Mark 83 bomb
The Mark 83 is part of the Mark 80 series of low-drag general-purpose bombs in United States service.
| Mark 83 General-Purpose (GP) Bomb | |
|---|---|
 Mark 83 1,000-pound general-purpose bombs | |
| Type | Low-drag general-purpose (LDGP) bomb |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 1,014 pounds (460 kg) |
| Length | 119.49 inches (3,035 mm) |
| Diameter | 14.06 inches (357 mm) |
| Filling | Tritonal, Minol, or Composition H6 |
| Filling weight | 445 pounds (202 kg) |
Development and deployment
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The nominal weight of the bomb is 1,000 pounds (450 kg), although its actual weight varies between 985 pounds (447 kg) and 1,030 pounds (470 kg), depending on fuze options,[1] and fin configuration.[2] The Mk 83 is a streamlined steel casing containing 445 pounds (202 kg) of tritonal high explosive. When filled with PBXN-109 thermally insensitive explosive, the bomb is designated BLU-110.
The Mk 83/BLU-110 is used as the warhead for a variety of precision-guided weapons, including the GBU-16 Paveway laser-guided bombs, the GBU-32 JDAM and Quickstrike sea mines.
The Mk 83 is also used as the warhead in a variety of Pakistani smart bombs made by GIDS. During Operation Swift Retort in 2019, 2 JF-17 Thunders of the No. 16 Squadron "Black Panthers" armed with newly developed Mk. 83 Range Extension Kit (REK) bombs struck military targets in Indian Held Kashmir.[3][4][5]
This bomb is most typically used by the United States Navy but is used by the USAF in the F-22A in a JDAM configuration. According to a test report conducted by the United States Navy's Weapon System Explosives Safety Review Board (WSESRB) established in the wake of the 1967 USS Forrestal fire, the cooking-off time for a Mk 83 is approximately 8 minutes 40 seconds.
See also
- Mark 81 bomb
- Mark 82 bomb
- Mark 84 bomb
- FAB-500 – Soviet counterpart
References
- "FMU-152/B ELECTRONIC BOMB FUZE". Integrated Publishing. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
- "Mk83 General Purpose Bomb". Federation of American Scientists. 23 April 2000. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
- Kaiser Tufail (18 February 2021). "Pulwama: Two years on". PakistanPolitico.com.
- Kaiser Tufail (10 July 2019). "Pulwama-From bluster to whimper". DefenceJournal.com.
- Alan Warnes (19 March 2020). "Operation Swift Retort one year on". KeyMilitary.com.
The JF-17s were each armed with two 1,000 pounds (450 kg) Mk83 Indigenous Range Extension Kits (IREKs) that became operational in 2017. Developed, integrated and qualified by Pakistan-based Global Industrial & Defence Solutions (GIDS), the IREK has a range of up to 37 miles (60 km). GIDS has converted Mk80-series general-purpose bombs into satellite-aided inertial navigation system (GPS/INS) guided bombs with a tail unit incorporating aerodynamic control surfaces and glide wings. It provides the JF-17 with a very potent day and night capability to engage a variety of targets.