BL755
| BL755 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Type | Anti-armour cluster bomb |
| Place of origin |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service history | |
| Used by | Royal Air Force, Royal Navy |
| Wars | Falklands War, 1991 Gulf War, Bosnian War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Hunting Engineering, Ltd. |
| Manufacturer | Hunting Engineering, Ltd. |
| Unit cost | in 1996 US dollars, (BL-755 loaded) 21,700$; each bomblet 31$ |
| Produced | since 1972 |
| Number built |
As of January 1 1996, 60,598 bombs and 8,925,906 submun- itions |
| Variants | BL755, IBL755, RBL755 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 264 kilograms (582 lb) |
| Length | 2,451 millimetres (96.5 in) |
| Diameter | 419 millimetres (16.5 in) |
As of January 1 1996, 60,598 bombs and 8,925,906 submun-
BL755 is a cluster bomb. Its primary targets are armoured vehicles and tanks with secondary soft target (anti personnel) capabilities.
The BL755 looks like a standard 450 kilograms (1,000 lb) general purpose bomb but with a hard "saddle" on the spine for ejector release and crutching pad loads and a distinctive large turbine-like air arming vane on the nose. The four rear fins are squared off in appearance, but on closer inspection can be seen to be hollow and telescopic. A central extruded aluminum skeleton provides seven bays long by seven bays around, each containing 21 submunitions (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 car airbag. 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. A focal distance stand off and detonating device deploys at the front and a fan of stabilising fins at the rear. Each has a shaped 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. of Ampthill, Bedfordshire but manufactured elsewhere at their production facility.
...
Wikipedia