M-121 (bomb)
The M121 was a very large
Convair B-36 bomber, it weighed 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) and contained an 8,050 lb (3,650 kg) Tritonal warhead
. Production of the M121 ceased in 1955, but stockpiles were retained until the Vietnam War.
Vietnam War
In December 1967, the
NVA or Viet Cong personnel within 500 meters and revealed or destroyed booby traps in the landing area.[1]
Due to the bomb's weight and powerful effects, ordnance handlers would chalk mark the bombs as "Excedrin Headache #10,00x" where x was the sequence number of the bomb;[2] a reference to the well known (at the time) advertising campaign promoting the efficacy of the Excedrin brand of extra strength pain relievers.
Use of the M121 to clear a jungle zone was a technical success, but the weapon did not satisfy
TNT, the BLU-82 used a slurry mixture of ammonium nitrate and powdered aluminum. It had a slightly bigger blast diameter (80 meters).[1]
Notes
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7425-4302-7.
- ISBN 978-0-8117-4894-0.
- ISBN 978-1-4289-9043-2