US Military to test 700 ton explosive near Las Vegas...

The US military plans to detonate a 700 tonne explosive charge in a test called "Divine Strake" that will send a mushroom cloud over Las Vegas, a senior defense official said.

"I don't want to sound glib here but it is the first time in Nevada that you'll see a mushroom cloud over Las Vegas since we stopped testing nuclear weapons," said James Tegnelia, head of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.



Tegnelia said the test was part of a US effort to develop weapons capable of destroying deeply buried bunkers housing nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.

"We have several very large penetrators we're developing," he told defense reporters.

"We also have -- are you ready for this - a 700-tonne explosively formed charge that we're going to be putting in a tunnel in Nevada," he said.

"And that represents to us the largest single explosive that we could imagine doing conventionally to solve that problem," he said.

The aim is to measure the effect of the blast on hard granite structures, he said.

"If you want to model these weapons, you want to know from a modeling point of view what is the ideal best condition you could ever set up in a conventional weapon -- what's the best you can do.

"And this gets at the best point you could get on a curve. So it allows us to predict how effective these kinds of weapons ... would be," he said.

He said the Russians have been notified of the test, which is scheduled for the first week of June at the Nevada test range.

"We're also making sure that Las Vegas understands," Tegnelia said.





www.breitbart.com/news/2006/03/30/060330162648.wxde5ocl.html

Sounds like a test of a conventional blast that would be replicated in the field using a tactical nuke.
Anyone know the cost of that much C4?

Kharn

Quoted: US Military to test 700 ton explosive near Las Vegas... The US military plans to detonate a 700 tonne explosive charge in a test called "Divine Strake" that will send a mushroom cloud over Las Vegas, a senior defense official said. "I don't want to sound glib here but it is the first time in Nevada that you'll see a mushroom cloud over Las Vegas since we stopped testing nuclear weapons," said James Tegnelia, head of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Tegnelia said the test was part of a US effort to develop weapons capable of destroying deeply buried bunkers housing nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. "We have several very large penetrators we're developing," he told defense reporters. "We also have -- are you ready for this - a 700-tonne explosively formed charge that we're going to be putting in a tunnel in Nevada," he said. "And that represents to us the largest single explosive that we could imagine doing conventionally to solve that problem," he said. The aim is to measure the effect of the blast on hard granite structures, he said. "If you want to model these weapons, you want to know from a modeling point of view what is the ideal best condition you could ever set up in a conventional weapon -- what's the best you can do. "And this gets at the best point you could get on a curve. So it allows us to predict how effective these kinds of weapons ... would be," he said. He said the Russians have been notified of the test, which is scheduled for the first week of June at the Nevada test range. "We're also making sure that Las Vegas understands," Tegnelia said. www.breitbart.com/news/2006/03/30/060330162648.wxde5ocl.html

That's 1.4million lbs of explosives!  How would we deliver a weapon of that size to Iran?

Let me be the first: Group Buy!

Quoted: Sounds like a test of a conventional blast that would be replicated in the field using a tactical nuke. Kharn

Actually, I was thinking the same thing...  What's the ground structure like in Iran?

Pics + Video is gonna be mandatory.

Well, they're not going to fit that in the weapons bay of a JSF.

Quoted: Quoted: Sounds like a test of a conventional blast that would be replicated in the field using a tactical nuke. Kharn Actually, I was thinking the same thing...  What's the ground structure like in Iran?

Before or after the strike on them test?

That is a lot of Tannerite.

Quoted: Well, they're not going to fit that in the weapons bay of a JSF.

But the SuperBug can carry it!

Kharn

The core

Quoted: Sounds like a test of a conventional blast that would be replicated in the field using a tactical nuke. Anyone know the cost of that much C4? Kharn

I think you hit the unspoken point of this test. There is no delivery system for a bomb one tenth that size so it must be a proxy for the real thing. Nukes in this yield range are a reality.
Rich V

Could we fix a Super Hornet to carry 87 of them?

Maybe we'll be lucky and there'll be an immigration protest next to the test site.

Quoted: Maybe we'll be lucky and there'll be an immigration protest next to the test site.

Put an advertisment in all the papers for "free US Citizenship today" at the test site...
Also, invite all the liberals, and Ted Kennedy, Diane Swinestein and Russ Feingold...

Not to be racially insensitive, but all those idiots at the immigration reform rallies waving MEXICAN flags really chapped my ass :(

AC

Are they actually testing an explosive (tactical nuclear proxy would be best guess) or is this a test of a kinetic harpoon impact?

