The Bomb That Ended a War

This bomb may have single handedly ended the Gulf War, but the speed at which it was designed, developed and deployed, is #NotWhatYouThink #NWYT #longs
Music:
More Danger - WENDEL SCHERER
Dark Energy - CRAFT CASE
In the Wake - CRAFT CASE
Double Crossed - CRAFT CASE
Realm of Mind - WENDEL SCHERER
Dark Mountains - WENDEL SCHERER
No Backup - WENDEL SCHERER
Inverted - HAMPUS NAESELIUS
Solidify - CRAFT CASE
Footage:
US Department of Defense
Note: "The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement."

[@Ossimsauce86]

There's something ironic about a barrel becoming a bullet.

[@wancelemuel6633]

Cave Johnson here!

[@user-eq9xs5fz9u]

"Bullet used to go through me. Now, I AM THE BULLET" -Barrel

[@laksamanasuhendra5868]

When you're out of ammo, you become the ammo

[@arandomcommenter412]

I have yet to meet one that can outsmart boolet

[@RealGodfromheaven]

@@laksamanasuhendra5868 that has to be one of the coolest quotes I’ve ever heard

[@marcusmoonstein242]

Fun fact: I read about this bomb in the 1990's. It's code name amongst the armorers who fitted them to the drop aircraft was "Deep Throat".

[@Tegawe]

Sounds about right

[@fewetoo4962]

Fun fact: Armoror = Navy Weapons = Air Force

[@larry-333]

Kinda sus innit bruv

[@AVI-lh6rm]

i thought Deep Throat was the guy who exposed the watergate scandal

[@DOI_ARTS]

I swear the engineers have been watching too much porn

[@noneyabuiznezz]

I was a CNC machinist for 35 years in a factory that made large parts similar to these and this video really triggered some major nostalgia

[@Kevin_da_gamer]

Cap 🧢

[@PrussianPoe]

*"The Bomb That Ended a War"* *Japanese PTSD*

[@Riverbed_Dreaming]

I hope the engineer who realised you can use gun barrels for this got a massive bonus. It’s genius. Heavy but not wide, very strong and shock resistant, and with a hole in the middle for explosives.

[@Barmaley80x]

This is just barrel, maked from special steel using long base lathe. With the same approach, they can make catapult which can fired the Moon. No need Appolon, no need Saturn rocket. But this guys frozen in desire. Main problem, that Moon not have such cheap oil in Moon's arounds. Cheap oil is good catalyst for amour-propre.

[@Philly_Willy]

@@Barmaley80x The Saturn rocket was needed, and there was a large desire to rush as fast as we could to get to the moon. It's called the Cold War.

[@Barmaley80x]

@@Philly_Willy but now in present time it useless. But someone tell us what mankind is evolving. Mankind not have ambitious plans. So we are moving to the nature, close to the monkeykind.

[@Philly_Willy]

@@Barmaley80x We are getting better at ambitious plans, but value human safety and life more now. We learn from the past. Plus, there ARE ambitious programs like SpaceX's starship rocket which will send humans to the moon and farther by landing like a person bellyflopping into a pool.

[@pyrope5454]

@@Barmaley80x Can you speakadah Engrish?

[@chilling_at_pontiff]

Imagine chilling 50+ feet underground in a secure sight miles from any combat and all of a sudden a metal telephone pole goes through three floors to your room.

[@blur3253]

it explodes when it reaches the bunker too, so you catch a glimpse of the pole and then you're in heaven

[@Erafune]

Question is: Won't it just go through the entire bunker and 15 feet into the lowest floor before exploding!? xD I mean considering the speed that thing is traveling, you have a 0.001 second window where the shell is traveling "through" the bunker before burying itself yet again.

[@chilling_at_pontiff]

@@blur3253 you mean with your 72 virgins or whatever they believe is heaven?

[@chilling_at_pontiff]

@@Erafune if it happens to land on the bottom floor. I thought their illusion of security falling apart in such a fashion was dark but comical. Specifically if it landed on their floor and they happened to be on the bottom. You are right though. These missiles are so over engineered they do most likely over shoot a lot of bunkers and just kill with sealed concussion in the bunker. I know the MOAB a few years back landed on the surface and it killed everyone in the tunnels because it sucked out all the air.

[@chriscolabella880]

@@Erafune Good point, but remember there's a quarter tonne of explosive to figure in, even if this doesn't detonate in the exact optimal spot, all that energy has to go somewhere, as does the kinetic energy

[@stillededge]

I knew about using the barrels for this, but I didn't know how "improvised" it was. "Hold my beer..." 🤣

[@livingcorpse5664]

They really just winging it. They speedrun making and deploying new bomb.

[@sdunn0417]

The ammount of CNC footage and also public info in this video is insane..

[@Qdawg1413]

You think those desert rats had KZbin? 😂

[@captain_commenter8796]

It’s amazing and also concerning that people can work together extremely well to create ingenious solutions to kill each other

[@taktuscat4250]

It's not always the case, they just got lucky from their quick and janky creation

[@algirdasnausedas324]

Skill and ability to cooperate isn't luck alone

[@Kytes93]

Because it's fun!

[@markzaikov456]

**To penetrate thick walls AND to potentially kill another human

[@dave_h_8742]

Works on saving lives too but they don't make KZbin about growing antibiotic strains or operations, engineering is covered though so what's ya point !

[@robison87]

It amazes me to see a missile go through reinforced concrete and still maintain its shape.

