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UNK Bomb found in El Salvador

weberoed

Well-Known Member
Ordnance approved
This bomb was found in a quarry in El Salvador, no suspension lugs or sign of a strap for suspension. Fuze looks soviet, but not confirmed.50983132_10155590664221706_1324420841521283072_n.jpg50870481_10155590664096706_4023054797685915648_n.jpg51017114_10155590664296706_6400886204719431680_n.jpg51017163_10155590663981706_912672656250109952_n.jpg51039905_10155590664261706_7153064381318692864_n.jpg51349543_10155590664036706_6909070184040890368_n.jpg
 
The base looks like from a german SD70, but these have of course the side fuze pocket. Maybe some export variant. I guess the german electrical fuzes had export restrictions so export types did not have the side fuze pocket.
 
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The fuze surely looks like AM-A. From the condition of the fuze, it looks to me that with some gentle brushing one could find some markings.

Here are some pictures of czech TPu-70. It is in a museum, the lug is screwed and "german" fuze well is welded over.

I will see if there is any other info on this bomb.

Bob
 

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Sure is close, do you have any more tech info on this bomb? thanks for replying
 
The presence of German type bombs with mechanical fuzes is not something out of the common in South America. In the mid 1930s Rheinmettal Borsig exported to Chile German bombs SC 50 and SC250 with officially designated "mechanical fuzes" instead of electrical fuzes, for use on the Junkers 86 bombers bought by Chile. There are also indications that a similar thing occured with Brazil for its FW58 light bombers (with full American knowledge and agreement, as part of the very delicate diplomatic game aimed at bringing little by little Brazil in the American orbit, thorugh a very progressive severing of it links with Germany).
What may be more relevant is that Salvador also bought in the 1970s Fouga Magister Training/light attack planes form Israel and France - The main user of this light attack version besides Israel was Finland which planes were equipped with a bomb that look very much like a Finnish SC50 clone - the use of a Soviet Fuze (original or Finnish clone) on such a bomb would not be unexpected, and I have a feeling that this may be what stands behind these remnants for El Salvador.
These are pics from the Finnish Air Museum
fouga_aseet.pngFouga_CM_170_Magister_(FM-45)_Keski-Suomen_ilmailumuseo_1.jpg

Nabob - all details on the TPU 70 would be more that wellcome - you know my old and deep weakness for Czech historical bombs :tinysmile_twink_t2:
 
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No technical data for now.
But a good friend hooked me up with some archive materials on "International help to friendly regimes"
In 1961 there were 600 TPL-70 bombs exported to Cuba.
They were the only type of bombs exported there.
Some military material was also exported to Guatemala, but there are no areial bombs whatsoever in the lists for this country.

Bob
 
Nabob, what is the difference between the TPL-70 and the TPU-70?
I know that TPL-70 were SD-70 clones but I keep wondering which kind of fuze they used. (some were delivered to Israel in 1948 together with the Avia-S199 aircraft - the Czech clone of the Greman Messerschmidt 109G)
 
To say the truth I do not know for sure.
I was looking for some documentation, asking friends and collegues. So far I was not lucky.
From the way the bomb is stenciled TPu-70 it should be two words Trhava Puma 70kg (HE Bomb). TPL-70 seems to be three words Trhava Puma Letecka (HE Aerial Bomb).
So it could be two designations of a single bomb type. But that we will know after I will find som hard data on the topic.

Bob
 
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I have come across some info.
Attached is a page from aircraft materiel catalogue.
TPL-puma trhava letecká-Aerial HE bomb
TPU-puma letecka upravena- bomb aerial modified.
Apparently they came also in 250kg.

Bob
 

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