Six Day War, weapons really used

[FrankD]

Hello pilots,

here is a little something most of you may actually have already read about but, despite searching extensively, I haven't been able to find it adapted for WOI/SF2I.

 

Anti-Runway Bomb

In the mid 60s, the central laboratory headed by Avraham Makov, was focusing on the development and manufacture of a bomb whose purpose would be to disrupt enemy airfields runways. The anti-runway bomb is assembled under a fighter's wing, as any regular bomb, and released at 100m flight altitude. Few seconds later, a parachute opens, breaking its descent, steering it at a 60 degree angle, with its nose pointed towards the ground. At that precise moment, a rocket attached to it, propels the bomb's warhead into its target (the runway), penetrating and piercing through its concrete layer. After a 6 second delay, the warhead is detonated, creating a 5 m wide by 1.6 m deep hole in the runway, preventing its operational status.

The anti-runway bomb received high profile media coverage at the end of the Six Day War (1967), mainly due to its important role in achieving air-superiority by the Israeli air force at the start, and in the early stages of the war. The development of that bomb was completed a few months before the Six Day War (1967). During 1966, 187 bombs of the smaller type and 66 of the larger type were delivered. The Israeli air force had an inventory of approximately 200 anti-runway bombs as the war started, and made a lightening and very effective use of them.

Weight: 70 kg
Warhead weight: 43.5 kg
Length and Diameter: 1.58m x 0.18m respectively


 

 

Also, infos from Wikipedia seems to backup the use of such weapon at that time:

 

A predecessor to Durandal was developed jointly by France and Israel during the 1960s to destroy air base runways. The weapon was used to devastating effect by the Israelis during the Six Day War.The bomb was designed to be deployed from the French fighter-bombers which formed the central core of the Israeli Air Force's order of battle during the 1950s and 1960s. When dropped over a runway, the bomb was designed to fall to a certain altitude before a parachute deployed to slow its fall. A retro-rocket then fired, to stabilize the bomb at an angle of sixty degrees from the perpendicular. Once the bomb reached a set altitude, a booster rocket would fire, causing the bomb to penetrate through runway concrete deep into the ground. Finally, the embedded bomb would explode, leaving a 5 meter deep crater in the runway, taxiway, or airport ramp area that was impassable to enemy jet aircraft.


The development of these bombs was ordered long before the Six Day War was anticipated. Israeli military planners knew that mastery of the Middle East's skies was the key to Israeli survival in any war. Many of the Egyptian air bases, particularly the forward bases in the Sinai, lacked multiple runways. Thus, their entire complement of aircraft could be neutralized by a single well-placed strike. The IAF's commander, Mordechai Hod, noted in reflection that "a jet aircraft is the deadliest weapon in existence—in the sky. But on the ground, it is useless."

Sources:
http://web.archive.o...anti-runway.htm
http://en.wikipedia....LU-107_Durandal

For reference:

BAP-100



Durandal


Now, to simulate it correctly, since a Durandal is much heavier and bigger (204 kg (450 lb), (8 ft 2 in) long and a BAP-100 is too light, and neither looks to have the same shape, I wondered if anybody would have done a model that would fit or would see a convincing fake?
  Edited March 16, 2015 by Wrench
font adjusted so up blind people can see it!!

[FastCargo]

One of the longer Hellfire missiles would be a close shape and size.

 

FC

[FrankD]

Hello FC,

 

well spotted, they are quite similar, good enough for a convincing fake, thank you!

 

Cheers

[+Spectre_USA]

It would just be cool as crap if that launch profile could be emulated in game...

 

[FastCargo]

Actually, you might be able to.

 

Here's an experiment I just did with a SRAM modified to come out as a high drag bomb and delayed rocket ignition:

 

 

Increase the drag factor and lessen the weight (maybe add some drag when slick too).

 

FC

[FrankD]

Interesting FastCargo!

 

May you please detail how you achieved that?

 

By the way, I found a confirmation of the operationnal use of this bomb in the book "Dassault Mirage: The Combat Log" by Salvador Mafe Huertas, page 41.

 

The weapon is simply called "Runway Piercing Bomb" (RPB). It have been developped by IMI in cooperation with Matra. The total number of weapons in stock was 253 bombs of two sub types, with 169 being dropped the first day of the war.

It had a major deficiency in that its drag was considerably higher than a regular iron bomb, thus decreasing the radius of action of the carrying aircraft.

 

Have a nice day.

[FrankD]

Hello gents,

by reading the book "Mirage III vs MiG-21" in the Duel serie, by Shlomo Aloni, it appear to me some details that I wasn't aware of previously, since all I read on the topic were either not mentioning it at all or were either unclear on the subject. I probably haven't read the right books though.


First, the only Mig-21 versions in use were the F-13, one of which have been "donated" by an Iraqi defector in 1966, deeply examined and eventually used in QRA duty to intercept high flying Mig performing recon missions, and the FL/PF version. The PFM version came in later. Only the Egyptian would had been equipped with the FL/PF version.


Second, the Shafrir 2 AAM were not yet in use, it was introduced to service in 1969. At the time of the Six-Day War, only the Rafael Shafrif 1 and the Matra R-530, known locally as the "Yahalom", were in use. Both were notably unreliable in operational conditions.


Third, that the R-3S (AA-2) AAM were "superior" to the Shafrir, so much that once the advancing Israeli troops captured an EAF depot, at El Malif, in which several Atoll were stored, the Shahak were hastily modified to carry them.


Could anyone confirm these three assumptions with, if possible, sources to backup?
 

Edited March 16, 2015 by Wrench
font adjusted so us blind folks can read it

[jeanba]

Hello

 

Did someone work on the Runway Piercing bomb ?

 

Would be fun !

Edited March 16, 2015 by jeanba