| BLU-109 | |
|---|---|
 A BLU-109 aboard anF-15E Strike Eagle configured as aJDAM | |
| Type | Free-fall penetration bomb (guided when equipped asJDAM orPaveway) |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1985-today |
| Used by | United States Air Force Israeli Air Force |
| Wars | |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 2,000 lb (910 kg) |
| Length | 7 ft 11 in (2.41 m) |
| Diameter | 14.6 in (370 mm) |
| Filling | Tritonal[1] |
| Filling weight | 550 lb (250 kg)[1] |
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TheBLU-109/B is a hardenedbunker buster penetration bomb used by theUnited States Air Force (BLU is an acronym forBomb Live Unit). As with other "bunker busters", it is intended to penetrate concrete shelters and other hardened structures before exploding. In addition to the US, it is part of the armament of the air forces ofAustralia,Belgium,Canada,Denmark,France,Germany,Greece,Italy,Israel,Netherlands,Norway, Pakistan,Saudi Arabia,United Kingdom, andUnited Arab Emirates.[2]
The BLU-109/B has a steel casing about 1 inch (25 mm) thick. Itswarhead is filled with 550 pounds (250 kg) oftritonal.[3] It has a mechanical-electrical delayed-action FMU-143 tail-fuze.[4]
The BLU-109 entered service in1985. It is also used as the warhead of some marks of theGBU-15 electro-opticallyguided bomb, theGBU-24 Paveway III andGBU-27 Paveway IIIlaser-guided bombs, as well as the GBU-31Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM)[5] andAGM-130air-to-surface missile.
The BLU-118 is reportedly athermobaric explosive filler variation on the BLU-109 casing and basic bomb design.[6] It contains PBXIH-135, a traditional explosive.[7]
In 2015,General Dynamics started a $7.2 million development of a version called HAMMER, which is intended to destroy chemical and biological substances by spreading dozens of Kinetic Fireballs Incendiaries (KFI) (not explosions) inside a bunker. The KFIs evolved out of the earlierSmall Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program by Exquadrum, Inc. ofAdelanto, California.[8]
The BLU-109 has been sold to key US allies including South Korea, Israel, Greece, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Pakistan, and Turkey[9][10]
United States:United States Air Force
Morocco:Royal Moroccan Air Force
South Korea:Republic of Korea Air Force
Greece:Hellenic Air Force[10]
Turkey:Turkish Air Force
Israel:Israeli Air Force
Serbia:Serbian Air Force
Pakistan:Pakistan Air Force
Saudi Arabia:Royal Saudi Air Force
UAE:United Arab Emirates Air Force
The Netherlands:Royal Netherlands Air ForceIn late 2023, the United States delivered 100 BLU-109 bombs to Israel.[11] IsraeliF-15I fighter jets are believed to have used BLU-109s withJDAM guidance kits in thestrikes that killedHezbollah leaderHassan Nasrallah in Beirut on 27 September 2024.[12][13]
