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All bombs weighing less than 2,000 lb have suspension lugs spaced 14 in (35 cm) apart;
those weighing more use 30-in (76-cm) spacing.
Production of the Mk 80 series bombs, with an explosive content of roughly 50 per cent,
began during the Korean conflict, although they did not actually see service until
Vietnam.
The 250-lb Mk 81 was found to be ineffective during Vietnam and its use was
discontinued.
Use of the 1000-lb Mk 83 was discontinued by the USAF after limited use during
Vietnam, although it will apparently be used again for JDAM weapons for the F-22.
The Tritonal-filled 500-lb Mk 82 and 2,000-lb Mk 84 bombs are the mainstays of USAF
weaponry and have been widely exported.
Live USAF warheads and fins are painted FSN 34087 olive drab with a single 3 in (7.6
cm) FSN 33538 yellow band around the nose. Inert warheads have a non-explosive filler
and either substitute a FSN 35109 blue band for the yellow, or are painted overall blue.
During the early 1990s, when the Navy switched its filler from H-6 to PBXN-109, its Mk
80-series casings received new designations: BLU-110 for the Mk 83, BLU-111 for the
Mk 82, and BLU-112 for the Mk 84.
The visually distinguishing characteristic of naval GP bombs is their very rough thermal
protective (TP) coating.
Fins
The most common fin fitted to GP bombs is the low-drag, general-purpose (LDGP) fin,
also referred to interchangeably as the conical fin assembly (CFA). Initial CFAs did not
have independent designations, and were simply referred to using the bomb designation
(e.g., Mk 82 conical fin). Bombs fitted with this kind of fin are commonly called 'slicks'.
There are also a number of fins that can be configured so as to either deploy or not deploy
their retarding fins. If not deployed, they have ballistics virtually identical to CFA bombs.
Because of this, both the CFA and non-retarding retard finned bombs are referred to as
low-drag (LD) bombs, while bombs using their retarding devices are referred to as high-
drag (HD) bombs.
High-drag bombs loaded in weapon bays of B-52s and B-1Bs have a MAU-111 strap that
unwraps from around the bomb body as it falls, delaying fin opening until the weapon is
well clear of the aircraft.
Mk 82
All 500-lb class Mk 82 warheads have an exposed length of 71 in (180 cm) (not including
fuze or nose plug) and are 13.9 in (35 cm) in diameter. The Mk 82 Mod 0 was an NTP
warhead constructed from welded pipe. It featured an electrical fuze charging well and a
single hoisting/suspension lug located between two 14-in (35-cm) suspension lugs.
The main changes to the Mk 82 Mod 1 warhead, introduced on 4 January 1955, were the
switch to seamless tubing construction and the elimination of the single
hoisting/suspension lug.
The Navy's Mk 82 Mod 2 was probably introduced in 1973 and is thermally protected.
Neither the NTP Mk 82 Mod 3 nor the TP Mk 82 Mod 4 were produced. These warheads
featured internal scoring to increase fragmentation effects.
The Air Force uses the inert BDU-50 to simulate the Mk 82. These practice bombs have
no internal plumbing for fuzes. There are two versions: the BDU-50/B can only be
configured with tail fins, while the BDU-50A/B can also be fitted with LGB guidance
kits.
Mk.82 Fins
There are three operational Mk 82 conical fin designs, only two of which are used by the
Air Force.
The 22-pound Mk 82 Mod 1 has a 1.5 degree fin cant to spin-stabilize the bomb and
several doors and panels to allow access to tail fuzes. This fin is 26 in (66 cm) long and
has 15-in (38-cm) span fins.
Like the Mk 82 CFA, the 27-lb MAU-93/B attaches to the bomb with six set screws.
However, it is 43 in (109 cm) long and has a 19.6-in (50-cm) fin span.
The Navy's BSU-33 was developed during the late 1980s. The same length as the Mk 82
CFA, this FSN 35376 gray fin adds 2.5 degree metal wedges to the left rear corner of
each fin to increase spin rate.
The 60-lb Mk 15 Mod 0 Snakeye retarding fin was adopted for use in April 1964. The
Mk 15 Mod 1 was introduced in April 1967, and the Mk 15 Mod 2 in December 1967.
The Mk 15 Mod 3 was introduced in April 1970, and was the first version used by the
USAF.
The other version used by the Air Force was the Mk 15 Mod 4, which was introduced in
November 1971.
