BLU-116
Encyclopedia
The BLU-116 is a United States
Air Force
bomb
, designed as an enhanced Bunker buster
penetration weapon, designed to penetrate deep into rock or concrete and destroy hard targets.
The BLU-116 is the same shape, size, and weight (1,927 lb / 874 kg) as the BLU-109 penetration bomb first deployed in the 1980s. The BLU-116 has a lightweight outer shell around a dense, heavy metal penetrator core. The shape and size mean that the BLU-116 could be used by unmodified existing aircraft and bomb guidance units such as the GPS guided GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition
and GBU-24 Paveway III
laser guided bomb.
, with evidence including references to a DU penetrator option in US Patent 6,389,977 "Shrouded Aerial Bomb" which describes the weapon which became the BLU-116. Two of the claims make reference to the use of tungsten or depleted uranium to make the casing of the bomb however these claims do not constitute evidence that either material was used in the actual weapon and specifications indicate use of a nickel-cobalt steel alloy.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
bomb
Gravity bomb
An unguided bomb, also known as a free-fall bomb, gravity bomb, dumb bomb, or iron bomb, is a conventional aircraft-delivered bomb that does not contain a guidance system and hence, simply follows a ballistic trajectory....
, designed as an enhanced Bunker buster
Bunker buster
A bunker buster is a bomb designed to penetrate hardened targets or targets buried deep underground.-Germany:Röchling shells were bunker-busting artillery shells, developed by German engineer August Cönders, based on the theory of increasing sectional density to improve penetration.They were tested...
penetration weapon, designed to penetrate deep into rock or concrete and destroy hard targets.
The BLU-116 is the same shape, size, and weight (1,927 lb / 874 kg) as the BLU-109 penetration bomb first deployed in the 1980s. The BLU-116 has a lightweight outer shell around a dense, heavy metal penetrator core. The shape and size mean that the BLU-116 could be used by unmodified existing aircraft and bomb guidance units such as the GPS guided GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition
Joint Direct Attack Munition
The Joint Direct Attack Munition is a guidance kit that converts unguided bombs, or "dumb bombs" into all-weather "smart" munitions. JDAM-equipped bombs are guided by an integrated inertial guidance system coupled to a Global Positioning System receiver, giving them a published range of up to...
and GBU-24 Paveway III
GBU-24 Paveway III
Raytheon GBU-24 Family The GBU-24 is a family of laser-guided bombs, a sub-group of the larger Raytheon Paveway III family of weapons. The Paveway guidance package consists of a seeker package attached to the nose of the weapon, and a wing kit attached to the rear to provide stability and greater...
laser guided bomb.
Specifications
From:- Length: 2.4 m
- Width: 0.37 m
- Weight: 874 kg
- Explosives: 109 kg PBXNPolymer-bonded explosiveA polymer-bonded explosive, also called PBX or plastic-bonded explosive, is an explosive material in which explosive powder is bound together in a matrix using small quantities of a synthetic polymer...
Controversy
Some organizations have linked the BLU-116 design to Depleted uraniumDepleted uranium
Depleted uranium is uranium with a lower content of the fissile isotope U-235 than natural uranium . Uses of DU take advantage of its very high density of 19.1 g/cm3...
, with evidence including references to a DU penetrator option in US Patent 6,389,977 "Shrouded Aerial Bomb" which describes the weapon which became the BLU-116. Two of the claims make reference to the use of tungsten or depleted uranium to make the casing of the bomb however these claims do not constitute evidence that either material was used in the actual weapon and specifications indicate use of a nickel-cobalt steel alloy.