XBradTC

The M117 GP 750 pound bomb was the only non-Mk80 series bomb to see widespread service. 

Barksdale’s 20th Bomb Squadron is scheduled to drop the last M117 bomb in storage at Andersen AFB, Guam later this week. The M117s are surplus from Vietnam and once numbered in the tens of thousands there. Bomber crews, most recently those rotating in to support the Continuous Bomber Presence mission, have been chipping away at the stockpile for decades. Anyone have any good stories to share about loading or dropping them?

If you watch old footage of Arc Light strikes during the Vietnam war, you’ll often see the B-52Ds carrying a full internal load of Mk82 500 pound bombs, and M117s on the external racks. The ballistics were close enough to drop a mixed load simultaneously.

Interestingly, the very first laser guided bombs were built up from the M117.

Thanks to Spill.