David Akin's On the Hill :: Canada buys Bunker Busters

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Canada buys Bunker Busters

by DavidAkin on Mon 19 Nov 2007 09:20 PM EST | Permanent Link | Cosmos

I'm embarrassed to say I didn't even know we were in the market for these things but, there you go -- The Canadian Army just became the first international customer for Raytheon's 'Bunker Buster' missiles. Canada will be spending $17-million US ($16.75 million CDN at today's rates) to buy 462 TOW (Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided) Bunker Buster missiles. The TOW weapon system -- you probably knew -- is "the world's premier long-range precision anti-armor, anti-fortification, anti-amphibious landing weapon."

Assuming a kill rate of 100 per cent, it will cost about one Lexus IS 250 or $37,000 US every time a TOW blows something up on behalf of Canada.

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Re: Canada buys Bunker Busters

by Mark Collins on Mon 19 Nov 2007 10:38 PM EST | Profile | Permanent Link

Dear Mr Akin,

A misleading title, whatever Raytheon may say, about a rather small missile, given the rather different public concept of "bunker busters". You may be, unintentially, misinforming your readers.

Mark
Ottawa

Re: Re: Canada buys Bunker Busters

by DavidAkin on Wed 21 Nov 2007 12:19 AM EST | Profile | Permanent Link

Hey, they'd bust my bunker!

Re: Canada buys Bunker Busters

by Chris Taylor on Tue 20 Nov 2007 12:09 PM EST | Profile | Permanent Link

Further to Mark's comment, TOW missiles have been in service with the Canadian Forces since 1976.

This latest TOW variant is uprating an existing capability, not the addition of "net new" capabilities. These are typically anti-tank weapons with limited capabilities against hardened shelters.

Raytheon's nomenclature notwithstanding, when the military thinks of bunker busters they are typically talking about penetrating warheads attached to free-fall laser-guided bombs. Something like the BLU-109 penetrating warhead mated to one of the GBU (laser-guided bomb) casings/guidance packages.

A TOW "bunker buster" can penetrate 20.3cm of reinforced concrete. A BLU-109 (or later 118) penetrating warhead can typically punch through 1.8 to 3.4 metres of concrete.

Re: Canada buys Bunker Busters

by Robert McClelland on Tue 20 Nov 2007 08:11 PM EST | Profile | Permanent Link

To me it looks like Steve is gearing us up for war with Iran. Maybe someone should ask him about that.

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