Heads-Up Display Modes 35 - Metaboli

Air-to-Ground Weapons 99
7.102 Mk 82 and Mk 84 General-Purpose Bombs
The basic Mk 80 series of Low-Drag General-Purpose (LDGP) bombs, also called
“iron bombs,” have been the mainstay of U.S.A.F. ground-attack aircraft for
decades, and are carried by a wide variety of aircraft. The bombs are effective
against a wide variety of targets, including trucks, bunkers, air defense sites,
buildings, bridges, etc. The 500 lb Mk 82 and 2,000 lb Mk 84 have seen extensive
action over the decades. 12,189 Mk 84 and 77,653 Mk 82 bombs were dropped
during the 1991 Gulf War.
Being unguided, the pilot aims the weapon visually. With practice, a well-trained
pilot can usually achieve a 400 ft Circular Error Probability (CEP), meaning half of
the bombs dropped will land within 400 ft of the intended target. Although guided
weapons greatly improve accuracy, they are significantly more expensive than
unguided iron bombs, meaning the Mk 82 and Mk 84 are likely to remain in frontline
service for many years to come.
The effective range of an iron bomb varies greatly depending upon the speed and
altitude of the releasing aircraft. Flying higher and faster significantly increases the
effective range.
SeeThe “Heads-Up Display Mode” chapter for details on aiming iron bombs.
Mk-82
Type: General-purpose bomb
Weight, kg: 241
Length, m: 2.21
Body Diameter, m: 0.273
TNT Equivalent, kg: 89
Mk-84
Type: General-purpose bomb
Weight, kg: 894
Length, m: 3.84
Body Diameter, m: 0.46
TNT Equivalent, kg: 428
Aircraft Types
1. A-10A
7.103 AGM-65B and AMG-65K Maverick Missiles
The AGM-65B and AGM-65K Maverick missiles are highly accurate, very effective
fire-and-forget missiles. With an effective range of about 10 nm (depending on the
altitude and airspeed of the launching aircraft), the Maverick carries an 80 lb highexplosive,
shaped-charge warhead and is very effective against armored vehicles.
Targeting procedures are somewhat labor intensive, though, and can be difficult to
employ in combat.