Submunition Challenge

[US-Subs]

Here is a little info to get you started. US manufacture, simple, but with a normal BLU designation and in two variations.

Do you know the designation and fill material? Extra credit for the system used with and description of functioning. I'll check back tonight and see who thinks they've gotten it. Bombsaway you cannot play this time!

[pzgr40]

The hemispherical ball that is ejected upward of the BLU-4B? It's too big for the BLU-18B

[Yodamaster]

Well, so immediatly and only with the dimensions, I should say a BLU 24 serie.
But ! The holes are to little and the body seems to be very light. I should more say a Dummy or Practice model of BLU 24 (BDU ??)

[US-Subs]

Quick break for lunch, looking at the answers so far, no, and no. Not even close yet. Keep trying.

[V40]

Could it be a variant of the : Grenade, M43A1 ?

[Chris 42 RQ]

It appears to have had a lable on it stating SMK-some sort of practice marker used in early trials as this would explain the small holes ?????

[Eodtek]

Ok, dumb question on my part but is that ruler showing it as being 7mm or 7cm?

[pzgr40]

7cm. The small division lines between teh cm lines are 2mm each.

[US-Subs]

I'll give it till tomorrow morning (NL time), if no one has come close by then I'll give it in (no one is close yet).

[ordnance]

This will be from memory, and there isn't much of that left, so no BLU numbers or anything too specific.

But I seem to recall it's a Navy submunition or cluster smoke bomb filled with WP. When it opens and disperses the individual bomblets, each of them emits smoke from the open hole. Various size holes emitting greater or lesser amounts of smoke, sort of like a timed release prescription drug capsule.

And no fuzing of any kind other than one to open the cluster. The individual balls just spread out and burn with contact in air. Am I close?

It would be interesting to see one function if my guess is correct. I'll bet it was a pretty effective bomb for laying a wide smoke screen.