Fixed-Wing Aviation Ordnance Flashcards
5 General Categories of Aviation Ordnance:
- Bombs
- Missiles
- Rockets
- Guns
- Flares
General Purpose Bombs
- “GP” or “Dumb” bombs
- Cheap & Abundant
- 45-50% of weight is explosive
MK-80 series are what kind of bombs?
GP Bombs
MK-82
500 lbs GPB
MK-83
1000 lb GPB
MK-84
2000 lb GPB
M-117
750 lb GPB
The M-117 is carried exclusively by the USAF ________?
B-52H
Conical Fin
- Provide stability
- Make bomb ballistically true
- Commonly referred to as “low drag” or “slick”
- Normally delivered using dive or level profiles
MK-82 HDGP “Snake Eye” Fins
- Normally used for low-altitude level deliveries
- Cockpit selectable
MK-82 HDGP “AIR”
- “AIR” = Air Inflatable Retarder
- Cockpit selectable
- Sometimes referred to as a “Ballute”
BLU-109
- Hardened 2000 lb bomb
- Hard Target Penetrator used for bunkers, AC shelters, and reinforced concrete structures.
- No forward fuze well (Tail fuze only)
BLU-126
- Low Collateral Damage Bomb (LCDB)
- 500 lb bomb (externally identical to MK-82)
- 27 lbs of explosive (rest is replaced by ballast)
- Reduced fragmentation and blast radius
BLU-129
- Very Low Collateral Damage Bomb (VLCDB)
- 500 lb bomb body
- Fiber composite body instead of traditional steel
- Focused Blast
- No Fragmentation
The BLU-109 is primarily used with:
- GBU-24 (LLLGB)
- GBU-31v3 (JDAM)
The BLU-126 is primarily used with:
- GBU-51 (LGB)
- GBU-52 (DMLGB)
- GBU-38v4
- GBU-54v4
The BLU-129 is primarily used with:
- GBU-38v5
- GBU-54v5
2 Purposes of a Fuze:
- Provides an Arming Delay
2. Provides a Functioning Delay
2 Classes of Fuzes:
- Mechanical Fuzes
2. Electrical Fuzes
3 Fuze Functioning Modes:
- Instantaneous/Contact: detonates upon impact
- Proximity/Airburst: detonates at a pre-determined height above the ground.
- Delay: detonates at some finite amount of time after impact. (Usually used for penetration and measured in milliseconds)
DSU-33 Proximity Sensor
- Radar Proximity Sensor
- Provides a Height of Burst (HOB) fire pulse signal to the fuze for JDAM and GP bombs.
- HOB is 5-35 ft.
- Nominal is 20 ft.
FMU-152A/B JPF
- JPF: Joint Programmable Fuze
- Cockpit selectable fuze settings: impact, airburst, delay
- Utilized w/ GP bombs and JDAM variants
MK-77
- Incendiary Bomb
- Thin skinned container
- No stabilizing fins
- Contains oxidizing agents
- Used against dug-in troops, supply points, convoys
White Phosphorous
- Considered an Incendiary Weapon
- Commonly used for Marking or Screening
- Spontaneously flammable
Thermobaric Weapons
- Disperses a fine particle cloud of solid fuel, or an explosive liquid, and then detonates the cloud with a charge.
- High temperature, high pressure explosives for use in confined locations such as caves and tunnels.
- BLU-118/B
Cluster Bomb Unit (CBU)
- Canister (SUU) + submunition (BLU) = CBU
- Submunition determines weapon effects
- Anti-personnel, Anti-material, Anti-tank
- Area, moving, and point targets
CBU-87 (CEM)
- CEM: Combined Effects Munition
- All-purpose
- 202 BLU-97/B Submunitions
- Area weapon
2 Types of Rockets:
- 2.75-inch
2. 5.0-inch Zuni
APKWS (AGR-20)
- APKWS: Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System
- Laser guided 2.75” HE rocket
6 Practice/Inert Bombs:
- BDU-33 (25 lbs)
- MK-76 (25 lbs)
- LGTR (89 lbs)
- BDU-45 (500 lbs)
- BDU-50 (500 lbs)
- BDU-56 (2000 lbs)
PGMs
Precision Guided Munitions
5 PGM Classifications:
- Laser-guided bomb (LGB)
- Electro-Optical (EO)
- Infrared (IR)
- Imaging Infrared (IIR)
- Inertially Aided Munition (IAM)
Laser-Guided Bombs
- Terminally guided ballistic weapon
- Weapon is released w/in ballistic parameters
- Target is designated w/ a laser energy (PRF Code)
- Seeker detects the laser energy
3 Paveway II LGB Types
- GBU-12
- GBU-16
- GBU-10
- Expect high altitude, level delivery profiles
- May be employed using a dive/loft delivery
GBU-12 =
MK-82 (500 lb) + Guidance Kit
GBU-16 =
MK-83 (1000 lb) + Guidance Kit
GBU-10 =
MK-84 (2000 lb) + Guidance Kit
Paveway III Improvements:
- Improved guidance computer
GBU-24 (LLLGB)
- MK-84 body (GBU-24) or BLU-109 (GBU-24A)
- Paveway III low-level LGB kit added
JDAM
- Joint Direct Attack Munition
- Intertially-Aided Munition
- Guided by an integrated inertial navigation system (INS) coupled w/ a GPS receiver. (INS/GPS)
- Autonomously guided to the target
- All-weather strike capability
- Highly accurate
4 Types of JDAMS:
- GBU-38 (MK-82 w/ JDAM Kit)
- GBU-32 (MK-83 w/ JDAM Kit)
- GBU-31v1 (MK-84 w/ JDAM Kit)
- GBU-31v3 (BLU-109 w/ JDAM Kit)
GBU-54 Laser JDAM
- Dual-mode guided weapon.
- Consists of a GBU-38 body fitted w/ a DSU-38/B seeker (Precision Laser Guidance Set / PLGS)
- Uses a combination of INS/GPS & Laser guidance to accurately engage moving targets
GBU-54 Variants:
GBU-54v4 (BLU-126 Body)
GBU-54v5 (BLU-129 Body)
WCMD
- Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser
- Replaces standard CBU tail w/ guidance system
- Incorporates INS that is GPS updated before release
- Corrects for launch errors and wind
- Computes optimum flight path (CEP: 26m)
4 Types of WCMD:
- CBU-103 (CBU-87 + WCMD)
- CBU-104 (CBU-89 +WCMD)
- CBU-105 (CBU-97 +WCMD)
- CBU-107 (PAW)
AGM-65 Maverick
- Air-to-Ground Missile
- Range: 5-12 NM
- Used against armor & HVTs
- Variants: EO, IR, IIR, LASER
- Highly accurate
- Low Collateral Damage
AGM-65E
- Electro-optical charged-couple device
- Seeker: Laser
- Warhead: 300lb penetrator / blast-frag
- Used by: USMC & USN
AGM-176 Griffin
- Stand-Off Precision Guided Munition (SOPGM)
- GPS/INS w/ semi-active laser
- 45 lbs (13lb warhead)
- Moving target capability
- Low-collateral damage weapon
- Danger Close: 170m
GBU-39/B
- 250 lbs (50 lb warhead)
- INS/GPS guidance
- Cockpit selectable (Impact, HOB (7-14ft), Delay (60ms))
- CEP: 5-8m
- Range: Up to 40+ NM
- Fixed or stationary targets
