Interesting: In the History Channel re-enactment of how Osama bin-Laden was supposedly captured, killed & "buried" at sea, a Navy Seal uses what is desribed as a "thermite grenade" (which is remotely detonated) to help destroy a black-hawk helicopter that had crashed during the incursion. That grenade had a huge explosive force, and it also appeared to continue to burn and eat through the steel of the helicopter. Is anyone familiar with these grenades? Anyway, I had never heard of them before, but it goes to show that the MIC has many tricks up its sleeve (what organization with that kind of budget wouldn't?)and that thermite is a substance that they have weaponized in many ways, probably some of which we are as yet unaware.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/oiRJj2oRWnM

Thermite has been an ingredient in assorted weapons since at least WWII.

Alan

I am damn sure no explosives expert, but from reading over the years about this, and as the UTube video provided by OSS shows, thermite is not explosive. It generates temperatures high enough to cut through steel as you see, but it is not an explosive in the traditional meaning.

For the most part, the History Channel (which I watch fairly often) is just an outlet for government propaganda, when it comes to questions regarding the Global War On Terror. Take what you see there with a very large grain of salt.

Hey, amazed! How're you doing?
Believe me, my friend, I take everything I read or see (especially from the MS media and the internet) with a grain of salt. Heck, I carry around a shaker of salt!
Yeah, my friend Bert and I made some thermite, I'm aware it's not explosive. It's very hard to ignite, but once it starts burning, the heat that is quickly generated is exceptional, literally cutting through steel as if it were butter. And it does leave behind these very unique round spheres of iron, often connected together. Dr. Steven Jones suppoesdly found samples of "nano-thermate" in the WTC dust, from samples he was given. According to Dr. Jones, this stuff is much finer, mixes together much better, and the added sodium is basically what makes it "thermate" instead of thermite," I think. Thermate is described as "a more powerful version of thermite, developed for military use." Anyway, I believe Dr. Jones also said that this substance, this nano-thermate, either had-or might have--explosive qualities to it. But I really don't know, and am no explosives expert either, but am quite skeptical of just about everything! Also, as far as the History Channel re-enactment went, they used conventional (probably C-4) explosives together w/ the single thermite grenade to cause the huge explosion they depicted. In fact, perhaps that was what they donated remotely, although it never showed anyone pulling a pin and throwing a grenade! Perhaps the other explosives set off the grenade. But I still think that the "thermite grenade" they used--if this story is true--would have still been something more powerful than what is demonstrated in the above video. The MIC and its partners are always seeking to make stuff "bigger and badder," and I couldn't see those SEALs using a single one of these thermite grenades to ensure the complete destruction of what they described as "several billion $$ worth of stealth technology," unless they were sure it was sufficient. Either that, or they really used several of them, and the narrator didn't describe what took place with any accuracy.

Anyway, thanks for all your answers, comments, etc.

I'm doing well thanks.

Good post. It seems like we have posted here before? Welcome back if that is the case.

Yes, what you describe might be weapons grade thermite, and they want to call it thermate? Makes sense to me if one deals in that stuff, I guess? Lord knows there are US labs devoted to weapons testing, all sorts of weapons.

I think the video that OSS provided showed a thermite grenade in action, buring down into a safe, so that the troops could recover whatever was in there, and have fun in the process. I can remember smoke grenades from my time in, so the term seems consistent.

Thermite was used at WTC, is the only rational conclusion.

as i understand it, explosives are ranked based on speed of detonation.

rdx - 8750m/s
tnt - 6940m/s

the speed of sound in steel is ~6000m/s, which has to be exceeded by the explosive to destroy it.

fine thermite/thermate - 300m/s.....

We had thermite granades - actually not a grenade, but destruction device on top of our security containers. As part of our training the fire guys showed us how to trigger it and the result. lift and turn handle, run like hell. It does not explode, it simply eats from the top of the security container (Diebold GSA safe) - in a shower of sparks, heat you can feel from 30 feet away, like you are going to get a sun burn and a very intense light - nothing was left of a 700 pound 4 drawer GSA safe approved for classified storage. If it were inside a building, the building would burn with it.