BLU-82

BLU-82B/C-130
A 15,000 lb BLU-82/B on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force
TypeAir to surface conventional bomb[1] (parachute retarded)
Place of originUnited States
Service history
WarsVietnam War, Gulf War, and War in Afghanistan
Production history
No. built225[1]
Specifications
Mass15,000 lb (6,800 kg)[1]
Length141.6 in (360 cm)[1]
Diameter56 in (140 cm)[1]

FillingGSX Slurry
Filling weight12,600 lb (5,700 kg)[1]
An MC-130E from the 711th Special Operations Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing, drops the last operational BLU-82 bomb at the Utah Test and Training Range on July 15, 2008.
Detonation of the last BLU-82

The BLU-82B/C-130 weapon system, known under program "Commando Vault" and nicknamed "Daisy Cutter" in Vietnam for its ability to flatten a section of forest into a helicopter landing zone, was an American 15,000-pound (6,800 kg) conventional bomb, delivered from either a C-130 or MC-130 transport aircraft or a CH-54 heavy-lift "Skycrane" helicopter from the 1st Air Cavalry. A total of 225 were constructed.[2] It was successfully used during military operations in Vietnam, the Gulf War and Afghanistan. The BLU-82 was retired in 2008 and replaced with the more powerful GBU-43/B MOAB.

  1. ^ a b c d e f Evans, Nicholas D. (2004). Military Gadgets: How Advanced Technology Is Transforming Today's Battlefield--and Tomorrow's. FT Press. p. 90. ISBN 978-0-13-144021-0. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  2. ^ London, U.K.: Aeroplane, Fricker, John, Crosswind, October 2006, Volume 34, Number 10, No. 402, page 120.

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