AIR FORCE INFLUENCE FUSE (MB-1) AS A POSSIBLE INTELLIGENCE GATHERING DEVICE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-03642A001200060067-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 24, 2011
• Sequence Number: 67
• Publication Date: June 13, 1958
• Content Type: MEMO

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP78-03642AO01200060067-9
cf'w'a
13 sane 1958
SUBJECT: Air Fonaw:,Influence Fuse (B-l)as a Possible Intelligence
Gathering Device
1. Air Force R&D reports concerning the development of their
(MB.].) influence fuse have been studied with the intent to determine
the adaptability of this device or its basic principles to intelligence
collection. Development work on this fuse was started in (52) and work
was carried out by Case Institute in Cleveland and some subcontracting
by Eastman Kodak Company. It was conceived as a device for attack
against railroad locomotive. It was to be mounted in a special bomb casing
designed to penetrate deeply into the earth when dropped from low altitude
by bomber type aircraft. Presumably this penetration would occur close
enough to a railroad track so that detonation of the bomb would destroy
the locomotive. The fuse was to be activated by pressure impulses in
the ground set up by the passage of a locomotive. This pressure sensitiv-
ity was also to serve as on anti-disturbance feature. Later developments
tended toward making the fuse into an all purpose anti-disturbance fuse
that would be used against all tracked or wheeled vehicles as well as
train locomotives.
3. A major portion of the development effort has been directed to-
wards establishing the amount of pressure that various targets transmit
through the soil at various depths and distances and on the type of bamufl
configuration that will allow deep penetration of the soil when dropped
from low altitude.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP78-03642AO01200060067-9
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP78-03642AO01200060067-9
SECRET
4. It is apparent that the principle of operation of this device
can be utilized for intelligence gathering wherever pressure sensing of
sub soil will produce useful information. It is considered probable
that the pressure sensing can be made reasonably selective as to type
of targets and subject to this supposition the following are suggested
possible applisationss
(a)
device planted along side track counts trains
and establishes tonnage carried
(b) same on highway and airstrip
Possible place of application would be on a known freight line to uranium
mining area where tonnage moved might be measured.
It is expected that the most severe problem would be calibrating
the unit for use in various sub-soil types and recovering the information
from the unit after it has been emplaced.
5. The undersigned is currently in the process of inquiring into
the existance of devices similar to this in functioning or application
and the possible requirement for this type of operation. APD has in-
dicated that there are several devices that are similar in function but
no device to accomplish this function has been ditcovered to date.
Explosives Gen' l File
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP78-03642AO01200060067-9