CBU-72
Encyclopedia
The CBU-72 was a 550-pound American
fuel-air
cluster bomb
used by the United States Military until 1996. It was very effective against armored vehicles, aircraft parked in the open, bunkers, and minefields.
(FAE) submunitions. Each submunition weighed about 100 pounds and dispensed a cloud approximately 60 feet in diameter and 8 feet thick composed of its 75 pounds of ethylene oxide
aerosol fuel across the target area, with air-burst fusing set for 30 feet. An embedded detonator ignited the cloud as it descended to the ground to produce a massive explosion.
The high-pressure of the rapidly expanding wave front flattened all objects within close proximity of the epicenter of the fuel cloud, as well as causing debilitating damage well beyond it.
and CBU-72 fuel-air weapons were used in the Vietnam War
. A second-generation of FAE weapons were based on those, and were used by the United States
in Iraq
during Operation Desert Storm. A total of 254 CBU-72s were dropped by the United States Marine Corps
, mostly from A-6Es. They were targeted against mine fields and personnel in trenches, but were more useful as a psychological weapon.
After Desert Storm, the United States Navy
and the Marines removed their remaining FAE weapons from service, and by 1996, they had been transferred for demilitarization. By the middle of 2001, only a few hundred remained in existence, awaiting demilitarization.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fuel-air
Thermobaric weapon
A thermobaric weapon, which includes the type known as a "fuel-air bomb", is an explosive weapon that produces a blast wave of a significantly longer duration than those produced by condensed explosives. This is useful in military applications where its longer duration increases the numbers of...
cluster bomb
Cluster bomb
A cluster munition is a form of air-dropped or ground-launched explosive weapon that releases or ejects smaller sub-munitions. Commonly, this is a cluster bomb that ejects explosive bomblets that are designed to kill enemy personnel and destroy vehicles...
used by the United States Military until 1996. It was very effective against armored vehicles, aircraft parked in the open, bunkers, and minefields.
Design
The CBU-72 consisted of three fuel-air explosiveThermobaric weapon
A thermobaric weapon, which includes the type known as a "fuel-air bomb", is an explosive weapon that produces a blast wave of a significantly longer duration than those produced by condensed explosives. This is useful in military applications where its longer duration increases the numbers of...
(FAE) submunitions. Each submunition weighed about 100 pounds and dispensed a cloud approximately 60 feet in diameter and 8 feet thick composed of its 75 pounds of ethylene oxide
Ethylene oxide
Ethylene oxide, also called oxirane, is the organic compound with the formula . It is a cyclic ether. This means that it is composed of two alkyl groups attached to an oxygen atom in a cyclic shape . This colorless flammable gas with a faintly sweet odor is the simplest epoxide, a three-membered...
aerosol fuel across the target area, with air-burst fusing set for 30 feet. An embedded detonator ignited the cloud as it descended to the ground to produce a massive explosion.
The high-pressure of the rapidly expanding wave front flattened all objects within close proximity of the epicenter of the fuel cloud, as well as causing debilitating damage well beyond it.
History of use
First-generation CBU-55CBU-55
The CBU-55 was a cluster bomb Fuel Air Explosive that was developed during the Vietnam War, by the United States Army, and was used only once in warfare. Unlike most incendiaries, which contained napalm or phosphorus, the 750 pound CBU-55 was fueled primarily by propane. Described as a "the most...
and CBU-72 fuel-air weapons were used in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. A second-generation of FAE weapons were based on those, and were used by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
during Operation Desert Storm. A total of 254 CBU-72s were dropped by the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, mostly from A-6Es. They were targeted against mine fields and personnel in trenches, but were more useful as a psychological weapon.
After Desert Storm, the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and the Marines removed their remaining FAE weapons from service, and by 1996, they had been transferred for demilitarization. By the middle of 2001, only a few hundred remained in existence, awaiting demilitarization.