[@kyleheins]

these weapons are why we dn't bother armoring ships anymore...

[@magicamika]

It is a huge concrete nail, scaled to stab smash the bunker.

[@mungo7136]

@@kyleheins Really? You have no antiship missiles that come even close to power of the WW2 AP grenades. They have neither weight nor speed. Besides, ships were not armored with stupid reinforced concrete, they were protected with armored layout specifically designed to defeat powerful AP projectiles. You do not armor ships because you simply do not have money to do so.

[@kyleheins]

@@mungo7136 Go study armor and armor penetration properly. I'll wait.

[@mungo7136]

@@kyleheins Well, as you have clearly no clue, educate yourself in the first place

[@thomaswalsh4552]

Nuclear bombs hold the record for minimal number of test drops prior to deployment. There was a single test drop, Trinity, before the two bombs dropped on Japan, which should at least tie it with this bomb. However, not only were nukes employed first, but they were arguably all different weapons at that point: the reason one was called “little boy” and the other “fat man” was because one was rather large and oval while the other was smaller and cylindrical; they were two different types of bomb.

[@miguellopez3392]

ya but then you have to argue about the development period and the previous prior detonations of a prototype core.

[@internetuser4210]

The point could be made that nuclear energy was studied a lot before hand, these guys machined a howitzer for half a month, and then sent it on its way

[@djsnowman06]

Trinity wasn't a drop tho. It was detonated on a tower in the desert.

[@dannydevito5729]

I'm just a regular dumbass but I thought that 1=1

[@thomaswalsh4552]

@@dannydevito5729 1=1, but one apple doesn’t equal one orange

[@aonforme3455]

I remember hearing about this while fighting in the Gulf War. Not saying it won the war but was definitely a turning point. This boosted our moral tremendously.

[@salvadorvizcarra769]

After the First World War, the UK, France and the US decided to take the territory of Kwait from Iraq. With this ABUSE, Iraq was left without access to the sea. And, what were the UK, US and France doing in the Middle East? They were stealing the Oil. Yup... Modern Pirates!

[@theduke7539]

Desert Storm was a perfect example of when you go into a conflict with the determination to actually win it. While I am critical of US foreign policy, the wars in the middle east in particular. I still have to stand in aw at that majesty that is operation desert storm, from the degree of industrial and military commitment, to swift execution, to the almost orchestral direction in the mosaic warfare strategy used. There will never be another conflict where so much goes the way it was planned and turns out so effective

[@flightmaster999]

And that was well before everyone had access to computers to simplify everyone's work, amazing how they must have "known their sh*t" back then.

[@Ukraineaissance2014]

The coalition actually had clear and achievable objectives in that war for once, although they should have either supported the uprisings against Saddam at the end of the war or done their best to stop them. Nobody has clear political goals in war anymore, which is like page 1 clausewitzian how to win at war stuff. Who the hell knows what russia's war objectives are right now for example? They certainly don't seem to know themselves.

[@najunisa9375]

Wat about Ukraine....?

[@bas8792]

@@Ukraineaissance2014 large chunk of Ukrainian economy is generated by the fertile and resource rich eastern ukraine. Denazifying or whatever bullshit they said is just propaganda to justify their action and to paint them as the 'hero' to russian citizen. Everyone should know that in the end, it's always the same imperialistic objective to either gain more resource or to preserve dominance.

[@Gabriel-yd4bq]

@@najunisa9375 Ukraine looks like a badly organized shit fest. Russians were and are underperforming against what once were their own weapons (Now with support from the west it no longer stands true).

[@JeremyFieldingSr]

To design, build and deploy a custom weapon in four weeks is freaking insane! This is a great example of how just about any engineering problem can be solved when the team feels urgency, has motivation, and an unlimited budget. LOL. This was not cheap! Great video.

[@montylc2001]

The P-51 went from beginning on the drawing board to a flying prototype in 3 months. And this was in 1940!!! Ya, it can be done.

[@clonescope2433]

@monty crawford one thing the P51 had was an economy and industry gearing up for a war, you noticed throughout World War II a lot of vehicles and Technologies were developed fairly rapidly compared to what would have happened without the war.

[@montylc2001]

@@clonescope2433 Plus they didn't have all the regulations we have to put up with today.

[@NeverSnows]

Also shows one of my favorite principles: simple solutions are often better. Using an "off the shelf" gun barrel was a brilliant idea.

[@JesusProtects]

Urgency to kill. They will have to explain themselves before God... Before being thrown into the pit.

[@garou5333]

4 WEEKS. 4 weeks is all it took for our engineers to engineer this weapon. How insane.

[@UrsaMajorPrime]

Imagine being there (I was) when this happened. We're gonna drop a what? Never heard of that.

[@Soniti1324]

4 weeks is nothing for the military industrial complex when given the comparatively unlimited funding and access that the first open armed conflict since Korea brings with it.

[@professorfinesser4322]

we are so lost now. i wonder if we could improvise like this anymore

[@Bhatt_Hole]

4:27 That's some next-level hair!

[@firebeardlongfellow5295]

This is why engineers can literally connect the dots out of thin air to retrofit something for a given task. I mean who else thinks "well we need an extremely dense and stable shell casing for this bomb to penetrate straight into solid earth, and we need it yesterday..... what about artillery gun barrels?" *Begins to furiously make phone calls and order ungodly amounts of mountain dew*

[@user-sg9ql8nk1u]

*hell that literally how my dad does his shit*

[@Cobra-King3]

Life of an Engineer at it's finest

[@targetaps]

You have to also give credit to the machinist involved. Often times the machinist will work side by side with the engineers as a sort of checks and balances with empasis on checks. Lol. Source: I come from a family of machinist and engineers that worked in the aerospace industry.

