How exactly will Taiwan torpedo the dam?

"Kevin Brooks" wrote in message
...

SNIP

dam, and sink it with a depth sensor for detonation...

OK, now we are getting into true fantasy land. This discussion started out
about military strike operations, not John Wayne/Errol Flynn/Rambo
Supercommando operations. The psited case is for Taiwan to do this in
order
to retaliate against a PRC invasion--and you see commandos, and boats,
etc.,
running willy nilly about all over and around the dam, on land and water?
Come on, now...

Brooks

Then there are two options which come to mind.

The first requires more in the way of aircraft and weapons, number wise, and
if Taiwan is being threatened by superior forces or heavily bombarded would
be much more difficult to pull off. It would involve those carbon filament
"grid buster" bombs or missile warheads shot all over the dam's power lines,
as well as damage to whatever generators or transformers could be hit with
conventional bombs. Plus ships or other things in the area.

The second requires a nuclear bomb, perhaps encased in a penetrator case. I
suppose this one would be right out, however.

If it were go for broke and it were me, I would encase a small but powerful
implosion device, maybe with a depleted uranium casing and tip in front of
the guidance unit, in an old cannon barrel. Smash it through five to ten
meters if possible then blow the crap out of it. The U-238 will add
significant radiation to the site, though fallout would be limited by
detonation in concrete and under water, depending on how much is ejected
upwards, of course.

Of course, at this point the PRC nukes Taiwan, so the second method is
rather pointless to consider, no?

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