They're gonna cause an earthquake that will flatten Las Vegas.

in a test called "Divine Strike"

That aught to rile them up.

Quoted: They're gonna cause an earthquake that will flatten Las Vegas.

I heard it was to help push California into the ocean.

Quoted: Quoted: They're gonna cause an earthquake that will flatten Las Vegas. I heard it was to help push California into the ocean.

I'll give up Vegas to get rid of Cali... we can always rebuild the city of sin.
Just kidding, RPKers.

Quoted: Quoted: Sounds like a test of a conventional blast that would be replicated in the field using a tactical nuke. Kharn Actually, I was thinking the same thing...  What's the ground structure like in Iran?

Nevada

Quoted: in a test called "Divine Strike" That aught to rile them up.

Just a thought, but could this really be a test of a secret "Rods of God" weapons system?

Sweet

They should test it along the Mexican border

How about two explosions that are timed micro seconds apart.  One a tactical nuke buried underground and the other a conventional surface explosive to hide it.  

What kind of wagers are the bookies doing on this one?

Quoted: Quoted: in a test called "Divine Strike" That aught to rile them up. Just a thought, but could this really be a test of a secret "Rods of God" weapons system?

That was my thought above.  A kinetic harpoon of the discussed size would yield approx impact of 1kT.

Quoted: Quoted: Maybe we'll be lucky and there'll be an immigration protest next to the test site. Put an advertisment in all the papers for "free US Citizenship today" at the test site... Also, invite all the liberals, and Ted Kennedy, Diane Swinestein and Russ Feingold... Not to be racially insensitive, but all those idiots at the immigration reform rallies waving MEXICAN flags really chapped my ass :( AC

What pissed me off the most is those fucksticks waving signs that said the U.S. is Mexican property.  Over... My... Dead... Body!

I wonder if the test is going to be broadcast on CNN then al Jazeera so the idiots in Iran get the hint?

Quoted: Quoted: in a test called "Divine Strike" That aught to rile them up. Just a thought, but could this really be a test of a secret "Rods of God" weapons system?

Interesting - the name could be a giveaway. (Though the original article called it "Divine Strake")

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: in a test called "Divine Strike" That aught to rile them up. Just a thought, but could this really be a test of a secret "Rods of God" weapons system? Interesting - the name could be a giveaway. (Though the original article called it "Divine Strake")

Which I changed because I figured it was a typo.

Strake: A single continuous line of planking or metal plating extending on a vessel's hull from stem to stern.

That, or the Iranians are about to lose all of their nuclear weapons in a tragic boating accident.

Quoted: Quoted: Interesting - the name could be a giveaway. (Though the original article called it "Divine Strake") Which I changed because I figured it was a typo. Strake: A single continuous line of planking or metal plating extending on a vessel's hull from stem to stern. That, or the Iranians are about to lose all of their nuclear weapons in a tragic boating accident.

Somehow all I can picture is Richard Dreyfuss in the aftermath proclaiming, "This was not a boating accident!"

Cool shit
I predict it will be more than thisboom at princeton shoot

I predict massive rallies and protests by libtards all around the area, resulting in the .gov doing it's usual routine of apologizing and the project being put on indefinite hold. I dunno that it'll go down that way... but they probably should've given a LITTLE less notice so the libtards wouldn't have had time to organize. Maybe the .gov should create an official protest area that happens to be above the detonation area...

What is the density of C-4 or Ocotol (sp?) or whatever the likely explosive is?  That is a huge pile of whatever.  How do you detonate that much mass simultaneously?

Quoted: Quoted: in a test called "Divine Strike" That aught to rile them up. Just a thought, but could this really be a test of a secret "Rods of God" weapons system?

Shhh You'll have the Vegas people seeing glowing streaks in the sky.

Shortly before the mushroom... I might add.

Pics and video  will be needed for propper BDA

Quoted: What is the density of C-4 or Ocotol (sp?) or whatever the likely explosive is?  That is a huge pile of whatever.  How do you detonate that much mass simultaneously?

You smack it into a large mass at a high rate of speed.

Quoted: Cool shit I predict it will be more than thisboom at princeton shoot

I remember that riding lawn mower

Quoted: What is the density of C-4 or Ocotol (sp?) or whatever the likely explosive is?  That is a huge pile of whatever.  How do you detonate that much mass simultaneously?

 

Magnum primers?

Quoted: Quoted: Cool shit I predict it will be more than thisboom at princeton shoot I remember that riding lawn mower

that was a fun day

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Sounds like a test of a conventional blast that would be replicated in the field using a tactical nuke. Kharn Actually, I was thinking the same thing...  What's the ground structure like in Iran? Before or after the strike on them test?