[@PC-xj4wi]

What's with the mountain dew part?

[@webtoedman]

@@PC-xj4wi Caffeine, caffeine, and more caffeine, to stay alert while designing the bomb.

[@nade5557]

minor correction, it has been done before. During WW2 the tallboy bomb was able to penetrate 16 feet of concrete or 60 feet of ground and explode within a bunker. It was actually designed to cause a massive shockwave and crater around a bunker to destroy it rather than directly exploding it. It was used from 1944 onwards on over 30 missions until the war ended

[@nade5557]

maybe thats a new video idea

[@webtoedman]

"Grand slam" was an even bigger version. It reached supersonic speeds purely by gravity and clean aerodynamic shape.

[@bigmock141]

@@seththomas3418 well they realize how thick that concrete is

[@barneysdad9193]

@@seththomas3418 It did sufficient damage that the pens were abandoned.

[@sthenzel]

Apart from Tallboy and Grand slam, another one did also penetrate reasonably well. The Fritz X was designed to penetrate well-armoured decks, in case of the Littorio the first hit went through the ships stern, the second hit managed to detonate a magazine. After a resdesign it fell a little slower so the risk of detonation benath the target was reduced, but the operational success was limited, as the bomber had to fly straight and level for the guidance operator to radio-direct the bomb to the target. Technically it was just like the GBU-28, a guided penetrator bomb.

[@troyboody9985]

Essentially, it is a giant nail with a warhead.

[@billdurham8477]

Best part about this channel is the story is told with just enough specs to tell the story instead of the a i channels with endless decimal places and useless info. Thanks!!!!! PS if you find your self driving by Watervilet, look for the Iowa class 16 inch barrel out front.

[@jeffb8562]

I’m not sure what’s more impressive, it’s ability to go so far down, or that it was built and designed in four weeks.

[@14hereigo]

War is a great motivator

[@spacejaime]

American ingenuity at its best. 👍👍

[@vond5829]

@@spacejaime Education system? Nah, no no no Health care system? Lmao wut? Military system? yes yes yes

[@jaimeballester840]

@@vond5829 - I hear you loud and clear vond!!! I totally agree with you. Immoraly expensive higher education (colleges), and the most expensive health system on the planet.

[@thecursed01]

@@jaimeballester840 we germans have the most expensive health system. but are like...i think rank 40 something? it's terrible. lost my career becasue all i needed was a simple prescription for a learning problem (ads related) 1 year 3 months not being able to get an appointment at an psychiatrist. swiss system is much better. also expensive, but it works.

[@Fotoschiki]

Targeting military facilities and personell has proved to be long term effective. Targeting civilian population has proven to highly increase the enemy's determination and tenacity in combat. Targeting the generals and dictator of an invading country has proven hyper successfull. It's easy for dictators to send men to die at their command, while hiding in a bunker. But when they are the target, they smash the surrender button ASAP. It's the same now as it was with the ten plagues in egypt in the old testament. The pharao didn't budge until it hit him personally, no matter how much his people suffered. It seems to be a very old concept.

[@CallsignYukiMizuki]

The "hiding" in the bunker part is technically true, but it's either losing your entire military's leadership from decapitation strikes or surrender to prevent your military from going in disarray. There's a point to be made about the top sending others to die and that kind of shit, but at the same time, you literally cannot have every single general in the frontline

[@leonox7313]

Which is why I am surprised that there have been no violent attacks in Russia targeted to people in governmental positions in light of the Ukrainian war

[@RolandoP]

Pooting probably hiding 1km underground under his desk.

[@Fotoschiki]

@@leonox7313 Well Ukrain doesn't have the military capability to launch an attack on Putin and if there is one thing the russian army absolutely sucks at it's reconnaisance. They probably have absolutely no idea where Selenski or his generals are. Also Ukrain's anti air units are too good to risk sending one of the few higher gen jets for such an air strike. It was the same for NATO in jugoslavia. They couldn't fly below 8 kilometers.

[@K20_EM1]

Oh wow thanks for stating the obvious lmfao

[@metatechhd]

the engineer who came up with the idea of using gun barrels as bombs during World War II deserves a huge bonus. It was an ingenious solution to a difficult problem. The gun barrels were heavy but not wide, making them ideal for creating a powerful explosive device. Additionally, they were strong and shock-resistant, able to withstand the force of the blast. The fact that they already had a hole in the middle made it even easier to add the explosive material. Watching the story of "The Bomb That Ended a War" and learning about this engineering feat was truly fascinating. It's amazing to think how one idea like this could have such a huge impact on the course of history.

[@Silo-Ren]

This is one of my favorite videos when it comes to ingenuity. 🇺🇸

[@aldreenbautista2375]

We had gone so far with military technology; from launching projectiles using artillery to launching the artillery itself!

[@K20_EM1]

Dropping it not launching lol.

[@jondoe292]

Laser guiding it

[@panther7584]

Years later, they will drop an artillery barrel which would fire a round at intended target. Or paradrop a remote controlled machinegun to rain straight down while maintaining a small figure, hard to detect thousands of meters above.

[@Maddinhpws]

@@panther7584 Like that one gun in "Enter the Gungeon" that shoots a bullet that explodes into guns that shoot with bullets?

