Yesterday, we had a live-fire demonstration at the bomb range.
Well, close. Due to the high fire hazard caused by recent drought-like conditions, they didn’t set up pyrotechnics on the ground to simulate REAL explosives, but it was a kick anyway.
F-16 Falcons, A-10 Warthogs, H-60 Blackhawks, and B-1B Lancers all flew in and demonstrated their capabilities during a mock attack on the bomb range (referred to as “a nation hostile to the interests of the United States” by the narrator). They bussed people in from town and the base, retirees, media folks, etc., and we all watched the show from a reviewing stand about 6000 yards from the mayhem.
The F-16s zoomed in and bombed targets on the range. Their accuracy was quite impressive. The practice bombs are about the size of a metal football and contain a spotting charge equivalent to a shotgun blast. Their ballistic characteristics are similar to real bombs (they fall off the plane & hit like the real ones, but not as hard – not to imply that 25 lbs of screaming metal is a powder puff ;)). The bombs threw up big puffs of smoke where they hit, within a few paces of their intended targets. Another plane dropped some high-drag practice bombs (500 pounds of concrete hits the ground with an audible “thud” even at over a mile distance). The Blackhawk helicopter flew in, firing .30 caliber machine guns at ground targets while “searching” for a downed pilot.
The Warthogs circled overhead, providing protective fire for the “rescue mission”. The really neat part was when they fired their guns. They’d fly at the target (the strafing pit), fire (you’d see the smoke from the gun), then you’d hear the TATATTATATATATATATATAT of the bullets striking the firing pit, then you’d hear the (chest-vibratingly LOUD) BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRPPP! of the gun. It sounded like G-d’s Own Flatulence, it did!
The helicopter rescued the pilot, the B-1 bombed the bad guys, and the retirees consumed a staggering amount of beer. A good time was had by all.
Afterwards, the guests returned to civilization and we (the workers) went back to our breakroom for pizza (the boss was buying), and then back to work.
MAN, I like my job!
~~Baloo