I propose that rather than using conventional bombs
which
(on a simple level) use an explosive in metal casing, we
do
something a little more imaginative.
The new contraption would be an explosive, cushioned
with
large amounts of rubbish which would otherwise go to
landfill, encased
by a thin layer of metal - the costs
would
be similar to today's conventional bombs and guided
delivery systems could be enclosed if necessary.
However, that still does not answer the question you are
probably asking regarding the purpose (or lack thereof).
The idea is that rather than filling up our own landfills
with
rubbish, some of it is instead used in new rubbish bombs
which are dropped on enemy territory.
Upon detonation, the rubbish is scattered over a wide
area
- this is very difficult for the enemy to clear up and is a
nuisance. It saves space in our own countries, and can
also
be categorised as aiding civilians if the waste in
question
contains food (although this is perhaps in breach of the
Geneva Convention's policy on biological weapons -
however
this can be avoided by justifying the drops as food
parcels).
The bomb itself has the same destructive effect, except
perhaps a little softening thanks to the rubbish coating.
The weapon would be beneficial towards peace-keeping,
because in its rubbish scatter role it would cause the
same
numbers of casualties (or fewer due to the softening of
explosive force by the rubbish coating) whilst causing
greater nuisance meaning that the enemy would be more
likely to surrender sooner.
Obviously due to the size of the weapon (significant
amounts of rubbish - possibly compressed - would be
needed to make the idea worthwhile), delivery systems
would need to be slightly different. One possibility would
be out of the back of a large transport aircraft (for
example the Lockheed C130 Hercules).
This could be arranged by having the bombs on trolleys
which would be fixed on floor-mounted rails with buffers
on the ends: a push on the trolley backwards would send
it towards the back of the aircraft. When the trolley hit
the buffers, the bomb would continue out of the back of
the aircraft. This method would of course not allow for
such great accuracy as could be found in a guided missile
context - this would be preferable, therefore.
The same idea can be applied to guided missiles, and
nuclear weapons (although in the latter case the rubbish
would be vapourised so the benefits would be
questionable).
In conclusion, the idea is broadly similar to today's
conventional weapons (including both free-fall bombs
and
guided missiles) but allows for the scatter of landfill
waste
over enemy territory, whilst the weapon itself can
maintain the same accuracy.