Laydown delivery

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Laydown delivery is a mode of delivery found in some nuclear gravity bombs: the bomb's descent to the target is slowed by parachute so that it lands on the ground without detonating. The bomb then detonates by timer some time later.[1] Laydown delivery requires the weapon to be reinforced so that it can survive the force of impact.[2]

Laydown modes are used to make weapon delivery survivable by aircraft flying at low level.[3] Low-altitude delivery helps hide the aircraft from surface-to-air missiles.[4] The ground burst detonation of a laydown delivered weapon is used to increase the effect of the weapon's blast on built-up targets such as submarine pens, or to transmit a shock wave through the ground to attack deeply-buried targets. An attack of this type produces large amounts of radioactive fallout.

Weapons with laydown delivery options[]

United Kingdom[]

It was for that reason that laydown was selected for the Vickers Valiant bomber of the Royal Air Force, as the design became increasingly vulnerable to Soviet weapons, especially the SA-2 missile. The low-level laydown delivery was referred to as "Equipment 2 Foxtrot" in RAF parlance; alternatives included "2 Echo" toss bombing and "2 Hotel", a particular climbing delivery method used by the Avro Vulcan.[4]

United States[]

  • B28 bomb — Only in the RE (retarded external), RI (retarded internal) and FI (full-fuzing internal) versions of the weapon. The RE and RI versions of the weapon used the W28 mod 1 warhead and were an interim weapon only capable of laydown delivery at 2,000 feet (610 m) altitude, while the FI version using W28 Mod 2 and later warheads was capable of 500 feet (150 m) delivery.[5]
  • B53 bomb — Full-fuzing option (FUFO) weapon with laydown.[6] The weapon later lost FUFO in its B53-1 upgrade in 1988, having only laydown fuzing.[7]
  • B61 bomb — Full-fuzing option (FUFO) weapon with laydown. Capable of laydown delivery at 50 feet (15 m) altitude.[8]
  • B83 bomb — Full-fuzing option (FUFO) weapon with laydown.[9]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ History of the Mk 28 Weapon (Report). Sandia National Laboratories. August 1968. p. 24. Archived from the original on 2021-07-07. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  2. ^ History of the Mk 28 Weapon, p. 24-25.
  3. ^ History of the Mk 28 Weapon, p. 24.
  4. ^ a b Kristan Stoddart, "Losing an Empire and Finding a Role", Palgrave Macmillan, 2012, pp. 104–106.
  5. ^ History of the Mk 28 Weapon.
  6. ^ Sublette, Carey (2 April 1997). "The B-53 (Mk-53) Bomb". Nuclear Weapon Archive. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  7. ^ Sandia Weapon Review: Nuclear Weapon Characteristics Handbook (PDF) (Report). Sandia National Labs. September 1990. p. 47, 64. SAND90-1238.
  8. ^ History of the TX-61 Bomb (Report). Sandia National Laboratories. August 1971. Archived from the original on 2021-03-30. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
  9. ^ Sublette, Carey (11 November 1997). "The B83 (Mk-83) Bomb". Nuclear Weapon Archive. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
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