Mark 83 American Low-Drag General Purpose Bomb

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Basic Information

Name

Mark 83 American Low-Drag General Purpose Bomb

Designation

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Alternate Designation

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Equipment Type

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Manufacturer

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Date of Introduction

1969

Description

The Mark 83 is part of the Mark 80 series of low-drag general-purpose bombs in United States service. The nominal weight of the bomb is 1,000 lb (454 kg), although its actual weight varies between 985 lb (447 kg) and 1,030 lb (468 kg), depending on fuze options, and fin configuration. The Mk 83 is a streamlined steel casing containing 445 lb (202 kg) of tritonal high explosive. When filled with PBXN-109 thermally insensitive explosive, the bomb is designated BLU-110. The Mk 83/BLU-110 is used as the warhead for a variety of precision-guided weapons, including the GBU-16 Paveway laser-guided bombs, the GBU-32 JDAM and Quickstrike sea mines. This bomb is most typically used by the United States Navy but is used by the USAF in the F-22A in a JDAM configuration. According to a test report conducted by the United States Navy's Weapon System Explosives Safety Review Board (WSESRB) established in the wake of the 1967 USS Forrestal fire, the cooking-off time for a Mk 83 is approximately 8 minutes 40 seconds. The bomb has been controversially used during the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.

Variants

Mark 81 The Mark 81 (Mk 81) 250-pound (110 kg) general-purpose bomb (nicknamed "Firecracker") is the smallest of the Mark 80 series of low-drag general-purpose bombs.

Mark 82 The Mark 82 (Mk 82) is an unguided, low-drag general-purpose bomb, part of the United States Mark 80 series. The explosive filling is usually tritonal, though other compositions have sometimes been used.

Mark 84 The Mark 84 or BLU-117 is an American general-purpose bomb. It is the largest of the Mark 80 series of weapons. Entering service during the Vietnam War, it became a commonly used US heavy unguided bomb (due to the amount of high-explosive content packed inside) to be dropped. At the time, it was the third largest bomb by weight in the US inventory behind the 15,000-pound (6,800 kg) BLU-82 "Daisy Cutter" and the 3,000-pound (1,400 kg) M118 "demolition" bomb. It is currently sixth in size due to the addition of the 5,000 lb (2,300 kg) GBU-28 in 1991, the 22,600 lb (10,300 kg) GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb (MOAB) in 2003, and the 30,000 lb (14,000 kg) Massive Ordnance Penetrator.

System

Mark 83 Unguided General-Purpose Bomb

Name Mark 83

Type Unguided General-Purpose Bomb

Manufacturer General Dynamics

Length 3000 mm

Diameter 357 mm

Weight 459 kg

Filling Tritonal, Minol or Composition H6

Filling Weight 202 kg

Note The Mk 83 is a streamlined steel casing containing 445 lb (202 kg) of tritonal high explosive. When filled with PBXN-109 thermally insensitive explosive, the bomb is designated BLU-110.

Image Sources

Notes https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Navy_041108-N-8704K-006_Aviation_Ordnancemen_oad_Mk-83_1,000_pound_general_purpose_bombs_fitted_with_proximity-fuzes_on_an_F-14B_Tomcat.jpg; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mark_83_Bombs.jpg;

Details

Country of Origin United States

Category Aircraft Bombs

Air > Aircraft Bombs

Classification

Domain

Air & Air Defense

Equipment Status

Active

Operators (4)

United States

Pakistan

Myanmar

Nigeria

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