Building a Better Bomb

dr who and the darlix writes "There is a nice article here about carbon composite warheads being tested. They destroy their targets while minimizing collateral damage."

Comments

Shades of the `70's neutron bomb

[Paul Bain]

This development reminds me of the "neutron bomb" that the defense establishment developed in the late seventies. It was a small, nuclear warhead meant for use on the battlefield (i.e., against soldiers and tanks, etc.) that killed not through a combination of blast-&-heat (that would destroy structures) but, rather, by unleashing a lethal flood of neutrons that destroyed the cell walls of nearly all animals (humans included). The neutrons could penetrate tank armor and the walls of buildings, killing tank crews and infantry inside the buildings, respectively. Think Star Trek, First Generation, the episode where Bones says, "Jim, every cell in his body has been disrupted!!". The bomb did not, however, destroy as many structures as a traditional, tactical nuclear weapon.

The defense establishment tried to sell the virutes of the neutron bomb with this pithy point: "It destroys humans but leaves buildings intact," minimizing collateral damage. Aping this thought, in college, some of my acquaintances developed a powerful alcoholic mixture that they dubbed "neutron punch." Their rationale? "It destroys your mind but leaves your body intact," they said.