[@panther7584]

@@Maddinhpws That is the most silly thing I have ever heard of and I want it. In Borderlands 3, you shoot with a gun, throw it at a ground then it activate its legs and walks around shooting. Fucking adorable little gun.

[@jp-um2fr]

I had the honour to meet Barnes Wallace the designer of the Grand Slam 10 ton and Tallboy 6 ton bombs as well as the bouncing bombs made for the German dams. There were over a hundred engineering students at his lecture and he shook hands afterwards with all of us. When Grand Slam was used on the Tirpitz part of a turret was found 3 miles away. He did say one thing I remember ' War should never be glorified - it's evil'. He must be turning in his grave.

[@darreng745]

Paul Brickhill in his book makes mention that Barnes - Wallis was close to tears when he was told how many aircrew has been lost on Operation Chastise so that really does not surprise me, but the Americans love to glorify their technical achievements as it covers for their military ineptitiude in other areas.

[@mandi8345]

War is hell. Do avoid them at all costs. But necessity is the mother of invention, and humans can invent one mother of a thing if the situation necessitates. The key is to not be the thing necessity is aimed at.

[@12309.]

Only Tallboy bombs 10,000lb were used against the Tirpitz. It was enough.

[@MrEtienne6657]

It's not war that's glorified here, it's engeniering

[@Ori_fr]

@@darreng745 That really is the issue with the US Military... They're not well trained, nor are they really well equipped. But they have a massive Military Industrial complex behind them, that will (if needed) create this kind of stuff to fuck ur day up.

[@iamcarbonandotherbits.8039]

Well put together video on something that was needed today and was delivered yesterday.

[@darylefleming1191]

I was station at Eglin AFB at that time. It feels good to those long days made a big difference. I was watching the video to if they got the facts correct. To my surprise they were correct on everything.

[@Alex-hm7nt]

I tell people all the time, the military is hugely efficient and inefficient at the same time. When something needs (or "needs") to be done, itll get done lol

[@vitsadelhole]

Well its just efficient at the task necessary in the case of developing this bomb it was the most efficient way to destroy a bunker, in case of developing the F35 it was the most efficient way to sell forgein policy and domestic corruption

[@jayes8712]

Depends entirely on how much funds need to be burnt through, since military projects are not allowed to come in under budget.

[@J93AD]

When I was in basic I was like “damn the army is like the most organized disorganized thing ever”

[@alesh2275]

Sounds like it’s not the military’s problem but whether the civilian leadership has enough clarity in their aims and prioritization.

[@granatmof]

It's huge "hurry up and wait".

[@marjanperveinis8355]

American weapons manufacturers: "How deep you want that this bomb penetrate?" US military: YES

[@larry-333]

Ok, I have a bomb that can penetrate quite a bit while being able to release the payload....oh wait wrong subject?....

[@monke6915]

Fr

[@Tom_Quixote]

Is this joke still considered funny?

[@ilikewaffles3689]

@@Tom_Quixote apparently, judging by the ratio

[@planespottinganimalshistory]

*YES*

[@ryangrogan6839]

I wonder how they knew how to fuse the explosives properly. They must have known the approximate depth, or some sort of system that counts how many floors it busted through. Very impressive when you take this into account.

[@DavidOfWhitehills]

When the deceleration stops .

[@somewhatblankpaper1423]

Doesn’t necessarily work as the deceleration could get to 0 after penetrating below the bunker, and the explosion doesn’t do the intended damage. But knowing the max depth of the missile after hitting the underground bunker and the min depth of penetration underground, it’s feasible to increase the explosive power so that it deals the intended damage anywhere within the range. Also, maybe the bomb doesn’t aways work as intended either and multiple drops were needed.

[@MattH-wg7ou]

Literally just math. Time delay based on X000psi concrete and the expected impact velocity and penetration/deceleration. There are more modern solutions now though such as the FMU-167 Void Sensing Fuze.

[@solarsage252]

We never should have gotten into the war, it took everything away from my uncle and all of his friends that he grew up with.

[@jakevote8978]

as a machinist i can tell you. The machinists knew exactly what size to make it. The engineers just hadn’t proven it to themselves yet 😂

[@scotthubbard8779]

Too right they wouldn't have done this without knowing exactly what it was going to be able to do

[@TravisMcGee151]

@@scotthubbard8779I love this stuff. Imagine the destructive weapons we have today in 2023? Love it!!

[@Darksouls98]

@@TravisMcGee151There is nothing to love about weapons that kill people. Sure it may look cool and have a big bang but ultimately it's something made to cause harm.

[@That_Big_British_Lad]

​@@Darksouls98the point is to cause harm, otherwise harm more harm would be called

[@RubbinRobbin]

They had to test it

[@walterwhite7640]

After I saw the title i honestly thought you were talking about atomic bombs.

[@NotWhatYouThink]

It's Not What You Think!

[@RealGodfromheaven]

@@NotWhatYouThink “yeah, it’s big brain time”

[@leondealmeida7680]

4:52 “15 engineering design changes were made during manufacturing process” No one: Product Managers: hold my beer

[@jonathanfairchild]

It’s kind of crazy that our most impressive feats of ingenuity and collaboration are in weapons of war. Doesn’t detract from the sheer impressiveness just makes it a bit sobering.

[@PBMS123]

Some fun facts, this bomb was launched upwards, the pilots would flick the nose of the aircraft up, and the fire control computer would launch it, giving it a little extra kinetic energy. As the explosive was molten when poured in, the F111s took off with bombs that were still warm to the touch.

