Cairo West AB and H 3 AB – Part I

LGB Paveway III under the wing of the Tornado GR 1

Image from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Paveway_ILA06.JPG

During the First Gulf War in order to destroy the hardened targets of the Iraq, the Tornados GR 1 armed with LGB Paveway III had launched its weapons from an altitude of 7.140m, which due to sophisticated ground mapping radar that could detect the HAS in any condition atmospheric at long range and altitude. With this target on the ground mapping radar and its inertial navigation system allowed the f computer from Tornados GR 1 to calculate the launch point from LGB Paveway III in order to put this weapons in a ballistic trajectory allowing turning the altitude and initial velocity input by the Tornado in high final velocity when the LGB reached the target. By increasing the velocity at impact by 25% would increase the Kinetic Energy of the LGB Paveway by almost 60%, which would penetrate deeper into the target before detonation, which would increase the damage caused by it LGB .

In the first Gulf War in 1991, those trapezoidal HAS built by former Yugoslav companies during the 80s were destroyed only after several attacks by several types of aircrafts as: F 111F, Tornado GR1 and F 15E that were armed with LGB Paveway III as BSU 109 with 2000 lb. / 907 kg .

Since after the first impact with this LGB, a second LGB were aimed to the same point left by the impact for the previous attack, and because the accuracy of Paveway III much better than the Paveway II which had Iran during the war against Iraq during the 80s, its second Paveway III had been practically impacting on the already point damaged and weakened of the structure of concrete from HAS, thereby allowing the second impact penetrate and destroy the HAS, as well as any aircraft that were within them.

The Coalition led by USA in the first Gulf War had conducted more than 3,000 missions against Air Bases from Iraq, which had resulted in the destruction of 375 HAS of the approximately 594 HAS that Iraq had at the beginning of the First Gulf War. To ensure that the HAS were destroyed, several mission were demanded with this purpose, which had demonstrated the strength thereof of those HAS and its bases.

If the purpose of the use of penetrating LGB before detonation, the best way of achieving this would hit the target perpendicular at the surface , which considerably decrease the thickness of the protection from the target, beyond which an impact at a smaller angle than 90 ° would cause a deviation in the trajectory LGB at impact, which could reduces greatly the capability to penetrate inside the target causing more superficial damages, which could mean that HAS were able to operate and maintain the aircraft protected inside. The LGB Paveway III had besides the laser head seeker another guidance system as inertial navigation kit that allowed the LGB to remain in the designated trajectory even hasn’t located the marked target with the laser emission. This feature allows the LGB Paveway III to control its dive angle toward the target, which could increase their effectiveness in penetrating a target, as in the case of BSU 109.

ISIL Compound Strike in 23 September from 2014

In 1991 the US-led Coalition had found out high level of difficulty about destroying the hardened and underground facilities from Iraq in 1991. Even the US with its remarkable and new weaponry of precision-guided weapons in the beginning of the 90’s it had been proved inadequate in dealing with those hardened targets. In face of this problem there was an emergency project that had been creating the GBU 28 Bunker Buster in few moths and it were used in 1991 against the hardened and underground facilities from Iraq in the end of the war.

However in 1991 the US-led Coalition, without the GBU 28 at disposal in the beginning of the war, it had developed a simple but effective method of employing multiple laser-guided bombs as the GBU-10 Paveway III kit with the BLU 109 that were designed to destroy hardened targets .

F-15E release GBU-28

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:F-15E_gbu-28_release.jpg

The GBU 10 should hit in several times the same specific part of the hardened structure, as soon as possible to avoid that could be repaired, in the almost same spot of the hardened structure that had previously been damaged in the first attacks with GBU 10 .

After those first attacks against this structure that would be weakened in these specific area, which would allow those subsequent attacks with GBU 10 to penetrate inside of the hardened structure and destroying it.

The 5th Generation of Stealth Fighters as the F 22 has been flying in active service since 2005, but in reason of the project of the F 22A that had started as interceptor, the F 22 has been not equipped with bombs with mass of the 2000 lbs as the GBU 10 Paveway or GBU-31 JDAM , once these guided bombs could not be transported internally in its bomb bays. Indeed the size of those guided bombs will not fit inside those compartments; the same has been applied with GBU 28.

335th Fighter Squadron F-15E’s drop JDAM’s on an insurgent cave

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:335th_Fighter_Squadron_F-15E’s_drop_JDAM’s_on_an_insurgent_cave

Thus the most important targets in could not be hit by it most advanced fighters from 5th Generation as the F 22A in it main strike mode that will the Stealth profile, once those guided bombs as GBU 31 JDAM or GBU 10 Paveway with BLU 109 only could be transported in the external hard points from F 22 that will compromised the Stealth profile.

http://www.armchairgeneral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96716

This problem has become especially disturbing after 2005 in reason of the removal from active service of the F 117A Nighthawk that had the capability to carry two guided bombs with 2000 lbs in its bomb bay like the BLU 109.

Due to this limitation in the active F 22A , the USAF may have been adopted a new combination of guided bombs JDAM with mass of the 1000lbs that could be carried in its bomb bay from F 22A, and probably the first time that were trialed in real condition maybe it were against the ISIL in Syria as indeed has been happening since the September 23.