The Navy's 66-lb Mk 15 Mod 5 retained the release band and latching lever which had
previously separated from the bomb to prevent damage to composite aircraft structures.
The Mk 15 Mod 6 refined this design.
In late 1987, the Navy introduced the BSU-86 to replace the Mk 15.
These fins are painted FSN 36375 gray.
The main disadvantage to weapons fitted with Snakeye fins was that they forced many
aircraft to slow down to deliver them.
The Goodyear Aerospace air-inflatable retard (AIR) fins allow Mk 80 series warheads to
be released at much higher airspeeds than were possible with Snakeyes. The Mk 82 AIR
is often referred by its 55-lb fin's designation: BSU-49.
The Navy's Mk 16 uses the BSU-49 shell with a parachute replacing the ballute and is
used with mines.
Mk 84
All 2,000-lb class Mk 84 warheads have an exposed length of 96 in (244 cm) (not
including fuze or nose plug) and are 18 in (46 cm) in diameter. The Mk 84 Mod 0 was an
NTP warhead with an electrical fuze charging well and a single hoisting/suspension lug
located between two 14-in (35-cm) suspension lugs.
The first operational bomb, the Mk.84 Mod 1, was introduced in February 1955 and
featured 30-in (76-cm) suspension lugs, and was used extensively in Vietnam.
The slightly modified Mk 84 Mod 2 was introduced in March 1972.
The Navy's Mk 84 Mod 3 was introduced in May 1973 and was the first TP Mk 84.
The NTP Mk 84 Mod 4 is the current version used by the Air Force. It was introduced in
August 1974 and eliminated the single hoisting/suspension lug.
The Navy's Mk 84 Mod 5 was a TP version of the Mod 4 and was introduced in May
1979.
The NTP Mk 84 Mod 6 and TP Mk 84 Mod 7 were introduced in April 1989 and had
their fuze arming wells relocated for compatibility with F/A-18 bomb racks.
Inert Mk 84 s have no unique designation and are simply normal casings with non-
explosive filler.
Mk.84 Fins
The original Mk 84 Mod 0 conical fin had a 25.3-in (64-cm) fin span, was 53 in (135
cm) long and could be distinguished by its rounded cap behind the fins that did not allow
access to tail fuzing.
The 114-lb production fin, the Mk 84 Mod 1, has several doors and panels to allow
access to tail fuzes, a 2 degree fin cant to spin-stabilize the bomb, and deletion of the
rounded tail cap that shortens its length to 49 in (124 cm).
The USAF's Mk 84 AIR uses the 97-lb BSU-50 fin. Designed primarily for the F-111, its
release speed is so high that the Navy did not acquire it.
During Desert Storm, the Navy decided it had a requirement for a retarded Mk 84 and
authorized the 87-lb Mk 11 parachute fin for overland use, a function it already filled for
underwater mining operations.
M117
While the Vietnam-era Mk 80-series bombs had Navy designations, the Korean-vintage
750-lb M117 has a US Army Air Force designation. Originally classed as a demolition
bomb because its explosive content was about 65 per cent, it was widely used in Vietnam.
Subsequently, the M117 has only been used by the B-52.
Developed as the T54, the original Minol-filled version was designated M117.
The M117A1 deleted the single suspension lug, and was followed by the Minol II-filled
M117A2.
The M117A3 was filled with Tritonal.
The M117A1E1 was an A2 that could be filled with either Tritonal or Minol II.
The M117A1E2 was an A1 filled with Minol II, and the final version was the
M117A1E3, a modified A1E1 filled with Tritonal.
M117s were exported, especially to Israel, which used them frequently with F-4s during
the Yom Kippur War of October 1973.
M117 Fins
Originally, low-drag M117s were fitted with 52-lb M131 conical fins that were 49 in (124
cm) long with a 23-in (58-cm) fin span.
In the early 1970s, the 64-lb MAU-103/B conical fin was introduced, featuring strakes, a
50-in (127-cm) length, and a 19-in (48-cm) fin span.
A modified version of this fin, the MAU-103A/B increased fin-span to 22 in (56 cm).
The high-drag bomb, commonly known as the M117R, used the 117-lb MAU-91A/B and
MAU-91B/B 'Snakeye'-type fins through the 1991 Gulf War. These 22-in (56-cm) span
fins are 48 in (122 cm) long and have minor differences in their fin latching mechanisms.
The M117 AIR was adopted after the Gulf War and uses the 95-lb BSU-93/B ballute fin,
with a 20-in (50-cm) fin span and a 40-in (101-cm) length.