[@tasmanmcmillan1777]

The f-111's are now a lost treasure.

[@austonboston4361]

Fun fun fun! Let's kill some people. Sheesh. Gimme a break.

[@vipe650r]

That’s so cool!

[@OxBlitzkriegxO]

fUn FaCt: tritonal is often in liquid form due to heat when the bombs sit outside in sun. when you move them, you can hear the explosive slosh around.

[@blank1778]

Why don’t we use them anymoren

[@delord1619]

One of the couses i took in college was taught by a metallurgist at the Watervliet Arsenal and it was his job to supervise the heat treatment progam for the bomb casing. The biggest asset of the arsonal was the six jaw rotary forge that was key to the rough shaping of the nosecone mounting surfaces. His was one of the most challenging classes I ever took.

[@AlexanderSuraphel]

What was the challenging aspect of the class?

[@fed3734]

What were some cool details if you dont mind me asking

[@stevebean1234]

they also make the M777 barrels at the Watervliet Aresenal, which is the oldest still-operating arsenal in the US. i grew up right near by in Menands, went to school through grade 12 right nearby, and passed it a couple of times every week going to fencing class.

[@kevin_1979]

Was it Dr. Thorton?

[@timfagan816]

@@AlexanderSuraphel trying to spell course obviously!

[@adamjindrisek585]

Imagine the person getting the idea to use the howitzer barrels technically ended a war

[@commentfailedtopost]

New weapons don't usually end wars, they start new ones.

[@toni.cc0]

Great content as always, hope u make longer videos in the future.

[@NotWhatYouThink]

Thanks! We publish long videos every Friday.

[@NotWhatYouThink]

🥉

[@perlindqvist1068]

@@NotWhatYouThinkThen fridays are my favorite day

[@RealGodfromheaven]

Such a wholesome conversation

[@NotWhatYouThink]

Wholesome, especially in the presence of God!

[@drekson23]

I am proud as a machinist and welder. We can do almost everything. Not just war equipment but for everyday industrial machines.

[@Black_Kakari]

That's incredible. Well done. Amazing

[@stevekelley7596]

When we work together focused on a goal it’s amazing what Americans can do. Together key word here.

[@alexeiutgoff7955]

"The super penetrator" Ah, so that's why this showed up in my recommended. Makes sense.

[@NotWhatYouThink]

😁

[@grndiesel]

No doubt much of the ideas needed to build the bomb already existed in the minds of various engineers, machinists and technicians long before the need was officially recognized. It's really amazing what can happen when a motivated team is given the space and resources to achieve a common goal. Rare, but amazing.

[@XMysticHerox]

Bunker busters were not a new concept. Just not something that was needed since the Korean war.

[@askewcat3209]

@@XMysticHerox hes saying that even though there wasnt a present need beforehand for a new bunker buster the engineers never stopped designing just incase a better bunker buster was needed

[@bobjohnson3940]

Being any one of the people hanging out in your bunker as that showed up would seriously ruin my day

[@kingjaffe321]

Salute to the machinists I’ve seen them at work in their perspective fields it a very fascinating job.

[@jessgatt2306]

During WW2 the Germans fielded a cannon displacing 800mm, yeah, 800mm, and it fired seven ton point three tonne armor piercing shell. The used it on the ammo magazine at Sevastopol, in the Crimea. That shell penetrated some forty feet of steel re-enforced concrete. There's old tech for you, the gun weighed 1,20o tonnes.

[@metermatch]

Gustav gun I think it was called.

[@vincea1830]

Yep, every shot destroyed the barrel. Highly ineffective due to inability to keep up continuous fire + lack of accuracy...

[@hphp31416]

@@metermatchit was Dora, 4 track rail gun

[@zanger4002]

There's that, the German railway gun. And there's also the giant mortar they built (technically an SPG) which used a 2,170 kg shell called the Karl-Gerat.

[@zanger4002]

@@hphp31416 Dora was the name of one specific gun produced. The Gustav gun is the name of the design itself.

[@V8AmericanMuscleCar]

A family friend (a professional welder) worked in Iraq in the late 80's on these bunkers. I remember him saying that those bunkers were very strong, several meters of concrete and a lot of steel, but this rocket went into that bunker like in a marmalade.

[@jbbeiser983]

And killed 480 civilians

[@alperakyuz9702]

@@jbbeiser983 it was al amirriyah shelter attack, it didnt use 5000lb bunker busters but 2 2000lb paveways from f117 nighthawks.

[@artkl494]

@@jbbeiser983 no you got it wrong,480 units of biowaste terminated,that's how you spell it

[@jabibiszum6764]

@@artkl494 Correctly spelled is toxic biowaste includes you

[@artkl494]

@@jabibiszum6764 biowaste unit got mad💀

[@hobogrifter]

At about 0:42 you could see the map in which it shows the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Causeway, the map is showing the invasion of Kuwait in 1990 when the causeway started construction in 2013.

[@lordsangone]

Human ingenuity is simply amazing. If there is a will, there is a way.

[@TheLiasas]

Man, waking up to have a new video of yours for our delight while I take lunch before going to work is what makes for my best days nowadays! Keep up your awesomeness :)

[@TheMightyStrike]

Great video! Except, the ‘Little Boy’ bomb, dropped on Hiroshima, remains the only bomb to have never been tested before combat use. Scientists were so confident in its design, combined with the lack of enriched U-235 at the time, that the US military decided not to test it beforehand. The worlds second nuclear explosion and the first use of this weapon.

