- BL755
Infobox Weapon
name=BL755
caption=
origin=UK
type= Anti-armourcluster bomb
is_ranged=
is_bladed=
is_explosive=
is_artillery=
is_vehicle=
is_missile=
is_UK=
service=
used_by=Royal Air Force ,Royal Navy
wars=Falklands War ,1991 Gulf War ,Bosnian War
designer=Hunting Engineering, Ltd.
design_date=
manufacturer= Hunting Engineering, Ltd.
unit_cost=
production_date=
number=
variants=BL755, IBL755, RBL755
spec_label=
weight= 582 lb (264 kg)
length= 2,451 mm (96.5 in)
diameter= 419 mm (16.5 in)
payload_capacity=147 bomblets
guidance=dumb
launch_platform=aircraftBL755 is a
cluster bomb . Its primary targets arearmored vehicle s andtank s with secondarysoft target (anti personnel) capabilities.Design
The BL755 looks like a standard 1,000 lb (450 kg)
general purpose bomb but with a hard "saddle" on the spine for ejector release and crutching pad loads and a distinctive largeturbine -like air arming vane on the nose. The four rearfin s are squared off in appearance, but on closer inspection can be seen to be hollow and telescopic. A centralextrude daluminum skeleton provides seven bays long by seven bays around, each containing 21submunition s (147 total). The submunitions are ejected by means of a central cartridge and individual inflatable bladders for each bay, operating in a similar manner to a carairbag . Ejection on the original BL755 bomb is triggered by the rotation of the arming vane, driven by the airflow.Each submunition is contained within its own SAFU (safety and arming unit) and is telescoped shut. Upon release, the submunition is expanded by a spring on release. A
focal distance stand off and detonating device deploys at the front and a fan of stabilising fins at the rear. Each has ashaped charge HEAT warhead for armour penetration, the casing of which is constructed from wound tessellated square wire, which produces around 1,400 anti-personnel fragments. A single cluster bomb produces a total of more than two hundred thousand fragments.The weapon was developed in the early 1970s by
Hunting Engineering, Ltd. ofAmpthill, Bedfordshire but manufactured elsewhere at their production facility.Updates
The original BL755 has been updated twice. IBL755 is a bomblet update, increasing its reliability and armour penetration. [http://www.raf.mod.uk/equipment/clusterbombs.cfm RAF - Cluster Bombs] ]
RBL755 is the BL755 weapon fitted with a
radar altimeter that acts as aproximity fuze , triggering bomblet ejection at the optimum altitude whilst allowing the bomb to be released from a safe height and distance.British Secret Projects: Hypersonics, Ramjets & Missiles, Chris Gibson & Tony Butler, Midland Publishing, 2007, ISBN 978 1 85780 280 0] This was in response to the dangers illustrated by low-levelPanavia Tornado missions in the1991 Gulf War ; the original vane-armed BL755 had to be released at a pre-determined low altitude, with the attacking aircraft exposed to ground fire andMANPADS -type missiles.Deployment
The bomb is cleared for use by Sea Harrier, Harrier, Jaguar, and Tornado aircraft in the British Royal Air Force.
The BL755 was used in combat by the
Royal Navy during theFalklands War , and theRAF during theGulf War andBosnian War .On the night of 21 October 1991, a Yugoslavian
MiG-21 dropped two BL-755 Mk.3 bombs on the outskirts ofBarcs , a small city in southernmost part ofHungary , causing extensive material damage, but no casualties. The incident led to an emergency upgrade of the Hungarian Air Force, obtaining 28 newMiG-29 B fighter jets in exchange for ex-soviet state debt write-off. The Hungarian government also invitedNATO 's E-3AWACS planes to patrol over the lakeBalaton area, keeping a constant radar eye on the Balkan civil war theatre. Fact|date=June 2008Operators
*
**Royal Air Force : To be withdrawn from service in 2007/2008. [cite web|url=http://www.raf.mod.uk/equipment/clusterbombs.cfm|title=Cluster Bombs - RAF website]
*
**Luftwaffe : Slowly being phased out without replacement. Use restricted to territorial self defense.
*
**Serbian Air Force : Used onJ-22 Orao aircraft.References
External links
* [http://www.armedforces.co.uk/raf/listings/l0038.html Royal Air Force Weapons]
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