The MC-1 is a M117 case filled with 24 US gal (90 liters) of the lethal nerve gas Sarin
(GB). It is fitted with bursters to rupture it on impact, dispersing its contents. Unlike
normal bombs, this chemical bomb is painted medium gray, with a green nose band.
BLU-107 (Durandal)
The USAF adopted the 450-lb French Durandal for use by F-111s as the BLU-107
runway denial weapon. Its delivery requires a non-maneuvering, level flight path at low
altitude across the targeta highly defended runway. This penetrator consists of a
warhead, rocket motor and parachute. Designed for carriage on BRU-3 bomb racks, an
aerodynamic fairing is installed over the nose of BLU-107s carried on the front stations,
while the blunt, penetrator nose is exposed on the aft weapons. When released, a braking
chute extracts the main parachute and then drops away. The main chute slows the weapon
and points it at the ground. When the proper downward angle is achieved, the main chute
is released and the rocket motor fires the warhead through up to 16 in (40 cm) of
unreinforced concrete. After it penetrates beneath the runway, a delay fuze detonates the
33-lb warhead, heaving the runway surface upward, thus making it unusable.
However, F-111Fs attacked the vast Iraqi airfields repeatedly, using LGBs almost
exclusively. They had great success in making the runways and taxiways unusable by
detonating 2,000-lb LGBs at their intersections from an altitude safe from ground fire.
BLU-109
The success of the Israeli air force in destroying the Arab air forces on the ground during
the opening minutes of the 1967 Six Day War prompted the major tactical air forcesto
develop hardened aircraft shelters (HASs). These shelters were impervious to most GP
bombs. Naturally, the need arose for a bomb capable of penetrating HASs and other
hardened facilities. The answer to this requirement is commonly referred to as the
improved 2,000-lb bomb, or I-2000, although its actual designation is BLU-109.
To prevent it from breaking up before it penetrates the hardened exterior of its target, the
BLU-109 has an explosive content of only 25 per cent. The rear of the bomb is flared
slightly so as to be compatible with any Mk 84 fin group. Since all of its targets require
precise aiming, BLU-109s are only used as part of a PGM, although some were tested
with conical fins when carried by F-16 test aircraft. Versions include the Air Force's
BLU-109/B and the Navy's thermal protected BLU-109A/B.
The BLU-109 uses a FMU-143 fuze.
BLU-113
The ultimate penetration warhead, the Lockheed BLU-113/B, was developed, produced,
deployed and used in combat in only 17 days. Used for the 4,700-lb GBU-28/B 'Deep
Throat' bombs, they were machined from spare 8-in howitzer barrels to resemble very
long BLU-109s, but with an explosive content of only 15 per cent. Published reports
indicate the bomb was dropped from relatively high altitude, maximizing both its kinetic
energy (five times that of the GBU-24/27) and impact angle, enabling it to penetrate over
100 ft (30 m) of earth or 20 ft (6 m) of concrete to destroy command bunkers thought safe
from all but nuclear attack.
General-Purpose Bomb Fuzes
Often overlooked, the different fuzes used with GP bombs are absolutely crucial to
inflicting the desired damage to a given target.
The most easily identified of all nose fuzes was the M1A1, commonly known by the term
'daisy cutter'. Developed during Vietnam as a kind of poor man's proximity fuze, it was
nothing more than a length of explosive-filled pipe with an M904 fuze on the end
(usually 36 in long, but also available in 18- and 24-in lengths). This allowed the bomb to
explode before it buried itself in the soft soil of Vietnam, thus increasing its blast effect.
Mechanical fuzes are identifiable visually by their distinctive vanes or the M905's ATU-
35 anemometer.
Most electrical fuzes are cylindrical devices hidden by either a nose plug or the fin
assembly.
The FMU-113 proximity fuze is easily identifiable by its black, hemispherical radome.
Blast Bombs
BLU-82
Used in Vietnam to clear helicopter landing zones and in Iraq to detonate minefields, the
15,000-lb class BLU-82 blast bomb was the largest bomb in the Air Force arsenal by
1990. During the 1991 Gulf War it was delivered only by MC-130Es, shoved out the
cargo door strapped to a cargo pallet. The bomb's descent was slowed and stabilized by
parachutes, and was detonated by a 4-ft long 'daisy cutter', to ensure an above-ground
explosion and maximize blast and fragmentation effects. The explosive content of the
BLU-82 was about 80 per cent.
Laser Guided Bombs