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Hardened Aircraft Bunkers at Al Jaber, July 1992.

Close inspection of the areas in front of the two closest HABs reveals that their doors have been blown off, indicating that bombs probably penetrated the inner bunker itself prior to detonating. Bomb damage is also visible on the top of the left-hand shelter in this pair. Agaist these kinds of structures, most 2,000-pound, precision-guided bombs dropped by Coalition aircraft detonated in the soil layer between the outer "blaster slab" and the bunker roof rather than completely penetrating the inner shelter itself prior to detonation. Even so, the damage and debris caused inside by such detonations was often sufficient to render the HAB unusable and any aircraft within unflyable. As a related observation on effectiveness, the aircraft shelters in Kuwait did not contain aircraft when they were hit. This photo was taken by GWAPS personnel in July 1992.

gwaps_03.jpg

SOURCE: Gulf War Air Power Survey, Volume II. Part II - Effects and Effectiveness. Washington, DC, 1993, p. 39.


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