Picture of the day

Too true. Barnes Wallis had both the training and intuition.

The Grand Slam was quite the monster, but the devil is in the details. The extremely long tapering was what allowed it to go supersonic. It had better aerodynamic lines than most aircraft of it's day.

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I have wondered why the Yanks have not copied this bomb. I could be devastating dropped from a b52!
 
The best thread on CGN.

I'm actually kind of sad when I check the forum and there isn't a new pic or ongoing discussion in this thread. Always something interesting going on, always something to learn.

I have wondered why the Yanks have not copied this bomb. I could be devastating dropped from a b52!


The GBU-28, GBU-37, and GBU-547 (aka: MOP, "Massive Ordinance Penetrator" ) look nothing like the Grand Slam or Tallboy bombs, but are designed for the same purpose, and use similar principals. Extremely fast, hardened penetrator tip, large volume of a very slow explosive (as used in mining, slower reaction explosives are better at displacing earth). Very much the decedents of the Barnes Wallis bombs.
 
The GBU-28, GBU-37, and GBU-547 (aka: MOP, "Massive Ordinance Penetrator" ) look nothing like the Grand Slam or Tallboy bombs, but are designed for the same purpose, and use similar principals. Extremely fast, hardened penetrator tip, large volume of a very slow explosive (as used in mining, slower reaction explosives are better at displacing earth). Very much the decedents of the Barnes Wallis bombs.

There have been a host of hard target penetrator bombs since the Barnes Wallis designs. First, you need to distinguish the complete bomb from its warhead, which have separate designations entirely.

One of the frontrunner among these HTP warheads in the USA was the 2,000 lb BLU-109 (originally the I-2000, or Improved 2000 lb), which started delivery in December 1985 under the Have Void program. It weighs, of course, just under 2,000 lbs but contains only about 550 lbs (at most) of AFX-708 Tritonal or PBXN explosive (depending on application). The extra weight comes from the single piece, 1+ inch thick body casing of forged 4340 steel. That warhead equipped more than a dozen different precision guided munitions in the US Air Force and US Navy inventory, including but not limited to various flavours of GBU-10, -15, -24, -27, and -31. Bombs like these latter mentioned often don’t get recognized as hard target penetrators, but they are (albeit of less capability).

There are also various flavours of BLU-109, including the thermally insulated BLU-109A/B (for the Navy), and the BLU-109/B (for the Air Force). This is the bomb you saw most often during Desert Storm, busting up the hardened aircraft shelters that the French had built for the Iraqi Air Force. Even there, though, there were times when a couple of BLU-109s were needed to ensure the destruction of the target (it can be expected to reliably penetrate no more than about a couple of meters of reinforced concrete).

The earliest version of the GBU-28 bomb, meanwhile, employed the BLU-113/B warhead. Rushed into service in February 1991, in time for use in Desert Storm, and to deal with targets the BLU-109 could not penetrate. It was originally built from burned out or surplus 8 inch howitzer barrels, which were bored out and filled with up to 647 lbs of Tritonal explosive. The result was a bomb that weighed about 4,700 lbs. Later variants of the GBU-28 have used purpose built BLU-113A/B and BLU-122 warheads. The BLU-122 is produced from a 3,500 lb body casing made from a single piece of ES-1 steel and is packed with AFX-757 insensitive explosive.

The GBU-37/B, a forerunner to the JDAM GPS-guided bomb, also employed the previously mentioned BLU-113/B warhead and was intended for use with the B-2A Spirit stealth bomber until the laser/GPS-guided GBU-28C/B came along.

The GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) weighs just under 30,000 lbs and is believed to contain about 5,300 lbs of explosive. It is supposed to be capable of penetrating more than 200 ft and can bust reinforced concrete structures hardened to 5,000 psi (that is up in the realm of ICBM silo class hardening).
 
I'm actually kind of sad when I check the forum and there isn't a new pic or ongoing discussion in this thread. Always something interesting going on, always something to learn.




The GBU-28, GBU-37, and GBU-547 (aka: MOP, "Massive Ordinance Penetrator" ) look nothing like the Grand Slam or Tallboy bombs, but are designed for the same purpose, and use similar principals. Extremely fast, hardened penetrator tip, large volume of a very slow explosive (as used in mining, slower reaction explosives are better at displacing earth). Very much the decedents of the Barnes Wallis bombs.

There have been a host of hard target penetrator bombs since the Barnes Wallis designs. First, you need to distinguish the complete bomb from its warhead, which have separate designations entirely.