[@bryannonya9769]

No bomb was ever tested before it was used. Your half as smart as you think you are.

[@hans2339]

They didn't need to. Criticality tests proved that bringing 2 fissile masses together at sufficient speed would have a nuclear yield.

[@kingfisher366]

The had many times tested nuclear reaction before hand. Not that they assembled a bomb thinking that it will work.

[@MrHubert1710]

@@aaronwestley3239 well both yes and no. For fissile material to become supercritical it is literally "bring enough of it close together and it will go off" i.e. "Demon Core" accident. Making bomb of it was as simple as slapping uranium and highly compressing it with regular explosives. Well details are complicated but idea is simple: make boom for big boom to be possible.

[@Shaker626]

The implosion design used in fat man and all modern nuclear weapons was, however, a very difficult concept for the brains at Manhattan. It had to be tested at Trinity, and led to the development of many physics discoveries and computational methods. Good thing for them that plutonium was easier to extract from a reactor than it was to enrich uranium to weapons grade.

[@getinthespace7715]

I always wondered how those bunker busters were made and how they withstood such force of impact. The made them out of friggin howitzer barrels. 😂 Makes total sense. Genius.

[@Labont]

Top Gun maverick be like when the bomb passes trough 1.09873 cm gap in a vent

[@Dingusdoofus]

“This is proof that engineers are the master race and architects are inferior species” - Probably what RCE would say if he saw this video.

[@nukeengineer5214]

As a P.E. I agree

[@1yoan3]

As a French equivalent of P.E., I agree.

[@nukeengineer5214]

@@airgin3000 Professional Engineer, is a license in the US which allows you to certify designs, calculations as required by law. It is mandatory for Nuclear Power Plants.

[@realulli]

Engineers build weapons, architects build targets.

[@AlexCS8]

@@realulli Isn't Architecture part of Engineering?

[@_Jay_Maker_]

Wartime ingenuity is legitimately wild to observe.

[@tygonmaster]

Helps when you have effectively unlimited budget to get as many people working on it as is needed and a very experienced company like Lockheed Martin.

[@Sahasrarasmi-Sancodite42]

Wars are won through a nation's production capacity. WW II was won by the western powers against Nazi Germany by this very principle. More tanks, planes, ships and other battlefield equipment was produced at a faster rate than the Axis powers, or so I read in a research article.

[@salvadorvizcarra769]

@@tygonmaster After the First World War, the UK, France and the US decided to take the territory of Kwait from Iraq. With this ABUSE, Iraq was left without access to the sea. And, what were the UK, US and France doing in the Middle East? They were stealing the Oil. Yup... Modern Pirates!

[@Doug.the.welder-hj6cq]

Some of these weapons are so terrifying it's hard to believe they even exist.

[@imghoti]

Amazing engineering/manufacturing. Even more amazing video! Thanks.

[@Andre-river]

Come on don't be naive.ex Yugoslavian engineers made this bunkers and high ex military officers sold the position of bunkers as how they were made...lehen ex Yugoslavia collapse. I think it was in newspapers .2 million dollars for info about one bunker!

[@ChrisV267]

My mom grew up in Watervliet, and I have been past this armory dozens of times. Truly awesome to learn some history about it, especially when I wasn't expecting it. A true, "No way" moment for me

[@ajflufenheimer6779]

I live in the same area. And never knew this happend there. Also always admire the artillery you can see from the road

[@Penguin-1966]

Scary how something that is larger than the bullet it shoots, becomes the projectile itself, massive power difference

[@brandonjohnson8880]

Very cool to be on the team that helped develop this monster.

[@Loquacious_Jackson]

We never went to the moon, stop believing the lies

[@kataisaki505]

@@Loquacious_Jackson what's going to the Moon has anything to do with this?

[@luasmartinez1262]

I just want to say that this weapon was developed in the mid to late 80's. My dad helped build the casings for these weapons.

[@kosakata8632]

What you proud of? US war investment what make US economy backward and got mountain of debt. Your generation whose must pay for the stupidity of your father's generation. You can imagine if US use the money for developing bullet train, high tech infrastructures, nano chips or flying car? how modern US today?

[@rickyfitness252]

Your dad help kill children. Then you have a bloodline of evil

[@jamezbrian4135]

I am a Desert Storm Vet (USMC) and this is the first time I read about this. We did not have the internet or cell phones. We got what the command told us and that was it. Some folks listened to that Radio Europe thing but even then most of that news was not about us. I also thought all of the USA supported us. I learned after we got back that many did not support the war. I did get to use the AT & T phone station, in the desert, once. We got 5 minutes and that was it.

[@daddyrabbit835]

Fuck yeah. I remember the phone calls. We moved back into Kuwait after the "100-hour War". I was with the 3rd Armored Div. We engaged the Republican Guard units that were in Iraq serving as a theater reserve for the Iraqi troops in Kuwait. Anyway, I can't remember if the calls were free or if I had to use my phone card. Those were some pretty sweet phone calls.

[@jkfdsjlkdvccx]

I can't speak for everyone, but the press coverage was universally positive in support of the war. CNN made it's debut talking about how great and justified the war was.

[@jasonperez418]

I remember this bomb i did a current event report on it when i was in 4th grade.. and that was like 23 yrs ago. But i remember it being called Bunker Buster

[@thehapa]

From barrel to bomb; how poetic

[@robertlaw4073]

Such an amazing story. As a HS student I recall touring the Watervelite facility around 1993 with my science class. The emphasis was on how they were making composite firing tubes with spun composite materials. This was after the Clinton defense cuts. No mention was made at all about their ability to turn howitzer barrels into bombs. I suppose with that war over, the capacity to perform such a task became superfluous to replacing expert machinists with automated machinery capable of spinning together a tube.

