Rattler shakes his tail in reply 775 above:
"It's true. And war is hell. Had to be done, as it must be in Iran right now. Half-measures will just give us another half-victory and kick the can down the road again."
And I agree with you!
Like I said yesterday, if we are going "to win", it's going to require troops... or nukes.
How's that pickaxe mountain place going to be destroyed @400 ft. under solid rock?
C'mon folks, don't b.s. me.
You know what has to be done.
You may not say it out loud.
But... you KNOW.
Some detail from AI:
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The Iranian nuclear facility at Pickaxe Mountain is buried between roughly 260 to 330 feet beneath the granite of the Zagros Mountains.
Key details about the facility:
Location: Situated about 1.5 kilometers south of the main Natanz nuclear complex.
Fortifications: It features four reinforced tunnel entrances and is considered more deeply buried and fortified than Iran's Fordow site at 240 feet & Natanz at 120-150 feet
Capabilities: Experts believe the subterranean complex is designed to house centrifuge assembly halls and possibly highly enriched uranium stockpiles.
Vulnerability:
Intelligence analysts note this depth pushes the limits of or exceeds the reach of even the most powerful conventional bunker-busting weapons, such as the U.S. GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator.
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Pickaxe Mountain geological structure:
This specific geological structure acts as a massive passive defense shield. The high concentration of quartz gives the rock immense hardness, while the interlocking crystalline texture prevents the shockwaves of kinetic weapons from easily fracturing the mountain. Because the rock does not compress or shatter easily, the subterranean halls dug between 300 to 1800 feet deep remain highly insulated against conventional heavy ordnance.
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Tunneling:
Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) For long, continuous transit or ventilation tunnels, specialized "Hard Rock" TBMs are deployed.
Mechanics:
The front cutterhead is equipped with heavy tungsten carbide or hardened steel disc cutters.
Operation:
As the cutterhead rotates, massive hydraulic rams press the discs against the granite face with immense pressure.
Fracturing:
The pressure causes the hard, brittle granite to chip and flake off in fragments rather than grinding it to dust, which accelerates excavation speed.
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Bunker-Buster Design and Penetration Mechanics:
To counter deeply buried facilities protected by 100s of feet of hard rock, military ordnance must overcome intense physical resistance. Weapon designers use specific engineering principles to maximize penetration.
1. Kinetic Energy and High Sectional Density:
Slender Profile:
Earth-penetrating weapons (EPWs) are designed with a long, narrow geometry (high sectional density). This concentrates the entire weight of the bomb onto a very small surface area upon impact.
Mass and Velocity:
Weapons like the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) rely on immense mass (approximately 30,000 pounds) dropped from high altitudes to achieve maximum terminal velocity before striking the mountain.
2. Advanced Material Science:
Case Hardening: The outer shell of a bunker buster cannot shatter upon hitting the granite. It is forged from proprietary, high-strength steel alloys (such as Eglin steel or Air Force96).
Deformation Resistance:
These alloys are specifically engineered to withstand the extreme thermal energy and deceleration forces of impacting hard rock without deforming or breaking apart before reaching the target depth.
3. Intelligent Fuze Technology:
Void Sensing:
Standard impact fuzes would detonate the weapon the moment it hit the mountain peak. Instead, modern EPWs use smart fuzes like the FMU-152 or Joint Programmable Fuze.
Layer Counting:
These fuzes utilize internal accelerometers to count the layers of rock or concrete the weapon passes through, delaying detonation until the warhead has penetrated a predetermined depth or entered an open underground cavity.