One of the frontrunner among these HTP warheads in the USA was the 2,000 lb BLU-109 (originally the I-2000, or Improved 2000 lb), which started delivery in December 1985 under the Have Void program. It weighs, of course, just under 2,000 lbs but contains only about 550 lbs (at most) of AFX-708 Tritonal or PBXN explosive (depending on application). The extra weight comes from the single piece, 1+ inch thick body casing of forged 4340 steel. That warhead equipped more than a dozen different precision guided munitions in the US Air Force and US Navy inventory, including but not limited to various flavours of GBU-10, -15, -24, -27, and -31. Bombs like these latter mentioned often don’t get recognized as hard target penetrators, but they are (albeit of less capability).

There are also various flavours of BLU-109, including the thermally insulated BLU-109A/B (for the Navy), and the BLU-109/B (for the Air Force). This is the bomb you saw most often during Desert Storm, busting up the hardened aircraft shelters that the French had built for the Iraqi Air Force. Even there, though, there were times when a couple of BLU-109s were needed to ensure the destruction of the target (it can be expected to reliably penetrate no more than about a couple of meters of reinforced concrete).

The earliest version of the GBU-28 bomb, meanwhile, employed the BLU-113/B warhead. Rushed into service in February 1991, in time for use in Desert Storm, and to deal with targets the BLU-109 could not penetrate. It was originally built from burned out or surplus 8 inch howitzer barrels, which were bored out and filled with up to 647 lbs of Tritonal explosive. The result was a bomb that weighed about 4,700 lbs. Later variants of the GBU-28 have used purpose built BLU-113A/B and BLU-122 warheads. The BLU-122 is produced from a 3,500 lb body casing made from a single piece of ES-1 steel and is packed with AFX-757 insensitive explosive.

The GBU-37/B, a forerunner to the JDAM GPS-guided bomb, also employed the previously mentioned BLU-113/B warhead and was intended for use with the B-2A Spirit stealth bomber until the laser/GPS-guided GBU-28C/B came along.

The GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) weighs just under 30,000 lbs and is believed to contain about 5,300 lbs of explosive. It is supposed to be capable of penetrating more than 200 ft and can bust reinforced concrete structures hardened to 5,000 psi (that is up in the realm of ICBM silo class hardening).

And now I know. But do they look as pretty as a grand slam?!
 
And now I know. But do they look as pretty as a grand slam?!

Right, its a pics thread, lol. Sorry.

GBU-27/B with BLU-109/B

gbu-27b_blu-109b.jpg


GBU-28/B 'Deep Throat' with BLU-113/B, hanging under an F-111F

gbu-28.jpg


GBU-37/B GAM with BLU-113/B

gbu-37b.jpg


GBU-57A/B MOP alongside a B-2A

PEScQ1R.jpg


The answer to your question is probably 'no', but I suppose its subjective.

It should be added that bomb shape and casing material/hardness are critical, but it would be a mistake to overlook other factors like the guidance package, airfoil group ('wings') and fuze system.
 
March 27, 2012 - the very first entry on this thread:

Hey guys! Was wondering if I put up a military picture a day (WW2 for the most part) we could discuss what we see, and think what the picture means. I am just a young pup to most, but am really interested in anything military. I know a lot of you guys know a lot more then me! and I am all about learning new things.

Cheers
Joe

Nice selection, mate, but this thread has a particular purpose. A pic of half the world's supply of SKS ain't it. :)
 
German Battlecruiser SMS Van Der Tann, 1911
1024px-SMS_von_der_Tann_LOC_16927u.jpg


British Battlecruiser HMS Indefatigable, 1911
8UMnlNk.jpg

Indefjutland.jpg

Indefatigable sinking at Jutland 31st May 1916
 
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They are a stylish people. The only folks I've ever seen that can look cool on a Vespa. Everyone else looks like the worst sort of Melvin...

This guy...

7440755551c2f896b4af67a092074ee8--ww-uniforms-axis-powers.jpg


...probably had more ### than any ten of us. And this one...

ea12bf62638053b148749368c987c019--moto-gilera-italian-campaign.jpg


...can offer pretty girls a "ride". if you know what I mean.
 
The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero (Italian for sparrowhawk) was a three-engined Italian medium bomber with a wood-and-metal structure. Originally designed as a fast passenger aircraft, between 1937 and 1939 this low-wing monoplane set 26 world records, qualifying it for some time as the fastest medium bomber in the world.

Torpedo bomber in action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cl69qp5O78
 
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