Is there really such a thing as a cellulose encased laser-guided bomb?

[NNN0LHI]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clear_and_Present_Danger

<snip>After Jacobs, the US Ambassador and several other Americans who are part of the protective detail and delegation are killed in an assault on their convoy, Operation: RECIPROCITY begins. This phase involves the tasking of a carrier-borne A-6 Intruder ground-attack aircraft and a single laser-guided bomb to covertly bomb the meeting location discovered by CAPER intercepts. The planners intend to keep the bombing secret, and give the impression of a car-bomb, due to the political unrest in the region caused by disillusioned Marxist militiamen part of M-19. In order to further this belief, the bomb is a precision-guided munition with a delayed fuse. To further hide the fact that it is an air-dropped bomb, they use a bomb with a case made out of cellulose, which has been designed for use on stealth aircraft. This casing will be consumed in the blast and there will be no fragmentation. Unfortunately, one piece of oversight tipped Felix Cortez off to some, most likely American, military involvement in the assassination attempt: the use of Octol as the explosive and catalyst.


Could that be the "secret weapon" Tom Brokaw says the US has been using in Iraq?

[Poll_Blind]

1. Why would the US need to "cover its tracks" in attacks in Iraq?

  Can you point me to a link explaining a bit (or explain yourself) what you're referring to?

PB

[NNN0LHI]

3. That way if they happen to miss their intended target and kill a bunch of civilians they ...

... can just blame it all on some fictional group like Al-Qaeda In Iraq.

Don

[Poll_Blind]

5. Hrm, they'd probably use D.I.M.E. bombs for that sort of thing.

Dense Inert Metal Explosive (bombs). But, again, I don't think they're too concerned about killing the wrong people. Really. Any disgruntled family members or friends want to come to the U.S. and take revenge have to join a very long line...

PB

[NNN0LHI]

6. Yea but that method doesn't keep the Iraqis fighting between each other

Which is needed to keep justifying our presence there.

And that is a key component here.

Don

[Poll_Blind]

7. Oh, sorry I see what you're saying now. Well, then that's what THESE chaps are for:

PB

[ashling]

9. This is from the book/movie

Clear and Present Danger

[Poll_Blind]

10. I know.

:)

PB

[TheWraith]

2. No, there's no such thing.

It's one of those inventions of fiction, that's as yet entirely theoretical, like the ceramic handgun.

[HereSince1628]

4. It's part of a Clancy novel--you mean those aren't base on reality

like my mouth-breathing brother swears?

I'm forwarding this to him...

I'm shocked, just shocked that he could be so wrong! :rofl:

[Lithos]

8. No

From TC:

******************************

Subject: Re: Cellulose encased bomb

Date: 1996/02/24
Clancy remarks on the Hush-A-Bomb:

I made that one up.

I learned later that stealty bombs were looked at, but the problem was combining stealth and ballistic stability. The problem was never solved, and the project was cancelled.

In fact, the Hush-A-Bomb was a very elaborate technical joke aimed at people in the Stealth community. The weapon would certainly have worked as employed IN CPD, but would have little military utility.

TC
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