The purpose of this combination of JDAM could have been created to strike hardened and/or underground targets just like the GBU 28 would be capable with another fighter like the F 15E Strike Eagle.

However the F 22 Raptor has been keeping in advantage over the F-117 Nighthawk in reason of the supersonic cruise speed or Supercruise, which in the case of the F 22A allows it to launch the JDAM at supersonic speed, which increases the range of the JDAM or even the penetration capability against such hardened target, and when compared with the F 15E, the F 22A has been achieved a high advantage in reason of the Stealth profile.

The method has been achieved with two GBU 32 JDAM with mass bomb of the 1000lbs, in this case such system would be similar as the GBU-28 with mass of the 4500lbs, once the GBU 28 were designed to penetrate deep into a structure before detonation of the larger explosive charge.

In this case of the GBU 32 with 1000lbs it would not be possible, even if the GBU 32 would be equipped with AUP( Advanced Unit Penetration) or Ballasted Penetration that would be capable to penetrate deeply in the hardened and/or underground target.

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Note: the F 35 A / C has been developing with capability to carry two GBU 31 with BLU 109 of 2000lbs that could be used against hardened targets, while the F 35B has been limited for two GBU 31 with 1000lbs bombs. Despite this better capability from F 35A/C over the F 22A as regard the strike missions, since the F 35A/C has been equipped with heavy weaponry that could be in its internal compartments, the F 22 has been achieved a stealth capability in all aspects, while F 35A / B / C are Stealth only in the forward plane, what in strike missions against the highly protected targets the Stealth capability from F 22A are certainly an advantage over the F 35A/B/C.

The limitation from this version of the GBU 32 would be absence of such huge mass of the high explosive , with this restrain about the mass from high explosive charge would cause less damage against the target, in special if this target were large with several compartments or levels.

Then would be necessary at least two JDAM with 1000lbs bombs to obtain something that could match with the single GBU 28 with 4500lbs, in this case the first JDAM should reach the target with function to penetrate deeply with kinetic charge as the Ballasted Penetrator in this process would have been tunneling through the structure or ground until the designate target or the critical part from this.

The second JDAM that could be designed as second stage would reach the target after the first JDAM had been hit with penetrating charge. Then the second JDAM could detonate its thermo baric charge into the breach had been created by the first JDAM.

The thermo baric charge would be injected inside the structure and could travel through its the interior causing the destruction of the same, once that due this thermo baric charge will mix with the oxygen present in the atmosphere of the structure that will create such high temperature and pressure that would destroy much what could be inside from this target.

The limitation so far from this method should be the high level from accuracy that has been required for this second guided bomb or JDAM to hit the breach, in reason this the second guided bomb should be able to look on such target less than half meter or few ft, that were made by the first impact of the JDAM with a kinetic charge like the Ballasted Penetration.

However a second generation of the JDAM with more advanced and accurate GPS/INS tail kit and more important about all, with terminal seeker with IIR (Imaging Infra Red) as DAMASK that indeed it has been testing since 2005 with an accuracy CEP from 2 fts against the designed spot.

In this case the JDAM with DAMASK (Direct Attack Munitions Affordable Seeker) that will operate like a terminal seeker of IIR could be programmed before the mission to search and lock on the Infra Red Signature from breach had been created by the first JDAM.

After the JDAM DAMASK had been hit the breach in the entrance point it will detonate its thermo baric charge through this breach or tunnel, then it would transform the interior of the structure into the combustion chamber.

With goal to increase the effectiveness of this attack it would be more appropriate if it second GBU 32 JDAM DAMASK could be load with thermo baric charge rather a high explosive charge, once the relative small charge of the 1000lbs with load HE( High Explosive) would create almost localized damage over the impact area, while a thermo baric charge would flow through the breach or tunnel into of the target.

Note:the first pair of JDAM has been hit the building on the opposite sides, and the sequence of images would be possible to visualize the projection of debris while the bombs go through all levels of the building, as well as probably some of the same underground level

2. The second pair of JDAM hit the same breaches left by the first pair of JDAM

Note:the second pair of JDAM probably with IIR terminal seeker reach it seems the breaches from the impact of the first pair of JDAM on the opposite sides from the building. Could be possible to visualize that there were not a significant explosion had been resulting from the first couple of JDAM, only projection of debris and smoke coming through the both breaches and from sides of the building.

3. The detonation of the thermobaric charge from the second pair of JDAM

Note: after the impact of the last bomb from second pair of JDAM, it would be possible to visualize a primary blast that launched a cloud out of the building. In this case the thermobaric charge would be at this moment had been mixing with Oxygen from the atmosphere, and the sequence happened a powerful explosion. Because of this it would be possible that both JDAM had been simultaneously detonated to avoid that the first explosion from the first thermobaric bomb disperse the load of the second bomb, and in reason of this eventually the second bomb will not detonate inside the building

4. The damage from the JDAM by the strike from F 22A

Note:this simple building could be a camouflage to allow conceals access as well the ventilation shafts to the underground facilities. Once most of the underground facilities should be equipped with entrance for persons or vehicles, and for them to use an underground facility that same has been certainly equipped with ventilation shafts, what could be detected by reconnaissance aircrafts or satellites and in reason of that the secret of the facilities would be compromised. Through the images would be possible to visualize that two JDAM had hit virtually the same point on the structure with extreme precision.