- CBU-55
The CBU-55 was a
cluster bomb incendiary device that was developed during theVietnam War , by the United States Army, and was used only once in warfare. Unlike most incendiaries, which containednapalm orphosphorus , the 750 pound CBU-55 was fueled by primarily bypropane . Described as a "the most powerful non-nuclear weapon in the U.S. arsenal," Spencer C. Tucker, "Vietnam", UCL Press, 1999, p.185 ] the device was one of the more powerfulconventional weapons designed for warfare.Design
The device had three main compartments, with propane, a blend of other gases, and an
explosive .The CBU-55 had two variations. The CBU-55/B consisted of 3 BLU-73A/B
fuel-air explosive bombs in a SUU-49/B Tactical Munitions Dispenser, and the CBU-55A/B had 3 BLU-73A/B bombs in a SUU-49A/B dispenser) [ [http://www.designation-systems.net/usmilav/asetds/u-s.html SBU/SBK to SXU - Equipment Listing ] ] . The SUU-49/B dispenser could be carried only by helicopters or low-speed aircraft, whereas the SUU-49A/B was redesigned with a strongback and folding tailfins, so that they could also be delivered by high-speed aircraft as well.History
The first generation of the CBU-55 was used during the
Vietnam War . ByApril 21 ,1975 ,South Vietnam had largely been conquered by the invading military from the north. Earlier in the month, a single CBU-55 had been flown fromThailand to theBien Hoa airbase. The senior military officer in Vietnam, Major General Homer Smith, cleared the way for the Saigon government to use the weapon against the North Vietnamese Army. A VietnameseC-130 transport plane circledXuan Loc at convert|20000|ft|m, then dropped the bomb. The contents exploded in a fireball over a four acre area. Experts estimated that 250 soldiers had been killed, primarily by the immediate depletion of oxygen rather than from burns. The CBU-55 was never used again in the war, and South Vietnam's government surrendered onApril 30 .A second-generation of the CBU-55 (and
CBU-72 ) fuel-air weapons entered the United States military arsenal after the Vietnam was, and were used by the United States in Iraq duringOperation Desert Storm [ [http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/dumb/cbu-72.htm CBU-72 / BLU-73/B Fuel/Air Explosive (FAE) - Dumb Bombs ] ] .ee also
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List of Cluster Bombs References
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