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I was reading in the paper today commenty on Saddam Hussein's bunkers, and this question came to me

How would you guys deal with it?

Heres the rumoured specifications

• able to withstand 2KT direct blast, or
  
  20KT at over a KM (not very much I know)
  
  20 seconds deep lift travel
  
  able to accomodate "hundreds of people"
  
  Tanks can be stationed inside
  
  undergound hospitals, several {now we know where the aid has been going }
  
  minimum depth 30 meters
  
  local stone; unknown

rules

• no NBC weapons;- public opinion
  
  no air support with more firepower than an apache.
  
  you cannot simply use 2000KT of TNT (not acceptable)
  
  objective is to Capture/Kill Saddam

so assuing it has been located how's you take it out?

Please note this is not a moral question. Opinions on the War are irrelevent.

no air support with more firepower than an apache.

I suppose this'd preclude producing a heavy conventional bomb with a large depleted uranium penetrator for a nose and a rocket booster, so that it can just punch right through the roof of the bunker and explode within? Shame.

Hmm sounds like the perfect time to test my Ion Cannon

lol, no Sci-fi solutions

able to withstand 2KT direct blast, or

20KT at over a KM (not very much I know)

20 seconds deep lift travel

able to accomodate "hundreds of people"

Tanks can be stationed inside

undergound hospitals, several {now we know where the aid has been going }

minimum depth 30 meters

local stone; unknown

That is what he said back in '91 too. It only took a couple tomahawks or 2000lb GBUs to take them out. usually when saddam boasts like this, it is only a bunch of hot air

NF_Utvol wrote:

able to withstand 2KT direct blast, or

20KT at over a KM (not very much I know)

20 seconds deep lift travel

able to accomodate "hundreds of people"

Tanks can be stationed inside

undergound hospitals, several {now we know where the aid has been going }

minimum depth 30 meters

local stone; unknown

That is what he said back in '91 too. It only took a couple tomahawks or 2000lb GBUs to take them out. usually when saddam boasts like this, it is only a bunch of hot air

Some of this came from a bunker engineer, some from an american diplomat and the 20 secons thing came from Tony Cotrell MP. (who paid a nice freindly visit to the dictator a few months ago. )

arent there bombs used for runway bombing (i think it was the durandals) which come down on a parashoot, "drill" into the runway and explode at a certain depth. if there are bombs like that i´m sure there are other bombs which can drill through bunker roofs and explode within.

NF_Utvol wrote:

able to withstand 2KT direct blast, or

20KT at over a KM (not very much I know)

20 seconds deep lift travel

able to accomodate "hundreds of people"

Tanks can be stationed inside

undergound hospitals, several {now we know where the aid has been going }

minimum depth 30 meters

local stone; unknown

That is what he said back in '91 too. It only took a couple tomahawks or 2000lb GBUs to take them out. usually when saddam boasts like this, it is only a bunch of hot air

Actually Iraq had several bunkers in 1991, which proved immune to 2000-pound BLU-109 warheads. Special 4000-pound weapons had to be built for the task during the war. However today several bunkers have been identity that even a 4000 pounders could not kill. Its rather impractical to go more then a thousands pounds over this, no pylon could take such a load.

Plus the penatraitor would likely melt going in and explode before actually breaching the bunker.

Durandels wont even scratch something this hardened.




Bring in about a brigade of troops. Two battalions secure the perimeter while another battalion with a company or so of combat engineers gets to work. Use FLIR and good old hands on searches to locate all air vents and entrances. Guard the entrances but don’t seal them.

Once sufficient air vents have been located, get some 5000-gallon HEMTT fuel trucks. Mix diesel fuel and gasoline in them, and then park one by each airshaft. Lower a hose down each shaft and start pumping at a steady rate.

Do this for an hour or so until 25,000 or so gallons have been pumped in and have had time to spread around. At this point, clear everyone away from the entrances and vents, and throw a time delayed Thermite charge down each vent.

The resulting blast should take care of anyone inside, assuming they don’t just surrender when the fuel starts pouring in. At a later time the destroy bunker may be opened up and inspected, but few would dare venture inside. More likely the entrances would be blasted closed.

A big advantage of this method is that the blast should also expose any unknown openings.

No NBC weapons?
Damn, no fun.

supposedly the thing has a month's air reserve, not so sure about that though.

NecronLord wrote:supposedly the thing has a month's air reserve, not so sure about that though.

That would be annoying, though it is possible. In that case, seal all known air vents and entrances and wait 50 days. Then enter the complex with infantry.

Yeah, the funnise thing is he also only supposedly has water&food for a month, you don't even need to block the vents, at which time the tanks'd be forced to try a breakout.

NecronLord wrote:Yeah, the funnise thing is he also only supposedly has water&food for a month, you don't even need to block the vents, at which time the tanks'd be forced to try a breakout.

Such large entrances would be ease to locate. Any point defenses get killed with missiles, and then bulldoze sand into it. That way it can be opened up fairly easily later but no tanks can escape.


I'd bet Saddam also has some acid inside as well with which to destroy his body if he takes his own life. That way no one could ever be quite sure he was dead and did not have some other secret entrance.

That’s one reason why I'd avoid sealing it up or crushing it, unless a B-61-11 is used its not a sure thing.

Now that I think about it, the surrounding area should be flattened and the earth turned up to reveal or bury any unknown entrances and to make spotting an attempted breakout simpler. Seismic monitoring will also be a must.

If the surface isn't occupied by US troops: put LGBs or TLAMs into all air vents and other openings. Wait for a few weeks until everyone inside has suffocated.

If the surface is occupied by US troops: fill the bunker with either water or something flammable. Down or incinerate the occupants.

Capturing Saddam alive is more trouble than it's worth.