn't it better to use a weapon which spares the civilians?

30 seconds is less then dieing from radiation poisoning for week/month/years so no it is not the cruelest bomb IMO

In Vietnam we used a bomb, actually a rocket, called nails. It shot out needles coated with an anticoagulant which stopped the blood from clotting, meaning you bleed to death if the nettles did not kill you out right!

I worked by shooting the rocket at the enemy which gave s secondary explosion shortly after the first. The second sent out a cone pattern of needles towards the enemy.

I was one of the troops on the ground but I had called air support more than a few times. When it's your life on the line and the troops with you, it gives you a whole different perspective.

I salute the men and women that have faced an enemy intent on their destruction. There were many that I had the privilege of trying to help reconstruct their faces after being shot-up in Angola, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. I made prostheses to try to make life a little more esthetic for them. There is only the horror of bombs, the less cruel is the one you escaped injury of. May the decision to use such force always fall on men of compassion and extreme wisdom. As for me, let the existence of these horrors (bombs if they be the answer) be a deterrent to fools who would otherwise go to war for little reason.

The anti personnel fragmentation bombs and phosphorus do just as good a job; chemical weapons are against the Geneva Convention, so your story is misleading, these weapons cannot legally be brought back. There are lots of more efficient anti personnel weapons around and small arms fire, fragmentation weapons etc do a good enough job, this idea is nonsense and we have much better chemical delivery systems.

Weapons such as the rifle have been designed with smaller caliber rounds to create as much damage as possible (they become unstable in flight, creating a bigger hole in the 'target', landmines are almost all plastic, with a tiny piece of metal so they can be detected (as required under international law) but made to look like stones, so they can't be recognised and children will play with them. You get the idea, more at SIPRI etc.

Chemical weapons were designed and still are 'just in case' but only the US and USSR manufactured volume since 1945 (other countries had a few tons, nothing much).

mankinds inhumanity to his home, his neighbors and himself.

in Nam, we used a nerve agent to recover our pilots when shot down.

being shot at does change one's perspective on life.

his home: "everyday " we " discover how some fauna or flora holds keys to research .

but we allow extinction of other species less " advanced, evolved " to run unchecked

neighbors: gee, what single example.. ethnic cleansing?.( genocide ).how can any thinking rational caring people let these acts go ? there should be an overwhelming international response to this act.

well, but then again the U. N. seems as effective as The League of Nations was.

.o2 btw: flechettes are a very old weapons concept...

IIRC the nerve agent charge was the focus of the Tailwind scandal at CNN many years ago. It was determined that the whole story was based on the recollection of one unreliable witness, resulting in great embarrassment to CNN and the firing of the episode's producer. Because of her reflexive anti-military attitudes she wanted to believe the charges were true and did not rigorously vet the story for evidence.

Its funny how long discredited stories live long after they are disproven, e.g. the Haditha massacre, the No Gun Ri massacre, etc. A lot of people want to believe the worst about the US military, at least at some level.

while i took some pic's of missions, i didn't take every missions .

i speak from personal knowledge of launching the aircraft, w/ the cbu . grey..yellow strip .. cbu but i can't recall the number.. `bout 6 feet long nose cone to fin..from the c/l station only 4 ~ 5 inches clearance between nose cone /main body seam and the deck..( i have big hands and my fist barely slid under the area i just described )so a big dia..4 feet ?..

the news item is news to me. the reporters treatment isn't.

but , i have reported this to the VA when having my medical records reviewed. yes , the " no such device " is standard.

ps: to all bohica applicants : document everything. failure to do so will result in bohica firmly attaching itself to you.

the process was : a cbu is " clamshell " ordnance. dispersal at ( conditions set requirements ) ..cloud descends. coats what ever it touches . contact is by any means. inhaled , touch.." germ " lasted 3 days or until antidote administered.

the Jolly Green's ( would trail green smoke out the cargo door upon returning successful ) would suit up and go in...

i can say: i only dispensed this weapon on my a/c once.( like i choose the mission profile )..but , special weapons are awarded. the " history " of each unit is it's ego. the root of Esprit De Corps ,imho.

within the Wing , within the Squadron..for high flyer of the month, airman of the quarter.. etc.

maybe i coulda' been a contender with this at a timely hearing? a 2nd witness?

the cc from the plane that launched the flight?

the plane didn't return w/ the cbu attached. i didn't view the gun camera showing. those were open to us, lots of guys went..popcorn sodas, chat.. bonding..

wow, well,...

some opinion, lots of eye witness ,

Ahuha

Considering the number of UFO sightings over the past 40 years, why don't any of us know any aliens?

My guess is that they have seen our idiotic behaviour & don't want to be a part of such stupidity. We incarcerate & kill people for saying certain things, not wearing clothes & not behaving according to a belief (religion or culture). We also expend our natural resources upon creating horrific weapons, purely designed to kill or maim other humans.

It is not the "little folk" who directly do this...it is those who the "little folk" elect. In effect, is IS the little folk who do this but they are so lazy as to have their own thoughts, they choose to put their responsibility into the hands of others.

The answer is very simple...abolish law & let the "law of the jungle" take over. The difference will be quite noticeable...things will happen a lot quicker & hopefully, human nature will be once again allowed to "exist" instead of relying on laws made by another.

The bombs are not the nasty thing...they are only a result of the lack of responsibility, which has arisen from humans blindly following laws. "Not being allowed to think" is the nastiest thing.