When the Air Force wants to drop a bomb on someone but not blow up his neighbor, the options are pretty limited. They want to change that by developing smaller, more targeted bombs, including one that is housed in a carbon fiber case, decreasing shrapnel, and intensifying the explosion at the target -- not around it. Metallic powder might also take the place of metal shrapnel: The powder flies at a deadly velocity close to the target, but its energy quickly dissipates as it fans out, allowing the military to tightly control the danger radius of an explosion. The 250-lb. Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) will soon become a staple of the Air Force, replacing the nearly ubiquitous 500-lb bomb. Its small size means planes can carry more of them, while keeping collateral damage to a minimum. --Adam Raymond
The 250-lb. Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) produces a smaller, more focused blast. Courtesy Boeing Company.
The satellite-guided SDB, just before detonating over a Russian rocket launcher, in White Sands, NM. Courtesy Boeing Company
The same SDB, a fraction of a second later, destroying a Russian rocket launcher in White Sands, NM. Courtesy Boeing Company.