Kamangir (Archer)

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A “Retard” Missile

Kamangir | September 27, 2007 | Category Humour, Iran, Islamic Republic

For the anniversary of the “Holy Defense”, the start of war with Iraq, among other activities, street exhibitions of Islamic Republic’s military might were held in different cities. This picture shows a missile, apparently called “Retard”. More pictures in the photoblog.

Reader's Comments

tedders | September 27th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
They named it after their President, isn’t that quaint.
serendip | September 27th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
too sad.
This ain’t Hell, but you can see it from here » The Axis of Ultimate Evil | September 28th, 2007 at 4:25 am
[...] Update: Then again, as long as they make “retard” missiles, they can’t be all that dangerous, can they? Photo from Kamangir; [...]
Seven | September 28th, 2007 at 5:39 am
Bunch of uneducated retards themselves. I am guessing they meant Dummy Bomb but when they looked in the dictionary they picked retard instead.

Kamangir, I hope that you don’t mind but I am using some of your photos:

http://www.iranmilitary.net/forum/showthread.php?p=35976&posted=1#post35976

Kamangir: Sure! Go ahead and use them! :)
Tom | September 28th, 2007 at 7:28 am
LOL!!!
leo | September 28th, 2007 at 10:15 am
I could be wrong but it does not look like missile.

No like guided(?) bomb.
Tom | September 28th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Gives a whole new meaning to the “special forces”, eh? :p
ella | September 28th, 2007 at 11:19 pm
“Retard missile”………. I guess the name says it all.
;-)

ps. How good it is that there is no american style PC in Iran. If there was the missile should have been called “differently abled missile”
hajir | September 29th, 2007 at 1:03 am
Well that makes you a proud Iranian, doesn’t it?
Alaric | September 29th, 2007 at 8:21 am
It is a “retarded-fall bomb” … using the definition of “retard” as “restrain” rather than low-IQ

The retarders on the back are like stiff-metal-parachutes, designed to cause maximum drag so the bomb falls nose-first … and far more slowly.

You can tell it is not a missile since there are no guidance fins up front or in back and there is no rocket-exhaust-outlet-port in back.

Kamangir: Thanks for the explanation Alaric.
Roman Kalik | September 29th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
Alaric’s explanation makes sense, Kaman. Still, surely a better name could have been found.

Kamangir: I agree.
leo | September 29th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Name is just a name.

I agree with Alaric’s explanation in everything but one detail.

These retarders would probably not slow this bomb by much nor I see the need for it.

I think those wings are designed to add to psychological effect because such bomb would produce tremendous whistling noise. If I recall correctly, Germans started using this feature in WWII first.

Another possibility. If those flaps can be controlled independently during drop it might allow bomb to become somewhat guided depending on the height of the drop. In this case slowing the bomb would make sense so it would be easier to control.
Bill | October 5th, 2007 at 11:45 am
Leo,

No, those fins work quite well. Whaat is happening is to slow the bomb quickly so the jet dropping the bomb can get out of the blast pattern. This bomb is very similar to the Mk-82 Snake-eye bomb the US used until recently. Now, the retarding system is a specially designed parachute. Snake-eye bombs were used in Vietnam and on.

The fins are closed while being carried. When the bombs release from the jet, the fins pop open to dramatically slow the bomb from the 500 mile an hour jet. When you are flying down in the weeds, dropping the bomb from very low altitude, unless you have a way to slow the bomb, the pilot risks being fragged by the bomb he just dropped. The retarding system allows the pilot to get out of the frag pattern by delaying the bomb slightly before impact. When a jet fighter is moving 540 knots, he is moving 912 feet per second. Since a bomb has a given frag pattern, it does not take much of a time delay to allow the jet fighter to get out of the pattern.

The fins are not controlled, nor do they move. Sometimes they failed (broke off), but that is not the function.
You can’t leave them alone. You just can’t leave them alone. « buntnessel | October 7th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
[...] Can’t. leave. them. alone! Iran is now building retarded missiles. Show no mercy, bomb them with stupidity! Drop your morons onto other countries and only keep the [...]