BLU-82 Daisy Cutter
The BLU-82/B was a 15,000 pound (6,800 kg) conventional bomb, which was delivered from either a C-130 or an MC-130 transport aircraft. BLU-82 stands for Bomb Live Unit-82. Also known as Daisy Cutter, it was originally designed to clear helicopter landing zone in the jungles of Vietnam. It was test-dropped there from a CH-54 Tarhe "Flying crane" helicopter. The BLU-82 was retired in 2008 and replaced with the more powerful MOAB.
The BLU-82/B was used for the first time in Vietnam on March 23, 1970. Throughout the rest of the war, the USAF used them for tactical airlift operations called "Commando Vault." After the war, the BLU-82/B was used during the Mayaguez rescue in May 1975, but the remaining BLU-82/Bs went into storage until the mid-1980s, when the Air Force Special Operations Command began using them again in support of special operations. During Operation DESERT STORM, MC-130E "Combat Talon" aircraft from the 8th Special Operations Squadron dropped 11 BLU-82/Bs, primarily for psychological effects. The USAF also used these weapons against terrorist strongholds in Afghanistan during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.
The BLU-82 used conventional explosive ammonium nitrate and aluminum, incorporating both agent and oxidizer. In contrast, fuel-air explosives (FAE) consist only of an agent and a dispersing mechanism, and take their oxidizers from the oxygen in the air. FAEs generally run between 500 and 2,000 pounds (225 and 900 kg); making an FAE the size of a daisy cutter would be difficult because the correct uniform mixture of agent with ambient air would be difficult to maintain if the agent were so widely dispersed. Thus, the conventional explosive of a daisy cutter is more reliable than that of an FAE, particularly if there is significant wind or thermal gradient.
Daisy Cutter (video)
