Conventional — blast · United States · 1970
BLU-82
BLU-82/B “Daisy Cutter”
Nicknamed “Daisy Cutter”: in Vietnam it was used to instantly clear an area of forest so helicopters could land.
See BLU-82 in the 3D simulator- TNT equivalent
- 5.7 tUncertain
- Energy
- 23.8 GJ
- Mass
- 6.8 tDocumented
- Explosive charge
- 5.7 tDocumented
- Dimensions
- 3.6 m · Ø 1.37 mPublic estimate
- Type
- Blast bomb dropped from a transport aircraft
- Period
- Cold War
- Status
- Retired
BLU-82 releases about 2,600 times less energy than Little Boy (Hiroshima, 1945).
Key points
- Replaced in 2008 by the GPS-guided GBU-43/B MOAB.
History
Dropped unguided from the ramp of a C-130 transport aircraft, using a pallet and a parachute.
- 1970 First uses in Vietnam (Commando Vault program).
- 1991 Used during the Gulf War.
- 2008 Withdrawn from service.
How does it work?
A conventional bomb releases chemical energy: the explosive decomposes into very hot gases in a few microseconds (detonation).
Order of magnitude: a few megajoules per kilogram of explosive (1 kg of TNT ≈ 4.2 MJ), millions of times less than nuclear reactions for the same mass.
The expanding gases violently compress the air: the shock wave weakens very quickly with distance.
Deliberately general explanations: the application provides no design or manufacturing information.
Frequently asked questions
How powerful is BLU-82?
BLU-82 has an estimated yield of 5.7 t of TNT equivalent, about 23.8 GJ of energy.
What is the history of BLU-82?
Used in Vietnam, during the Gulf War (1991) and in Afghanistan (2001). Retired in 2008. Dropped unguided from the ramp of a C-130 transport aircraft, using a pallet and a parachute.
What does the BLU-82 explosion look like?
The Bomb Simulator shows the fireball, shock wave and cloud of BLU-82 at real scale, over Paris, London or New York, with the sources and reliability of each value.
Sources
- BLU-82 — Wikipedia (overview, to be cross-checked)
Other weapons
- Tallboy — 3.1 t
- Grand Slam — 5.5 t
- FAB-5000NG — 4 t
- FAB-9000 — 4.3 t
- GBU-28 — 0.3 t
- Mk 84 — 0.5 t
- GBU-43/B MOAB — 11 t
- FOAB — 44 t
- FAB-3000 — 1.4 t
- GBU-57 MOP — 3 t
This application is an educational tool. The animations and effect zones are simplified representations meant to illustrate orders of magnitude. They are neither a prediction of the effects of a real weapon nor a military planning tool.