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No discussion of outdated/weird/WTF weapon systems is complete without the Davy Crockett nuclear delivery system. So the Army wanted to get some of that sweet nuclear research money the Air Force and Navy kept holding over their heads and came up with one of the smallest nuclear devices ever developed. The warhead itself weighed 51 pounds (the whole round ended up being 71 pounds) and had the explosive yield of 10-20 tons of TNT. Note: there's no kilo attached here. This was a very small nuclear boom intended for use on the battlefield. You know, like artillery or an anti-tank column weapon. Because that's the perfect use of a nuclear weapon... The range of the launcher ended up being anywhere from 1.25 to 2.5 miles, depending on the launcher system used. But it turns out, testing revealed the system being horribly inaccurate. Additionally, it wasn't so much a destructive weapon as a pure radioactive one. Anything within 500 feet was an instantly lethal exposure and anything within a quarter mile was probably got a fatal dose as well. So really you just aimed it towards an advancing enemy army and irradiated the hell out of them while also running seriously quickly away in case you undershot the ideal range. The scary thing though? 2,100 of these were built and deployed in the 60s. Usually these were mounted to either a Jeep or an APC. 
Thwomp has a new favorite as of 14:44 on Apr 8, 2015 |
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Apr 8, 2015 14:28
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To shift gears a bit, let's look at an ancient (or maybe just really old) weapon system: Greek fire! If you've heard of it, you probably have the impression it was some Byzantine (ROMAN) wonder weapon that was used to ignite enemy ships and the water around them. Some of this is true and what's also true is that the recipe was such a closely guarded secret that it's been lost to history. However, clues remain to its true origin. Here's what the entire system is thought to have looked like:  Generally speaking, Greek fire is thought to be petroleum-based with some resins incorporated for increased stickyness and as a thickener. It may have also included other chemicals that allowed it to spontaneously catch fire upon contact with air. It was heated below the deck of special ships and kept under pressure. When the valve was opened it was sprayed out of a spout at the bow of the ship (usually on a swivel). But it wasn't used to burn down ships, just their crews.  There's also the aforementioned lighting the water on fire (it's an oil-mixture after all) so it'z either burning on deck or burning overboard! The only known way to put out the flame was sand (good old oxygen deprivation), strong vinegar (like that's common on board a warship), or old urine (also not really common because  ).In essence, it's a flame thrower but who the gently caress had a flamethrower in 7th century BCE? It's noted to have saved Constantinople from the Arabs several times and from the Rus at least once. Eventually, the Arabs learned to just stay out of range and upwind of the Greek fire ships. If you had to engage them, do as the Arabs did and hide behind vinegar soaked felt or hides. Mmmmm, manly.
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Apr 9, 2015 19:13
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