I would guess, without any research, that Iran has all thee rock types (sedimentary, metamorphic, the ingenous) .  Having said that granite is a good material in which to build an underground bunker.



BTW I would also guess it isn't c-4.  More like a bulk granular explosive similar to the test they did in the 1980s.

700 ton bomb, i would love to see that go off!

Non Ideal Airblast Effects from Urban and Natural Terrain

Joe Crepeau, Charles Needham, ARA

Abstract:
Non-ideal airblast is produced from detonations over urban and natural terrain.  Mechanical effects of a blast wave reflecting off non-ideal surfaces produces shielding and channeling effects that may be considerably different than those from a detonation over an ideal surface.  Work in the area non-ideal airblast generated from urban and natural terrain is presented.



Divine Strake is a high-explosive (HE) test sponsored by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and is scheduled for the summer of 2006 at the Nevada Test Site (NTS).  The test is a detonation of a 700 ton buried heavy AN/FO charge above a tunnel structure.  The main purpose of the test is to study ground shock effects on deeply buried tunnel structures.  Of secondary interest is the airblast produced by a buried charge and its modification as it propagates over the local terrain.



Sandia National Laboratory (SNL) recently sponsored a number of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) airblast calculations of the upcoming event.  SNL contracted Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) to perform two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) predictive airblast calculations for the test.  The CFD calculations were run with SHAMRC and characterize the airblast environments induced by the non-ideal charge configuration and the surrounding terrain.  They include 2D calculations with and without terrain and with a responding and non-responding ground model.  A single 3D calculation with a non-responding ground model was also completed. Results of the calculations provide test planners with environments that can be expected at instrumentation and test structure locationS. A single, 3D calculation with a realistic ground model is planned once the charge and detonation site details are finalized.



ARA has also completed several SHAMRC calculations investigating non-ideal airblast over urban and natural terrain under a contract with DTRA for the Near Surface Weapons Effects Tools – 3D (NSWET-3D), Airblast/Thermal task.  One set of calculations modeled a nuclear detonation in New York City.  The buildings were generated automatically from ArcView shapefiles, placed on a flat ground surface, and modeled as non-responding.  One of these calculations was run under the Capability Applications Project (CAP) sponsored by the Department of Defense (DoD) High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP).  Another set of calculations modeled the Smoky nuclear event at NTS.  The calculations included models of natural terrain, thermal heating of the terrain surface, and dust sweep-up from the surface.

www.saviac.org/76th_Symposium/Abstracts/L-33.htm

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: They're gonna cause an earthquake that will flatten Las Vegas. I heard it was to help push California into the ocean. I'll give up Vegas to get rid of Cali... we can always rebuild the city of sin. Just kidding, RPKers.

NIMBY.............

Well, on second thought, that's *exactly* where I'd want it to go!

Tag.






-K

This should be really cool.  

Quoted: 700 ton bomb, i would love to see that go off! Non Ideal Airblast Effects from Urban and Natural Terrain Joe Crepeau, Charles Needham, ARA <snip> Divine Strake is a high-explosive (HE) test sponsored by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and is scheduled for the summer of 2006 at the Nevada Test Site (NTS).  The test is a detonation of a 700 ton buried heavy AN/FO charge above a tunnel structure.  The main purpose of the test is to study ground shock effects on deeply buried tunnel structures.  Of secondary interest is the airblast produced by a buried charge and its modification as it propagates over the local terrain. <snip> www.saviac.org/76th_Symposium/Abstracts/L-33.htm

There's your granularity, JIMBEAM.

Compare this:


http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iran/images/iran_map_nuke.gif

to this:


http://www.ngdir.ir/ThematicGeology/Geology.asp?#Nod

Sounds impractical. Maybe this whole article is just to cover up an actual tactical nuke test. You go from a delivery system that takes a convoy of 2 1/2 ton trucks to a guy in a HUMVEE with a large suitcase.

Road trip?
SF campout?
Beer, folding chairs, sun glasses?

Would be fun to watch.

Just a thought, but could this really be a test of a secret "Rods of God" weapons system?

Pray tell, what is a 'Rods of God' weapon???......???

Quoted: Just a thought, but could this really be a test of a secret "Rods of God" weapons system? Pray tell, what is a 'Rods of God' weapon???......???

tag

Quoted: Quoted: Just a thought, but could this really be a test of a secret "Rods of God" weapons system? Pray tell, what is a 'Rods of God' weapon???......??? tag

A heavy object dropped from a high altitude from an aircraft moving very very fast.