[@ninjajagyr]

I recall hearing a story where retired battleship cannons barrels would be recycled into bunker busting bombs

[@K20_EM1]

No you didn’t lmao, you know how big and heavy battleship barrels are???? That would be so impractical and the plane would literally only be able to carry one... if it could even take off 😂😂🤡🤡

[@Frozander]

@@K20_EM1 I mean... Hearing it doesn't mean it is true. You need to chill.

[@Crentshen]

@@Frozander I’ve heard this one too soooo

[@Crentshen]

@@K20_EM1 not to smart are you eh, he’s not talking about the FULL LENGTH of the barrel. Split up into sub sections for multiple bombs..... MOAB is 21,600lbs and a C130 can carry it easily or even a C-5

[@bas8792]

@@Crentshen those are transport plane and never meant to be used as bomber

[@ctakitimu]

Saddam: "Ha! None of you can reach me!" America: "Hold my beer, I'll be back soon"

[@MrSpiker26]

On Feb. 27th a spy had confirmed/messaged that Sadam was in the bunker. But by the time the plane was on location, Sadam had left. It was too late to communicate this to the Americans. The bomb killed 450 people who had refuge in the bunker, none was a 'high-value target, all collateral. Sadam was living/sleeping in a prominently painted school bus, which traveled all night around Bagdad.

[@voss1617]

Did the bomb continue to be used or developed after it’s initial use or was it just a one off design?

[@NotWhatYouThink]

They continued making GBU-28 bombs (not from Howitzer barrels), and of course, other bunker buster bombs were developed after.

[@DtWolfwood]

Aren't the current bunker busters also fitted for thermobarics?

[@K20_EM1]

Bro ever hear of desert storm?Thst was just the test range… They make these fucking rain on assholes, they work great on caves as well.

[@fewetoo4962]

@@DtWolfwood Thermobarics (FAE), like other blast boms, use thin cases to increase the ratio of explosive weight. Penetrators use thick walled cases to improve penetration and increase density to improve kenetic penetration.

[@thegeneralist7527]

I'm pretty sure if Uncle Sam knows where you are he can reach out and touch you whenever he wants.

[@zacharyohare6029]

having walked through some of these burned out bunkers personally... dam impressive. must have been wild to be on the receiving side after hearing what happened

[@ronrospo9016]

I worked on the bunker buster as an assembler lots of pressure to get it done proud that it worked.

[@JDogVids]

That's funny I was actually about to look this video up coming from dark tech and it automatically played this 😂

[@windriver2363]

I love how simple it is. No tricks, just a big hunk of steel dropped from really high up.

[@duncanmays1368]

War is unpredictable and the ability to rapidly innovate to adapt to new scenarios is what wins in the long run. The US has the best military on the planet by far, and its dynamism is a big reason for this success.

[@immortanjoe9362]

The ingenuity and professionalism of US manufacturing has always been unrivaled. Unfortunately, since most jobs have been shipped overseas, we're losing this crucial ability due to corporate greed.

[@steveallen1863]

Back in 1991, after that bunker buster was dropped the back story was far different. Press claimed a B-52 took off from Barksdale AFB, made a 44 hour round trip. They showed a 60' crater. They said pilot received Distinguished Flying award. Then again, the day after the beginning of air campaign, San Jose Mercury newspaper had headlines that said " 150,000 Iraqi soldiers were killed by B-52 attack on Iraqi Army staging compound". The BS from the news is pretty astounding. However they did get all the facts about how the bomb was made from artillery barrel sawed off and the knew exactly how much molten explosives were poured into bomb. Just a few observations.

[@chaosXP3RT]

Wow, this was fascinating! It's crazy how much effort went into trying to solve an issue in such a short time frame!

[@markingraham4892]

It's a idiotic video.

[@FharishAhmedPortfolio]

LoL When there's Petroleum at stake... USA can do wonders!!! LoL

[@stoyantodorov2133]

I'm honestly more amazed at the tools and methods used to make the conversion. I doubt many other countries have the means to do what is shown in the video even if they came up with the same idea and had these guns laying around.

[@PGHammer21A]

It is another example why engineering is a necessary skill - even, if not especially, in wartime. Fun fact - did you know that the Army Engineering School STILL teaches the design and use of trebuchets and other ancient siege weapons - the ancestors of artillery? (I knew they taught it at Fort Belvoir - which was the original home of the Enginering School - they kept the course when they moved to Fort Leonard Wood.)

[@ag3336]

@@FharishAhmedPortfolio facts

[@johnturnbull7798]

As mentioned by others, deep penetration bombs are not new. Both Tallboy and Grand Slam were designed specifically for this task. In WW2 smart bombs were something for the future so both were free fall supersonic missiles. When Barnes Wallis first came up with the idea of an earthquake bomb and its size the concept was that it would be dropped from 35,000 feet but at the time no plane carry the weight or get up to that altitude. Eventually the Lancaster was developed to be capable of carrying the weight but could only lift it to 21,000 feet

[@aaroncabatingan5238]

@CAPTAIN SHARKHORSE :) You wanna bet that the US actually built and tested one recently?

