IED question
 

What is the character of these "new" IED that are being said to be starting to be used in Iraq against our boys now? And, is it true that they are coming from Syria or Iran?

And, WTF, exacraly (other than larger charges) would make them so much more lethal? 14 Marines is a lot of Marines... in other words.

And, while we're at it (IF we're "at it") why were those type devices not being used in the past already?

They have been used before

IED = Bobby Trap ..... same/same different name

construction may be different but ?? "A Rose by Any Other Name"

Bill, it's being quoted as having become something new and extra special.

WTF are they talkin' about?

Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) / Booby Traps

An IED can be almost anything with any type of material and initiator. It is a ?homemade? device that is designed to cause death or injury by using explosives alone or in combination with toxic chemicals, biological toxins, or radiological material. IEDs can be produced in varying sizes, functioning methods, containers, and delivery methods. IEDs can utilize commercial or military explosives, homemade explosives, or military ordnance and ordnance components.

They are unique in nature because the IED builder has had to improvise with the materials at hand. Designed to defeat a specific target or type of target, they generally become more difficult to detect and protect against as they become more sophisticated.

IEDs fall into three types of categories:

Package Type IED
Vehicle-Borne IEDs (VBIEDs)
Suicide Bomb IED

Improvised devices are characterized by varying employment techniques. In most of the techniques shown below, an unexploded ordnance (UXO) can easily be engineered to replace a mine or explosive device using one of the several following techniques:

Coupling . Coupling is a method of linking one mine or explosive device to another, usually with detonating cord. When the first device is detonated, it also detonates the linked explosive. This technique is often used to defeat countermine equipment, such as mine rollers

Rolling. The roller will pass over the initial, unfuzed device and set off the second fuzed device. This in turn detonates the overpassed device underneath the clearing vehicle. When the linked devices are directional fragmentation mines, they can create a large, lethal engagement area.

Boosting. Buried mines, UXOs, or other explosive devices are stacked on top of one another. The device buried deepest from the surface is fuzed. Fuzing only the deepest ordnance helps mask no- and low-metal explosive hazards placed near the surface. This reduces the probability of detection by metal detectors, and it increases the force of the blast.

Sensitizing antitank (AT) mines. On some nonmetallic AT mines, the pressure plate is cracked and the spring is removed to reduce the pressure required to initiate the mine. Similarly, the pressure plate can be removed from metallic AT mines to create the same effect. A pressurefuzed AP mine can be placed on the top of an AT mine, thus creating a very large AP mine as an alternative method.

Daisy chaining. AP mines may be used in daisy chains linked with other explosive hazards. Enemy forces may link the mines together with trip wire or detonating cord. When the initial mine is detonated, the other mines may detonate. This may also create large, lethal engagement areas.

IED=Improvised Explosive Device

An IED that uses a grenade for it's charge is not as dangerous as one that uses 500lbs. of TNT or a van full of fertilizer/desel oil.

I hear that useing cell phones in the IED, and to detonate same, is real popular with the ragheads. Look through binocs. When juicy target approches package-hit redial-BOOM!

I think, then, what the news story was discussing was probably an AT or a boosted UXO device...

The story made it sound like this kind of device was something new, uncommon or unused in the past, and (for some reason) coming from Iran or Syria especially...

From what has been said here above, it actually just appears to have been a larger type of IED, already in the arsenal.

Thanks, all...

I heard on the news that they are getting shape charges from Iran to take out APC's and other up armored vehicles :( as I hear it a shape charge focuses the explosion in one direction increasing it's effectiveness against armored targets including Tanks!

What means "shape charge"?

Blue from what they reported on the News it was something like a Claymore but with more ball bearings and more powerful explosive charge.

The RPGs that you see on the shoulder of almost every young dude in Iraq are a shaped charge weapon. There's no ball bearings in it. The device is cup shaped and when detonated fires a focused stream of extremely hot gas able to penetrate thick armor. It's nothing new and has been made mosly by the USSR and lately Russia for 30 years or so. Maybe Bush should be asking Putin about this and why are they turning up in Iraq.