Weekly Online Lesson Online Lesson Archive Grade Level: 7-12 Subject: Multidisciplinary

Weapons of War

On Sunday, October 7, 2001, the United States and Great Britain launched repeated attacks on cities in Afghanistan in retaliation for harboring terrorist — specifically Osama bin Laden, a man U.S. officials believe masterminded the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, and previous attacks against U.S. Embassies in Africa.

The first strikes began about 8:45 p.m. (12:15 p.m. EDT) and were expected to continue into the early morning hours in Afghanistan.

In announcing the attacks, US President George Bush stated, "The United States military has begun strikes against Al-Qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the Taliban regime." The operations, Bush said, "are designed to disrupt the use of Afghanistan as a terrorist base of operations and to attack the military capabilities of the Taliban."

The attacks involved 50 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles (TLAMs) fired from US and UK ships and submarines in the Arabian Sea, 15 B-1 and B-2 stealth bombers flying out of the continental USA, B-52H bombers launched from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and 25 US strike aircraft based on aircraft carriers. The B-1 and B-2 bombers primarily used ‘smart-bombs’ such as Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), while the B-52s were likely to have used Conventional Air Launched Cruise Missiles (CALCMs).

What are these weapons of war, and how effective are they? You'll learn more about them by visiting U.S. Air Force and Navy sites in this week's online lesson.

Aircraft

According to U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, these initial attacks are in part aimed at removing the threat of Taliban-controlled anti-aircraft systems and aircraft. The strike included both Naval and Air Force aircraft. Visit the following fact sheet pages to learn about each of them:

B-1B Lancer. The B-1 is the backbone of America's long-range bomber force. When was the first production model B-1B flown? Who makes it? Which world records are held by the B-1B? What does this aircraft have for countermeasures?

B-2 Spirit. The B-2 Spirit, a multi-role bomber, represents many dramatic leaps forward in aviation technology. What elements contribute to the B-2's "stealthiness" and what does this mean in terms of combat? What is the size of the crew? What is its flying range?

B-52 Stratofortress. This conventional bomber is capable of flying at high subsonic speeds at altitudes up to 50,000 feet and can carry nuclear or precision guided conventional ordnance. How was the aircraft used in Operation Desert Storm? Why do the pilots wear night vision goggles? When did the aircraft first enter service?

F/A-18 Hornet. This all-weather aircraft is the nation's first strike-fighter. Hornets are currently operating in 37 air stations and 10 aircraft carriers. What other countries use the Hornet? How much does each one cost? How fast can it fly? How has the Hornet been used in combat?

Missiles and Munitions

Video footage of "smart" bombs wowed the world during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, but these weapons frequently failed to live up to the hype. They often could not be used in bad weather or could not be fired from far away, or required pilots to guide them to their targets, exposing crews to hostile fire.

By 1995 and the campaign against Bosnian Serbs, these weapons had become far more sophisticated. The Air Force claims that it hit 97% of its targets and damaged or destroyed 80% of those it struck.

More U.S. weapons have a "fire-and-forget" capability that uses Global Positioning System satellites to guide them to their targets. And a more sensitive fuse on some weapons actually "counts" floors and explodes only after it has reached the pre-selected level.

Visit the following fact sheet pages to learn more about the missiles and munitions used so far in this strike:

Tomahawk Cruise Missile. Tomahawk is an all-weather submarine/surface combatant launched anti-ship or land attack cruise missile. Why is the Tomahawk considered the weapon of choice for the U.S. Department of Defense? When was it first used in combat? Why is radar detection of the missile difficult? Visit the Military Analysis Network for more on the Tomahawk.

AGM-86B Cruise Missiles. The AGM-86B air-launched cruise missiles and AGM-86C conventional air-launched cruise missiles were developed to increase the effectiveness of B-52H bombers. What kind of engine propels these missiles? What makes them so accurate? How many of these missiles can a B-52 carry?

GBU 31/32 Joint Direct Attack Munitions. The Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) is a guidance tail kit that converts existing unguided free-fall bombs into accurate, adverse weather "smart" munitions. How do JDAMs work? Why were they developed, and what conflict highlighted the need for them? Do they need to be launched from very low or very high altitudes? When were they first used in combat?

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