Bombs and Missiles

 

MK-84 Bomb

3The MK-84 is a free-fall, nonguided GP 2,000-pound bomb. The MK 80 series Low Drag General Purpose (LDGP) bombs are used in the majority of bombing operations where maximum blast and explosive effects are desired.

During Desert Storm the MK-80 series of bombs were dropped from literally every fixed-wing aircraft that supported the ground offensive including the F-16. These bombs were used against a wide variety of targets, including artillery, trucks, bunkers, Scuds, surface-to-air missile sites, antiaircraft artillery sites, early warning radars, and supply points.

AIM-9 Sidewinder Missile

3The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a supersonic, heat-seeking, air-to-air missile carried by fighter aircraft. It has a high-explosive warhead and an active infrared guidance system. The F-16 is displayed armed with one of these well-known weapons.

The missile's main components are an infrared homing guidance section, an active optical target detector, a high-explosive warhead, and a rocket motor.The infrared guidance head enables the missile to home on target aircraft engine exhaust. An infrared unit costs less than other types of guidance systems, and can be used in day/night and electronic countermeasures conditions. The infrared seeker also permits the pilot to launch the missile, then leave the area or take evasive action while the missile guides itself to the target.

B61 Thermonuclear Bomb

The B61-7 has four yield options that can be selected before flight. This strategic version can be dropped at high speed from as low as 15 meters in a "laydown" delivery (a delayed surface burst where the bomb parachutes to the ground allowing the bomber to escape the blast.)

The B61 can also be delivered free-fall or parachute-retarded ground or air-burst. The latest versions have in-flight fusing and yield selection, as well as integrated Permissive Action Links (PALs), requiring the correct code for arming. Over 3,000 B61s were manufactured during the Cold War, though many are tactical versions. About 750 Mod 7 strategic B61's remain in the active inventory.

 

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