The US built ten BLU-118B thermobaric (improved Fuel Air Explosive, or FAE) bombs under a crash program started late last year. These use the same bomb casing as the 2,000-pound BLU-109 bomb, but uses a thermobaric filling rather than the standard explosive. It can be used in the GBU-15 glide bombs, GBU-24 laser-guided bombs, and AGM-130 air-to-surface missiles. The Pentagon is working on an enhanced version of the BLU-118B which could be used to attack chemical and biological weapon stockpiles and destroy them in place with a huge ball of fire, rather than scattering these lethal materials to the winds.--Stephen V Cole