U.S. has improved weaponry for possible Iraq attack

The "bunker-buster" can bore through dirt and concrete to get to a target

February 6, 1998
Web posted at: 12:26 p.m. EST (1726 GMT)

From Correspondent John Holliman

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Florida (CNN) -- In the seven years since the Gulf War, researchers here have invented and tested dozens of new, smarter weapons and improved others.

Two of the newest could be used together if the United States launches new attacks against Iraq in the confrontation over U.N. weapons inspections:

The "bunker-buster," a missile which can bore through hundreds of inches of dirt and concrete to get to a target buried deep beneath the surface. "When it strikes the Earth, it's going on the order of a thousand feet a second," explains Frank Robbins, director of the Precision Strike Force at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

The new bunker-busting bombs
	960K/26 sec./160x120 2.2MB/26 sec./320x240 QuickTime movie

The "Colt .45," the code name for a bomb that can incinerate chemical or biological weapons before they can spread their deadly toxins in the air. It has a delayed fuse that won't let the bomb explode on impact. Instead, the weapon is activated only after reaching a pre-determined spot in the fortified, underground target.

The "Colt .45" can incinerate chemical or biological weapons before they can spread deadly toxins into the air

Pilots who train at Eglin say such weapons are the most sophisticated in the world. "When you do have the right equipment and the right people doing the job, it is very easy to be confident," says Col. Jay Denney, a fighter pilot.

The "bunker-buster" is already in the hands of military commanders in the Persian Gulf, but the Pentagon declines to say whether the "Colt 45" incineration system is ready for use in any future encounter with Iraq.

Special section:

Extended CNN coverage

• Standoff with Iraq

Related stories:

• Iraq impasse: Diplomats try new moves - February 6, 1998
• U.S. moves more firepower into Persian Gulf - February 5, 1998

Related sites:

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• United Nations Home Page
• US State Department - Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs
• Eglin Air Force Base
  • Munitions Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory

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