The
Mark 84 is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
general-purpose bombA general-purpose bomb is an air-dropped bomb intended as a compromise between blast damage, penetration, and fragmentation in explosive effect.-Characteristics:...
, the largest of the
Mark 80 series of weapons. Entering service during the
Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War or the Second Indochina War was a Cold War military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1959 to 30 April 1975...
, it was nicknamed "Hammer" for its considerable power.
The Mark 84 has a nominal weight of 2,000 lb (908 kg), but its actual weight varies depending on its fin,
fuzeFuze Beverage, commercially referred to as “Fuze” , is a manufacturer of teas and non-carbonated fruit drinks enriched with vitamins . Fuze products are classified under the new age and wellness beverage categories because of their contemporary product class and nutrient provision...
options, and retardation configuration, from 1,972 lb (896 kg) to 2,083 (947 kg). It is a streamlined steel casing filled with 945 lb (429 kg) of
TritonalTritonal is a mixture of 80% TNT and 20% aluminium powder, used in several types of ordnance such as air-dropped bombs. The aluminium improves the brisance of the TNT - the speed at which the explosive develops its maximum pressure...
high explosive.
The Mark 84 is capable of forming a crater 50 ft (15.2 m) wide and 36 ft (11 m) deep.
Discussion
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The
Mark 84 is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
general-purpose bombA general-purpose bomb is an air-dropped bomb intended as a compromise between blast damage, penetration, and fragmentation in explosive effect.-Characteristics:...
, the largest of the
Mark 80 series of weapons. Entering service during the
Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War or the Second Indochina War was a Cold War military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1959 to 30 April 1975...
, it was nicknamed "Hammer" for its considerable power.
Development & deployment
The Mark 84 has a nominal weight of 2,000 lb (908 kg), but its actual weight varies depending on its fin,
fuzeFuze Beverage, commercially referred to as “Fuze” , is a manufacturer of teas and non-carbonated fruit drinks enriched with vitamins . Fuze products are classified under the new age and wellness beverage categories because of their contemporary product class and nutrient provision...
options, and retardation configuration, from 1,972 lb (896 kg) to 2,083 (947 kg). It is a streamlined steel casing filled with 945 lb (429 kg) of
TritonalTritonal is a mixture of 80% TNT and 20% aluminium powder, used in several types of ordnance such as air-dropped bombs. The aluminium improves the brisance of the TNT - the speed at which the explosive develops its maximum pressure...
high explosive.
The Mark 84 is capable of forming a crater 50 ft (15.2 m) wide and 36 ft (11 m) deep. It can penetrate up to 15 in (380 mm) of metal or 11 ft (3.3 m) of concrete, depending on the height from which it is dropped, and causes lethal fragmentation to a radius of 400 yards (366 m).
Many Mark 84s have been retrofitted with stabilizing and retarding devices to provide a precision guidance capabilities. They serve as the warhead of a variety of precision-guided munitions, including the
GBU-10American Paveway-series laser-guided bomb, based on the Mk 84 general-purpose bomb, but with laser seeker and wings for guidance. Introduced into service c. 1976. Used by USAF, US Navy, US Marine Corps, RAAF and various NATO air forces....
and
GBU-24Raytheon 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...
PavewayPaveway is a term for Laser Guided Bombs .Pave or PAVE is sometimes used as an acronym for precision avionics vectoring equipment; literally, electronics for controlling the speed and direction of aircraft...
laser-guided bombA laser-guided bomb is a precision-guided munition that uses semi-active laser homing to strike a designated target with greater accuracy than a free-fall bomb. LGBs are one of the most common and widespread PGMs, used by a large number of the world's air forces.-Overview:Laser-guided munitions...
s,
GBU-15Guided Bomb Unit 15 is an unpowered, glide weapon used to destroy high-value enemy targets. It was designed for use with F-15E Strike Eagle, F-111 'Aardvark' and F-4 Phantom II aircraft, but the United States Air Force is currently only deploying it from the F-15E. The GBU-15 has long-range...
electro-optical bomb, GBU-31 JDAM and Quickstrike sea mines.
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