Atomic Weapon Tested in Hawai'i: Army Bombing Continues

Army Survey Confirms Use of Nuclear Weapon System in Hawaii:
Formerly Classified "Davy Crockett" Cannon at Pohakuloa

Tuesday, August 21st, 2007
Associated Press

Radioactive depleted uranium has been found at the U.S. Army's Pohakuloa Training Area, the Army announced Monday.

Military contractor Cabrera Services has also determined that a formerly classified weapon capable of firing atomic rounds, the "Davy Crockett", was used at the Big Island military base, the Army said in a two-page news release.

"The depleted uranium (DU) that was found does not pose a health danger," said Army spokeswoman Stefanie Gardin.

The material, the same as previously discovered at the Army's Schofield Barracks on Oahu, was found in an area where there is no public access.

The PTA training range covers about 55,000 acres, Gardin said.

The contractor collected soil samples that have been sent to an independent laboratory for analysis, the Army said in its written statement.

"Now that DU has been confirmed at Pohakuloa, the Army will coordinate with the State of Hawaii and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to determine the next steps," the statement added.

That plan will include an "extensive" survey and monitoring of PTA, Schofield and Oahu's Makua Military Reservation. The Army said it also will partner with state officials "in the planning and execution of a mutually agreed upon response."

"This is obviously going to be the first step in the process," Gardin said of the aerial testing Cabrera Services conducted Thursday through Saturday.

She did not immediately know the cost of the survey, or why the Army had to hire a contractor to determine what was used on its firing range.

DU is the byproduct of producing nuclear energy. The military uses it in armor-piercing munitions because the material has about twice the density of lead and can ignite on impact.

Breathing the "weakly radioactive" material allows it to be absorbed into the blood faster than by ingestion, according to the World Health Organization's Web site. People exposed to DU would have to breathe grams of the material to trigger the risk of lung cancer, according to the WHO.

DU is considered to be a "chemical health hazard" that has not been known to cause "observable health or reproductive effects," according to the Army's news release.

"Now that DU has been confirmed at Pohakuloa, the Army will coordinate with the State of Hawaii and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to determine the next steps," the Army's news release added.

That plan will include an "extensive" survey and monitoring of PTA, Schofield and Oahu's Makua Military Reservation. The Army said it also will partner with state officials "in the planning and execution of a mutually agreed upon response."

http://www.erdc.usace.army.mil/



History Lesson 13 - The Davy Crockett

After World War 2, the nuclear weapon was going to save the United States from future wars, and guarantee that we would never again need the massive armed forces required to fight previous wars. There was some speculation that we could eliminate most of the military and its expense. All military branches were feeling the pressure of being downsized, and were developing new weapons to insure their continued existence as an atomic force. With all new technologies, there is a period of exploration on how to properly use it. Thus there were many proposals for the best applications, both peaceful and for warfare. Many were proposed by the lunatic fringe, including the nuclear powered ramjet cruise missile that would have sprayed radiation over the landscape.


The army developed a mobile tactical 280mm (about 11") "atomic" canon in the early fifties that could deliver a 15-kiliton weapon at approximately 18 miles. Weighting 83 tons and requiring a large support organization, this glamorous weapon was obsolete when introduced. Never the less, twenty were made at great expense, and served until the early sixties.

Realizing that it needed a more practical weapon, the army developed the man portable Davy Crockett. This small unit weapon consisted of an atomic projectile launched from either a 120mm or 155mm recoilless rifle, both common "bazooka" style firing mechanisms in the inventory of the day. The 120mm had a range of 1¼ mile, while the 155mm had a range of 2½ miles. The warhead assembly weighed 76 pounds, was 30 inches long and 11 inches in diameter.

The explosive part of the warhead used on the Davy Crockett weighed just 51 pounds and was the smallest and lightest fission bomb (implosion type) ever deployed by the United States, with a variable explosive yield of 10 – 20 tons of TNT. The 10-ton version could destroy a two-block area. This would be approximately two to four times as powerful as the ammonium nitrate bomb that destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah federal building. The Davy Crockett was deployed with U.S. Army forces from 1961 to 1971. Between 1956 and 1963, 2,100 were produced at an estimated cost (excluding the warhead) of $540 million.

This weapon was not popular with the troops, and it is unlikely that it would have been used except as a weapon of last resort. With an effect range of 1500–2000 yards and a potential blast radius of 3000 yards, taking cover immediately after firing was a necessity. Commanders didn’t trust putting nuclear weapons in the hands of the troops. Troops didn’t like the idea of carrying a nuclear weapon into battle. And since this was a tactical battlefield weapon, there was the chance of it being captured and turned against us.

Although the weapon system was questionable, the warhead has been used for a variety of applications by every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Built in versions up to 1–kiloton, the warhead is considered small enough to be deployed as a SADM (Special Atomic Demolition Munition) or so called "Backpack Nuke". It was the closest thing the U.S. is known to have to developed to a so-called "suitcase bomb".



