Military

DATE= 10/07/01

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE= PENTAGON/WEAPONS (L ONLY)

NUMBER=2-281488

BYLINE= ALEX BELIDA

DATELINE= PENTAGON

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: The U-S military has a wide array of weapons at its disposal for attacks on terrorist-related targets in Afghanistan, some of which were used in the initial strikes Sunday. V-O-A Pentagon Correspondent Alex Belida has details.

TEXT: The initial targets disclosed by the Pentagon included Taleban air bases and air defense installations as well as terrorist camps. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says a variety of weapons were used.

///RUMSFELD ACTUALITY///

The operation today involved a variety of weapon systems and it originated from a number of separate locations. We used land and sea-based aircraft, surface ships and submarines, and we employed a variety of weapons to achieve our objective.

///END ACTUALITY///

Pentagon officials subsequently disclosed 50 Tomahawk cruise missiles were used. These are six-meter long jet-powered missiles launched from Navy ships and submarines with a range of more than 15-hundred kilometers.

They are capable of traveling at a speed of close to 900 kilometers an hour and rely on sophisticated global positioning system technology and computer mapping programs to strike their targets.

The Pentagon also confirmed long-range bombers were involved in the first strikes including B-2 Stealth bombers, sleek B-1 bombers and venerable B-52 bombers.

The ultra-modern B-2's, with their unique flying wing shape, are known to have taken off from a base in the United States for their attack on Afghanistan.

Among the weapons used by the aircraft were so-called Joint Direct Attack Munitions or J-DAM's. These are guided air-to-surface weapons that use 400 to 800 kilogram warheads as payloads. The weapons are guided by a tail control system and a special navigation system.

Target coordinates can be loaded before takeoff, but may also be manually altered by the aircrew before weapon release. (Signed)

NEB/BEL/RH