Know your weapons. Left, the FMU-139 B/B electronic bomb fuze, one of the principal components of the ordnance behind American airstrikes. Useful background here. Shown in the aft fuze well of a 1000-pound bomb. Right, the M904, a nose fuze largely out of American service, but still commonly used by other NATO nations. Useful background here. 

Knowing which nations use which components can help determine, from debris at air strike sites and from unexploded munitions left about the battlefield, who is responsible — or not responsible — for errant airstrikes and duds.

Given NATO’s refusal to tell the public which nations were behind airstrikes that killed civilians or destroyed civilian property in Libya, this can be useful knowledge for field researchers, and for investigators from various NATO nations who are trying to determine if their air forces had a hand in any of the bad strikes, and have withheld this information from their citizens. So far, NATO’s policies of non-transpacency have blocked the public from knowing the origins of lethal mistakes, undercutting the chance at a fuller public understanding of the war, and for assessing the competency of participating air forces.  And then there is the question of assuming responsibility for the victims. In a war waged with an express mandate to protect civilians, NATO’s stance has seemed at odds with the public rationale for the air campaign.

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHS

By the author.

Notes

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    KNOW YOUR WEAPONS.
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