Little bang

The US Navy has planned to get deliveries of a modified weapon designed to provide close air support to ground troops in urban areas in Iraq from March, 2007 onwards. The BLU-126/B, also called the Low Collateral Damage Bomb (LCDB), is a response to an urgent need from the US Central Command. The BLU-126/B will allow for safer air strikes in Baghdad. The first 48 units have been produced. The weapons can be dropped by the AV-8B and F/A-18 family of fighters, It can also mated with GPS or laser-guidance kits already available for the BLU-111. The Navy's work coincides with the Air Force efforts to develop a new explosive fill for its 250-lb.-class Small-Diameter Bomb (SDB), to reduce damage to within 100 ft. of detonation. Navy will also release a request for proposals for its Moving target Weapon (MTW), also called the Direct Attack Moving Target Capability, in 2007. The modified off-the-shelf MTW will provide an interim capability to engage targets moving up to 40 mph.