The M29 cluster bomb was a
cluster bomb
A cluster munition is a form of air-dropped or ground-launched explosive weapon that releases or ejects smaller submunitions. Commonly, this is a cluster bomb that ejects explosive bomblets that are designed to kill personnel and destroy vehicl ...
used by the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
against troops, unarmoured vehicles and artillery.
The weapon contained ninety M83
fragmentation submunitions - a direct copy of the earlier German
Butterfly Bomb
A Butterfly Bomb (or ''Sprengbombe Dickwandig 2 kg'' or SD 2) was a German anti-personnel submunition used by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. It was so named because the thin cylindrical metal outer shell which hinged open when ...
- in 9 ten-bomb "wafers".
The M28 was a equivalent of the M29 containing 24 bomblets.
Both bombs contained a mechanical time fuze that could be set to open the cluster at a preselected time between 5 and 92 seconds by triggering a burster charge. The case sides and ends sprung open, allowing the bomblets to fall out. The case sides were cup-shaped to retard the fall of the bomb. The manual warns that "Use of the M131 fuze is not recommended in areas that are expected to be occupied by friendly forces as they constitute a potential
booby trap
A booby trap is a device or setup that is intended to kill, harm or surprise a human or another animal. It is triggered by the presence or actions of the victim and sometimes has some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. The trap m ...
".
See also
*
List of cluster bombs
This is a list of cluster bombs as of 2008.
Brazil
* BLG-120
* BLG-204
* BLG-252
France
* BAP 100
*
Germany
*AB 23
* AB 250-2
*AB 70-D1
*BDC 10
Israel
* TAL 1
* TAL 2
Poland
* ZK-300
* LBKas-250
South Africa
* CB-470 Cluster Bomb di ...
References
External links
UXO 101 - Deploying M83 Submunitions in M28 and M29 Cluster Bomb Units
United States Air Force
Cluster munitions
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