BLU-109 bomb
| BLU-109 | |
|---|---|
 A BLU-109 aboard anF-15E Strike Eagleconfigured as aJDAM | |
| Type | Free-fall penetration bomb (guided when equipped asJDAMorPaveway) |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| Used by | United States Air Force |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 1,927 lb (874 kg) |
| Length | 7 ft 11 in (2.41 m) |
| Diameter | 14.6 in (370 mm) |
| Filling | Tritonal[1] |
| Filling weight | 550 lb (250 kg)[1] |
TheBLU-109/Bis a hardened penetration bomb used by theUnited States Air Force(BLUis an acronym forBomb Live Unit). As with other "bunker busters",it is intended to penetrate concrete shelters and other hardened structures before exploding. In addition to the US, it is part of the armament of the air forces ofAustralia,Belgium,Canada,Denmark,France,Germany,Greece,Italy,Israel,Netherlands,Norway,Pakistan,Saudi Arabia,United KingdomandUnited Arab Emirates.[2]
Design
[edit]The BLU-109/B has a steel casing about 1 inch (25 mm) thick, it's warhead filled with 550 pounds (250 kg) ofTritonal.[3]It has a mechanical-electrical delayed-action FMU-143 tail-fuze.[4]The BLU-109 entered service in1985.It is also used as the warhead of some marks of theGBU-15electro-optically guided bomb, theGBU-24 Paveway IIIandGBU-27 Paveway IIIlaser-guided bombs,as well as the GBU-31Joint Direct Attack Munition(JDAM)[5]andAGM-130air-to-surface missile.
Variants
[edit]The BLU-118 is reportedly athermobaricexplosive filler variation on the BLU-109 casing and basic bomb design.[6]It contains PBXIH-135, a traditional explosive.[7]
In 2015General Dynamicsstarted a $7.2 million development of a version called HAMMER, which is intended to destroy chemical and biological substances by spreading dozens of Kinetic Fireballs Incendiaries (KFI) (not explosions) inside a bunker. The KFIs have evolved out of theSmall Business Innovation Research(SBIR) program by Exquadrum, Inc. ofAdelanto, California.[8]
Operators
[edit]The BLU-109 has been sold to key US allies including South Korea, Israel, Greece, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Pakistan and Turkey[9][10]
United States:United States Air Force
Morocco:Royal Moroccan Air Force
South Korea:Republic of Korea Air Force
Greece:Hellenic Air Force[10]
Turkey:Turkish Air Force
Israel:Israeli Air Force
Serbia:Serbian Air Force
Pakistan:Pakistan Air Force
Saudi Arabia:Royal Saudi Air Force
UAE:United Arab Emirates Air Force
The Netherlands:Royal Netherlands Air Force
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abBLU-109/B fact sheet - Hill AFB, USAF
- ^Forecast International (2004).BLU-116/BArchived10 March 2012 at theWayback Machine,page 4. Accessed 12 May 2011.
- ^J. Hart, Russell (15 February 2012)."Defeating Hard And Deeply Buried Targets in 2035"(PDF).Defense Technical Information Center (.mil).p. 7-8.Retrieved5 July2024.
- ^"Gulf War - Air Power Survey, Volume IV - Weapons, Tactics, and Training"(PDF).U.S. Department of Defense.p. 71.Retrieved4 July2024.
- ^Chow Seng, Chor (December 2008)."A Business Case Analysis of the Hard Target Void Sensing Fuze (HTVSF) Joint Cap Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD)"(PDF).Defense Technical Information Center (.mil) | Naval Postgraduate School.p. 1.Retrieved5 July2024.
- ^"BLU-118/B Thermobaric Weapon".GlobalSecurity.org.Archivedfrom the original on 27 July 2019.Retrieved6 December2013.
- ^Little, Robert."A race to get a new bomb for cave war".The Baltimore Sun.Archivedfrom the original on 7 April 2014.Retrieved5 April2014.
- ^Drew, James. "Pentagon taps General Dynamics to test fireball bunker bombArchived19 February 2018 at theWayback Machine"
- ^The Most “Political” of All Bombs.http:// quatrostrategies /2016/02/29/the-most-political-of-all-bombs/Archived6 September 2018 at theWayback Machine
- ^ab"BLU-109/B (Bomb Live Unit)".haf.gr.
External links
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