BLU-109 bomb
| BLU-109 | |
|---|---|
JDAM or Paveway ) | |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 1,927 lb (874 kg) |
| Length | 7 ft 11 in (2.41 m) |
| Diameter | 14.6 in (370 mm) |
JDAM
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The BLU-109/B is a hardened penetration bomb used by the
France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates.[1]
Design
The BLU-109/B has a steel casing about 1 inch (25 mm) thick, filled with 530 pounds (240 kg) of
Small Diameter Bomb.[3]
Variants
The BLU-118 is reportedly a
thermobaric explosive filler variation on the BLU-109 casing and basic bomb design.[4] It contains PBXIH-135, a traditional explosive.[5]
In 2015 General Dynamics started 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 the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program by Exquadrum, Inc. of Adelanto, California.[6]
Operators
The BLU-109 has been sold to key US allies including South Korea, Israel, Greece, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Pakistan and Turkey[7][8]
United States: United States Air Force
Morocco Royal Moroccan Air Force
South Korea: Republic of Korea Air Force
Greece: Hellenic Air Force[9]
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
Brazil:Brazi Air Force
See also
References
- ^ Forecast International (2004). BLU-116/B Archived 10 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, page 4. Accessed 12 May 2011.
- ^ "BLU-109 / I-2000 / HAVE VOID". globalsecurity.org. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
- ^ "Small Diameter Bomb". Boeing. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
- ^ "BLU-118/B Thermobaric Weapon". GlobalSecurity.org. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
- ^ Little, Robert. "A race to get a new bomb for cave war". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
- ^ Drew, James. "Pentagon taps General Dynamics to test fireball bunker bomb Archived 19 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine"
- ^ The Most “Political” of All Bombs. http://www.quatrostrategies.com/2016/02/29/the-most-political-of-all-bombs/ Archived 6 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "BLU-109/B (Bomb Live Unit)". www.haf.gr.
- ^ "BLU-109/B (Bomb Live Unit)". www.haf.gr.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to BLU-109.