On 23 Jun 2004 01:27:23 -0700, (robert arndt) wrote:

The US had and still has contingency plans for Taiwan to covertly
attack the Three Gorges Dam in the event of a Chinese amphibious
invasion of the island.
Taiwanese F-16s flying low laden with what was called a few years back
the "Dragon's Claw" bomb would be aided by US air assets and
Intelligence on the dam. Simultaneously, covert US forces would
disrupt the air defenses around the dam while the F-16s dropped their
special depth strikers, designed to be launched near the dam and to
plow under to a certain depth before exploding causing a series of
massive shock waves that would crack the foundations of the dam. The
F-16s would fire and turn away being refuelled by US tankers for the
return trip home.
This is old news... but it was never disclosed what exactly a depth
striker was.
I don't think you need the old bouncing bombs of WW2 (of which Germany
also had a rocket version of their own- Kurt). But a missile-launched
heavyweight torpedo with modified warhead might do the job well
(similar to the WW2 German L-10 or L-11 torpedo gliders).

Rob

"What an ultra-marron", as Mr. Bugs would say.

Al Minyard