Mark 84 Bomb (Bomb)

The Mark 84 is an American general-purpose bomb, the largest of the Mark 80 series of weapons. Entering service during the Vietnam War, it was nicknamed "Hammer" for its considerable power.

Specification

Type: Low-drag general purpose bomb
Unit cost: US$3,100
Weight: 2039 lb (927 kg)
Length: 129 in (3280 mm)
Diameter: 18 in (458 mm)
Filling: Tritonal, Minol or H6
Filling weight: 945 lb (429 kg)

Development & deployment

The Mark 84 has a nominal weight of 2,000 lb (908 kg), but its actual weight varies depending on its fin, fuze options, and retardation configuration, from 1,972 lb (896 kg) to 2,083 (947 kg). It is a streamlined steel casing filled with 945 lb (429 kg) of Tritonal high explosive.

The Mark 84 is capable of forming a crater 50 ft (15.2 m) wide and 36 ft (11 m) deep. It can penetrate up to 15 in (380 mm) of metal or 11 ft (3.3 m) of concrete, depending on the height from which it is dropped, and causes lethal fragmentation to a radius of 400 yards (366 m).

Many Mark 84s have been retrofitted with stabilizing and retarding devices to provide a precision guidance capabilities. They serve as the warhead of a variety of precision-guided munitions, including the GBU-10 and GBU-24 Paveway laser-guided bombs, GBU-15 electro-optical bomb, GBU-31 JDAM and Quickstrike sea mines.

The Mark 84 bomb is produced under license in Pakistan by the Air Weapon Complex.