Comments on: Laugh Off Those Bombs

By: grndpndr

grndpndr — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:15:45 +0000

deflagrating explosives disguised as coal go back to the civil war when these ‘rock’s were filled with black powder and a threaded cap and painted black.The Idea was to mix the pipe bombs essentially in the coal bin of a steam boat railroad engine.few seconds in that intense heat of the fire box and boom there goes the boiler with its tremendous steam pressure destroying much of the target, the fires resulting did the rest.Nothings new in war.The shaped xcharge i interpret as a HEAT chrge the imp platter charge with a stel platter is a kinetic
energy weapon useful offroad against inf and armor depending on size/placement of the device.We made a small evice in the military from materials availble on most US garages an 1/2 lb of a med vel exp 6250MPS approx.The target plate of armore stel 1 in thickn was penetratd like it had ben hit by a high velocity
tank round 1/2 the size of the original platter and it wasnt a penetration from a heat type charge not with obvious spalling present id judge the plate was struck at aproximately 1200MPS and the 50lb penetratd target plate was thrown in the air some 75 ft.Just for what its worth these supposed technical wonders are easily made in any metalshop worth the name.Iran in no way needs supply the copper platters for the EFPs.

By: rick

rick — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 22:44:52 +0000

Has the US army heard of having checkpoints at ALL entry roads into Baghdad. No other forces necessary-just block ALL access to Baghdad. Isnt that what you would do in the States. It would free up all kinds of manpower-wasting schemes such as are used now. And why are the highways able to ferry terrorists around like they owned the place.How bout a highway patrol used in America. And use mines where too hairy to put your best.Forget bout opinion,u are at WAR-get it.Time to get heavy & win this before your ousted boys. Do the right thing and kill your enemies. Forget collaterall damage-in long run less will die from mines & more enemy die=VICTORY. Then leave in time. Use your best tools-forget all else. VICTORYto U all.

By: rick

rick — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 22:43:24 +0000

By: Robert L Bass

Robert L Bass — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 23:40:41 +0000

A prior poster mentioned using an IR emitter on the lead vehicle to trigger the IED before troops or vehicles enter its kill zone. This is in fact a possible solution.
You are correct that passive infrared (PIR) detectors don’t require a separate IR source to trigger. However, they can easily be triggered by a moving IR source such as an IR LASER or even a very bright visible light (vehicle headlamps emit quite a lot of IR energy along with the white light).
I’ve worked with PIR detectors in the security industry for nearly 30 years and I can assure you that most of them will trip if a bright IR beam strikes them.

By: Fighting4U

Fighting4U — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 08:14:34 +0000

I can't believe the ignorant comments some of you have made. Armchair Generals as well as current/past soldiers. It's one thing to try and help our soldiers out, but another to sit back like a coward and ridicule the way things are being run. Most of you read too much into some of the things being said. Yes, there are EFP's that are disguised as rocks...by saying this, it means that they are painted and or plastered around the shape charge as to hide it's usual cylindrical shape. That doesn't have anything to do with hindering it's ability. TRUST ME! I deal with these things every day as a part of a Route Clearance team in Iraq. We have countermeasures for the IR, but what you have to understand is that the sensors used are passive. Just like mentioned before, similar to the ones in your home. It's basically a motion detector. If you lazy fatass armchair generals would like to play out your little star wars fantasies as a mercenary over here, then please feel free to contact me, as I would be more than happy to arrange it. Until then, sit back and be happy that there are people in the great U.S. of A. that are willing to fight for a cause much greater than your freedom of speech, or rather nagging.

By: Top Cat

Top Cat — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 18:40:12 +0000

If IR detectors on the IEDs,
Then powerful infrared emitters on the lead vehicle of varying frequencies.
Can it be that simple?

By: Carni

Carni — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 08:33:12 +0000

Aright people, just so there isn’t any confusion PASSIVE Infrared, you do not need two sensors. Think of a motion detector in a house for a security alarm, or motion activated outside lights. That’s passive infrared. It doesn’t put out any light, instead it has two or more sensors inside that measure infrared light. When there is a change in incoming light, it activates. Depending on the sensor, the change has to be dramatic enough to close the circut. But there is no beam crossing the road or anything like that. Just trying to clarify what we’re actually dealing out here, and we’re still looking for a way to combat these. Peace, from Baghdad

By: tobiascore

tobiascore — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 20:08:50 +0000

I have run into a few EFP’s here in Baghdad. We have a few countermeasures against them…but we are always looking to find out new info.
The are put in styrofoam containers, painted up like blocks of concrete, and usually laid near barriers here. They are always triggered by PIR sensors. They are coming in from Iran, and Iranians are paying locals ROYALLY to set them out.
The thing we have on our side, is they can only hit us is there isnt any civilian traffic around us. They dont want to waste them on hitting civilians…because they only get paid if they hit us.
Anyway, any extra info in PIR would be awesome…

By: Max

Max — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 14:50:08 +0000

IR detectors use light in the IR range — it doesn’t REQUIRE heat. Also, “IR trippers” can be of the motion detector type bought for a few bucks — these don’t have a reflector (such as ‘Shack Catalog #:49–426 ” http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102584&cp ” Imagine how cheap the required parts are in bulk!
As for shaped charges — Of course they’re real and real easy! I’ve experienced them going off encased in lime/concrete and still be effective! To be most effective a shell is used like the aerodynamic nosecone on an RPG. The “shape” is actually inverted the “blast” however resembles the protective cone concentrating at the point. The homemade IEDs with the copper projectiles in the plasma are the worst that I’ve seen. They concentrate the blast and cut hole all the way through whatever is in front of them. Imagine a slug of molten copper moving at hypersonic speeds .… Not being in front of it or redirecting the blast works better than any armor.
For the armchair generals: the procurement/supply system of ANY middle to large sized entity takes time. Even for something as simple as body armor. By the time enough is ordered and before it is made a better kind is available. This is why we don’t all deploy with the top of the line. The line keeps moving!
Must rest now …

By: cellblock131

cellblock131 — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 19:26:19 +0000

The IR activated IEDs are a big threat since they are not easy to detect and are now becoming shape-charged. I have not seen these up front, but wouldn’t radar detectors used in vehicles be able to pick up or sense these beams from a mile or so? Its like when you drive downtown…your radar goes off like crazy unless you put it in city mode. Maybe they use a different bandwidth, I don’t know. During the day, Night Vision Goggles (NVG) wouldn’t do much good in picking up the sensors.