Mark 83 bomb
The Mark 83 is part of the of low-drag general-purpose bombs in United States service.Development and deployment
The nominal weight of the bomb is 1,000 lb, although its actual weight varies between 985 lb and 1,030 lb, depending on fuze options, and fin configuration. The Mk 83 is a streamlined steel casing containing 445 lb of tritonal high explosive. When filled with PBXN-109 thermally insensitive explosive, the bomb is designated BLU-110.
The Mk 83/BLU-110 is used as the warhead for a variety of precision-guided weapons, including the GBU-16 Paveway laser-guided bombs, the GBU-32 JDAM and Quickstrike sea mines.
This bomb is most typically used by the United States Navy but is used by the USAF in the F-22A in a JDAM configuration. According to a test report conducted by the United States Navy's Weapon System Explosives Safety Review Board established in the wake of the 1967 USS Forrestal fire, the cooking-off time for a Mk 83 is approximately 8 minutes 40 seconds.
The bomb has been controversially used during the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.