One of the smallest nuclear weapons ever built, the Davy Crockett was developed in the late 1950s for use against Soviet troops in West Germany. Small teams of the Atomic Battle Group (charged with operating the device) would be stationed every few kilometers to guard against Soviet attack, using the power of their nuclear artillery shells to kill or incapacitate advancing troop formations and irradiate the area so that it was uninhabitable for up to 48 hours, long enough to mobilize NATO forces.

The M-388 round used a version of the W54 warhead, a very small sub-kiloton fission device. The Mk-54 weighed about 51 lb (23 kg), with a selectable yield of 10 or 20 tons (very close to the minimum practical size and yield for a fission warhead) up to .5 kiloton. The complete round weighed 76 lb (34.5 kg). It was 31 in. (78.7 cm) long with a diameter of 11 in. (28 cm) at its widest point; a subcaliber piston at the back of the shell was actually inserted into the launcher's barrel for firing.

The Davy Crockett could be launched from either of two launchers: the 4-inch (120 mm) M28, with a range of about 1.25 mi (2 km), or the 6-in (155 mm) M29, with a range of 2.5 mi (4 km). Both weapons used the same projectile, and could be mounted on a tripod launcher or carried by truck or armored personnel carrier. They were operated by a three-man crew.

Both recoilless guns proved to have poor accuracy in testing, so the shell's greatest effect would have been its extreme radiation hazard. Even at a low yield setting, the M388 would produce an almost instantly lethal radiation dosage (in excess of 10,000 rem) within 500 feet (150 m), and a probably fatal dose (around 600 rem) within a quarter mile (400 meters).

A common myth is that with no shielding or protection from either blast or radiation, a Davy Crockett crew would have been unlikely to survive any engagement, also claiming that the blast area of the warhead was greater than the range of the weapon. In fact, though the device could be fired to a dangerously short range by an inept crew, the maximum range of both versions is far longer than the distance at which dangerous direct radiation, thermal, shockwave/blast, or debris are likely to endanger the crew. At a range of as little as half of the maximum range for the 120mm version (1 kilometer) no immediate ill effects are likely.

Production of the Davy Crockett began in 1956, with a total of 2,100 being made. The weapon was deployed with U.S. Army forces from 1961 to 1971.

Versions of the W54 warhead were also used in the Special Atomic Demolition Munition project and the AIM-26A Falcon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_(nuclear_device)

In the video game Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, a Russian colonel of the GRU by the name of Colonel Volgin fires a "Davy Crockett" from a helicopter, at a research base controlled by a rival Russian faction, obtained by a US agent who defects to the Russians. This takes place during the Cold War.




America's Army to Declare War on Ganzia in New Game

BY Elizabeth M. Lorge

Washington (Army News Service, Aug. 13, 2007) – America's Army will declare war on the fictional country of Ganzia Sept. 27 when it launches "True Soldiers" for X-Box 360, the latest evolution of the popular Army-sponsored computer game.

Players create a Soldier, go to basic and advanced weapons training, then deploy to Ganzia, an American ally overrun by a rebel militia. Each mission comes complete with a set of battle orders providing background information, objectives and intelligence.

True to its name, "True Soldiers" accurately depicts the Army, from the smallest unit patch to the shadow of a Raven unmanned aerial vehicle. Players can even give each other "coins" for saving a battle buddy and receive awards for valor.

Training and marksmanship tests reflect real Army standards, and uniforms, guns and other equipment model the real thing.

"We have all these weapons in our studio and artists can actually model them and texture them to make them look as real as possible," said Randy Greenback, creative director for the game. "Thanks to the Army, all of our developers were trained on how to reload and fire weapons, and we actually went out and did some training at Fort McClellan, Ala. We put everything we learned and experienced into the game."

The game focuses on leadership and teamwork so groups play together as units, but players may also participate individually.

"True Soldiers" is filled with background information on ranks, units, specialty occupations and the core Army values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage.

"True Soldiers" also tells the stories of "America's Army: Real Heroes," six real Soldiers who received a Silver Star or Bronze Star with Valor for heroism in combat. The program is scheduled to release four action figures of the Soldiers in Toys "R" Us stores by the end of August and two more later this year.

"It's a great way to tell our stories," said Real Hero Sgt. Tommy Rieman, who will literally be the face of the game. "It's an honor and it's pretty cool."

"This is all very authentic, even down to the face paint, the goggles," he added. "This is one portion we bring to the table. We show them this is what a Soldier looks like and then the designers go in and put it into the game and you have the United States Army."

Parents concerned that the game is a little too life-like can set the program to use non-lethal training ammunition only. Enemy soldiers will simply sit down after being shot.

For more information about America's Army, visit
www.americasarmy.com