The Pentagon ’s got some nice heads to stick on the proverbial pike : CENTCOM ’s General John Allen claims an F-16 airstrikekilled the Taliban RPG gunnerswho blew up a sealskin - filled whirlybird last hebdomad . How ? The sure-enough - fashioned path : huge explosion .
Although you ’ll have totake the Pentagon at its password ( ! ) that it was capable to track and bolt down the exact same hero who downed the Chinook , Allen says 10 Taliban were pick up in a “ kinetic strike . ” So what ’s a kinetic strike intend ? Nothing ! It ’s a militaryeuphemismfor blow shit up . The F-16 bombed them . unmixed and childlike .
But with what ? TheNYT reportsthat Americans “ located and travel along the insurgents to a wooded area in Chak district . After ensuring no civilians were in the area , the forcefulness called for the airstrike . ” This might show something crucial : it was likely a big bomb . If you cut across people down to a “ wooded area ” and are still disturbed about killing civilian , you ’re belike exercise with some serious heat .
An F-16 ’s capable of apanoply of airstrike options :
Precision Weapons ( AGM-65 Maverick , Paveway Laser - Guided Bombs , GBU-15 )
steer - Corrected Munitions Dispenser Weapons ( CBU-103 , -104 , -105 )
All - Weather Standoff artillery
( GBU-31/32 JDAM , AGM-154 JSOW , AGM-158 JASSM , AGM-142 Popeye II )
In a wooded area , presumably with miserable visibility , would a cluster bomb like the CBU-103 have been the weapon of pick ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKX3lSLi7Wg
Military expertDavid Cenciottispeculates it was probably a Joint Direct Attack Munition ( JDAM)—an guidance - kick upstairs “ silent turkey ” like the 2,000 pound GBU-31 determine here , or its lighter brother , the GBU-38 .
But plenty of other cargo , both optical maser - manoeuver and television receiver - maneuvered , could have done the trick . Either way , the Pentagon has a ( symbolic ) high five to cover itself .
[ BBC&NYT ]
you could keep up with Sam Biddle , the author of this post , onTwitter , Facebook , orGoogle+ .
F-16
Daily Newsletter
Get the best tech , science , and culture news in your inbox daily .
intelligence from the future , render to your present tense .
You May Also Like
