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Bdu-28
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V40
Well-Known Member
Not really my forte, but I have one myself. So here is what I know abouti it.
It is called, what I believe to be, a BDU-28/B "Practice Munition" for the BLU 3/B. They are for Anti-Personal use. They are released from a pod underneath the Fighter/attack plane/or bomber. The pod opens up and release these submunitions a short time later after a the drop of the pod.
Now the right guy to answer qestions about one of these Grenades or similar Submunitions is US-Subs.
V40
It is called, what I believe to be, a BDU-28/B "Practice Munition" for the BLU 3/B. They are for Anti-Personal use. They are released from a pod underneath the Fighter/attack plane/or bomber. The pod opens up and release these submunitions a short time later after a the drop of the pod.
Now the right guy to answer qestions about one of these Grenades or similar Submunitions is US-Subs.
V40
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The submunitions were carried in groups of tubes, very similar to multiple launch rocket pods, which were carried on aircraft. A pyrotechnic expulsion charge would eject them from the rear of the tubes over the target when initiated by the pilot. The live version would detonate on impact. The BLU version had steel BBs in the body for fragmentation.
BDU 28 is Dummy Fragmentation Bomb to simulate the BLU-3/B); used in
- CBU-9/A (406 BDU-28/B in SUU-7A/A)
- CBU-9A/A (406 BDU-28/B in SUU-7B/A)
These were used extensively in Vietnam. The vietcong would use them as boobytraps, removing the fins and then suspending them over the trails in tin cans, so that a trip wire could release them to impact on the ground.
Submunition:
http://www.designation-systems.net/usmilav/asetds/u-b.html
Dispenser:
http://www.designation-systems.net/usmilav/asetds/u-s.html#_SUU7
and
http://www.designation-systems.net/usmilav/asetds/u-s.html#_SUU14
The SUU-7( )/A series was the U.S. Air Force's first general-purpose submunitions dispenser. It consisted of 19 tubes of 70 mm (2.75 in) diameter, which could be filled with several different types of bomblets. The SUU-7( )/A dispenser itself remained on the delivery aircraft, while its submunitions were ejected rearwards through the open ends of the tubes. There were SUU-7/A, SUU-7A/A, SUU-7B/A and SUU-7C/A variants, which differed in electrical components, number of loaded tubes, tube firing sequence, and safety devices. Further variants of the same basic dispenser design were designated in the SUU-10( )/A series.
BDU 28 is Dummy Fragmentation Bomb to simulate the BLU-3/B); used in
- CBU-9/A (406 BDU-28/B in SUU-7A/A)
- CBU-9A/A (406 BDU-28/B in SUU-7B/A)
These were used extensively in Vietnam. The vietcong would use them as boobytraps, removing the fins and then suspending them over the trails in tin cans, so that a trip wire could release them to impact on the ground.
Submunition:
http://www.designation-systems.net/usmilav/asetds/u-b.html
Dispenser:
http://www.designation-systems.net/usmilav/asetds/u-s.html#_SUU7
and
http://www.designation-systems.net/usmilav/asetds/u-s.html#_SUU14
The SUU-7( )/A series was the U.S. Air Force's first general-purpose submunitions dispenser. It consisted of 19 tubes of 70 mm (2.75 in) diameter, which could be filled with several different types of bomblets. The SUU-7( )/A dispenser itself remained on the delivery aircraft, while its submunitions were ejected rearwards through the open ends of the tubes. There were SUU-7/A, SUU-7A/A, SUU-7B/A and SUU-7C/A variants, which differed in electrical components, number of loaded tubes, tube firing sequence, and safety devices. Further variants of the same basic dispenser design were designated in the SUU-10( )/A series.
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V40
Well-Known Member
Yep, what Hazord has said. I forgot to mention the delivery means in detail. It was a great deterrent to VC/NVA who were chasing after you in Laos or Cambodia. The A-1 Skyraider from both the Navy and the Air Force were infamous for carrying two to 4 of those pods SUU-14/A they are shown on the far right of Hazords pictures. Later in the war they were on the A-37, which turned out to be one of the greatest close air support weapon platform ever. They used to fly right over my house in the late 60's and early 70's and they were a wonderful sight. But that is for another story.
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Nice info John, but you left out one of my favorites from your photos, the SUU-24. A truly massive dispenser, capable of dropping thousands of submunitions in a single release. The "King" of US dispensers - I'm still looking for mine.
Jeff,
I had to leave a reason for you to write. It seems like I saw the dispenser from the 4th photo in one of your posted photos, hanging from your basement ceiling. I thought you might have better photos to post.
How many SUU-24s fit into a B-52?
SUU-24 shown below.
I had to leave a reason for you to write. It seems like I saw the dispenser from the 4th photo in one of your posted photos, hanging from your basement ceiling. I thought you might have better photos to post.
How many SUU-24s fit into a B-52?
SUU-24 shown below.
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Sure, I guess it might matter which model of Buff that you use, as the "Big Belly" modified ones for Nam would carry more theoretically.
It might be an interesting math problem to total out, as the Dragon's Teeth mines were also dropped from similar dispensers. I'm sure Jeff has some data somewhere about how many Dragon's Teeth you could cram into a Buff, using those big dispensers.
It might be an interesting math problem to total out, as the Dragon's Teeth mines were also dropped from similar dispensers. I'm sure Jeff has some data somewhere about how many Dragon's Teeth you could cram into a Buff, using those big dispensers.
As I recall, I think it was only two of the SUUs per plane. It ejected cubes filled with submunitions, the cubes were banded shut with timers to let them fall toward the target and open closer to the ground. The cubes were filled with the various submunitions. I just last week found my first photos of the release from a SUU-24, here is the shot.
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V40
Well-Known Member
Very nice photo my friend, what would you guess the time period of the photo maybe? I am guessing it to be early 60's by the paint scheme. I think that all B-52's In guam and at Thailand at one of our bases their (Utapo, Udorn, Ubon, etc, etc.) remained that same color scheme until at least midway through the 60's and then the camo came about then, and lasted for basically during the whole remainder of the Vietnam War to modern days in some form or another.
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