[@fauzancooperonline.fansrob9907]

Bunker Nightmare = Bunker Blaster

[@Ken-fh4jc]

Imagine if they put this sort of effort and expense into projects that help people rather than how to Jill people in a bunker.

[@lj6284]

Those people at Lockheed and the other companies who helped make this possible were just as responsible for the US’s effectiveness in Iraq as the soldiers and commanders. Amazing

[@ZT-vr4wz]

And second time around the people at Lockheed and other companies were just as responsible for war crimes as much as the soldiers and leaders were. Amazing 👏

[@georgehugh3455]

Says the guy who didn't fight there....

[@isaiahc8390]

This world is rapidly passing away and I hope that you repent and take time to change before all out disaster occurs! Belief in messiah alone is not enough to grant you salvation - Matthew 7:21-23, John 3:3, John 3:36 (ESV is the best translation for John 3:36) if you believed in Messiah you would be following His commands as best as you could. If you are not a follower of Messiah I would highly recommend becoming one. Call on the name of Jesus and pray for Him to intervene in your life - Revelation 3:20. Contemplate how the Roman Empire fulfilled the role of the beast from the sea in Revelation 13. Revelation 17 confirms that it is in fact Rome. From this we can conclude that A) Jesus is the Son of God and can predict the future or make it happen, B) The world leaders/nations/governments etc have been conspiring together for the last 3000+ years going back to Babylon and before, C) History as we know it is fake. You don't really need to speculate once you start a relationship with God. Can't get a response from God? Fasting can help increase your perception and prayer can help initiate events. God will ignore you if your prayer does not align with His purpose (James 4:3) or if you are approaching Him when "unclean" (Isaiah 1:15, Isaiah 59:2, Micah 3:4). Stop eating food sacrificed to idols (McDonald's, Wendy's etc) stop glorifying yourself on social media or making other images of yourself (Second Commandment), stop gossiping about other people, stop watching obscene content etc. Have a blessed day!

[@lj6284]

@@ZT-vr4wz can’t find where i asked

[@Zac0827]

Yeah. Bomb other countries away. Liberate as you want. Karma awaits. 👍🏽

[@farzanaakter3703]

honestly the name "bunkerbuster" is one of the coolest names for a bomb I have ever heard

[@hrthrhs]

"We need a bomb that can penetrate 50ft" *Creates bomb which can penetrate 100ft* "Yeah we over engineered"

[@EverythingYouNeedToKnowEYN2K]

20 years ago I remember reading an article showing that smooth bullet head missiles have further penetration than pointy missile heads. The article stated the pressure wave ahead created by the smooth missile done much of the 'digging.

[@iambeloved496]

Wow that's interesting I never thought about that. Thanks for sharing

[@Chris-jw8vm]

Might also be that the pointed missiles have more surface area to create friction.

[@matthewrossilini5808]

As a machinist/programmer, its awesome seeing the manufacturing footage. Nice work digging that up!

[@user-yx3by4we1w]

You know you make 6+ figures when you're assembling stuff in slacks and a button down, 😂😂

[@tactical1981]

The straw that broke the camel’s back. Niiiiice.

[@SweBeach2023]

I guess this says a lot about the difference between engineers doing engineering "freestyle" and engineers working in tandem with accountants and bureaucrats. Most engineering is rather simple, doing it in a cost-effective way is far harder.

[@buckhorncortez]

If you're doing engineering most all projects have a budget for the design. Even research projects have a budget. You have to do the work within the allowable budget unless it's a government cost-plus - but those normally have a "not to exceed" figure. I've never worked on a project where anyone did "freestyle" whatever that is, as you always had an engineering budget for each phase of the project. I've also never met an account that had a clue what we did, much less be able to create a design fee estimate.

[@eriktempelman2097]

True. It also gets way easier if you do not need to prevent getting sued.

[@suspectsn0thing]

Sick that there's so much footage of this process available This is pretty much my worst nightmare as a machinist lmao

[@joshkeen9841]

I live near Eglin AFB my whole life about 100 miles away and we have felt whatever bombs they made being tested vibrates the ground and windows

[@DigitalAndInnovation]

Wow- when the dude said "its not what you think" I thought it was gonna be like "yeah this cannon shoots rockets"... no- not even close.

[@bilalallawiallawi]

One fact you didn’t mention, that bunker was full of families children who fleed to safety from US bombing and Saddam was never there. It was Alamrya Bunker in the city where I used to live Alamrya. May all rest in piece.

[@owenf6300]

I do not understand why they wouldn't just surrender if there was just families in there

[@MichieldeBink]

@@owenf6300 the reality of war; politicians and generals who start a war but never fight in it

[@DeviLz1337]

'Wasting' bunker space for civilian families really doesn't seem logical. I doubt they were civilian families, and I bet they were terrorists from Iraq.

[@uninvestigated]

Yes children in a military target. Who's fault is that?

[@uninvestigated]

Little did you know that tank was Full of babies... And that attack helicopter had kittens in it.

[@Snrby]

Thank you for including metric units in your video so the majority of the world outside the USA, Myanmar and Lima can understand the measurements of weight and depth.

[@dontask8979]

Makes you wonder how deep the original size and weight would have gone.

[@TheEmps]

"Uncle Sam ran out of ammo and threw the gun at the enemy."

[@godassasin8097]

"only 4 to 6 feet of reinforced concrete"

[@ogr81ofpoco77]

chuckNorris,"hold my beer''

[@travis7099]

Definitely my favorite video from your channel 👍🏻 Keep up the great work man!

[@NotWhatYouThink]

Thanks Travis!