| Mark 77 | |
|---|---|
 A Mark 77 bomb being loaded on anF/A-18 Hornet, 1993. | |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| Wars | |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 750 lb (340 kg) |
TheMark 77 bomb (MK-77) is a United States 750-pound (340 kg) air-droppedincendiary bomb carrying 110U.S. gallons (416 L; 92 imp gal) of a fuel gel mix which is the direct successor tonapalm.
The MK-77 is the primary incendiary weapon currently in use by the United States military. Instead of thegasoline,polystyrene, andbenzene mixture used in napalm bombs, the MK-77 useskerosene-based fuel with a lower concentration of benzene. The Pentagon has claimed that the MK-77 has less impact on the environment than napalm. The mixture reportedly also contains anoxidizing agent, making it more difficult to put out once ignited, as well aswhite phosphorus.[1][2]
The effects of MK-77 bombs are similar to those of napalm. The official designation ofWorld War II-era napalm bombs was theMark 47.[3]
Use of aerial incendiary bombs against civilian populations, including against military targets in civilian areas, was banned in the 1980United NationsConvention on Certain Conventional Weapons Protocol III. However, the United States reserved the right to use incendiary weapons against military objectives located in concentrations of civilians where such use would be determined to cause fewer casualties and/or less collateral damage than alternative weapons.[4]
MK-77s were used by theUnited States Marine Corps duringOperation Desert Storm[5] andOperation Iraqi Freedom.[6] Approximately 500 were dropped, reportedly mostly on Iraqi-constructed oil filled trenches. They were also used at theBattle of Tora Bora during theAfghan War.[2]
At least thirty MK-77s were also used by Marine Corps aviators over a three-day period during the2003 invasion of Iraq, according to a June 2005 letter from the UK Ministry of Defence to formerLabour MPAlice Mahon. This letter stated:
The U.S. destroyed its remaining Vietnam era napalm in 2001 but, according to the reports forI Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) serving in Iraq in 2003, they used a total of 30 MK 77 weapons in Iraq between 31 March and 2 April 2003, against military targets away from civilian areas. The MK 77 firebomb does not have the same composition as napalm, although it has similar destructive characteristics. The Pentagon has told us that owing to the limited accuracy of the MK 77, it is not generally used in urban terrain or in areas where civilians are congregated.[7]
This confirmed previous reports by U.S. Marine pilots and their commanders saying they had used Mark 77 firebombs on military targets:
Then the Marine howitzers, with a range of 30 kilometers [181⁄2 mi], opened a sustained barrage over the next eight hours. They were supported by U.S. Navy aircraft which dropped 40,000 pounds [18,000 kg] of explosives and napalm, a U.S. officer told theHerald."We napalmed both those [bridge] approaches," said Colonel James Alles, commander ofMarine Aircraft Group 11. "Unfortunately there were people there ... you could see them in the cockpit video. They were Iraqi soldiers."
According to the Italian public service broadcasterRAI's documentaryFallujah, The Hidden Massacre, the MK 77 had been used inBaghdad in 2003 incivilian-populated areas. However, Marine pilots stated to theSan Diego Union-Tribune that the targets of the bombings were Iraqi soldiers defending civilian infrastructure such as bridges, as opposed to targeting civilians directly.[8]
In some cases where journalists reported that the U.S. military has used napalm, military spokesmen denied the use of "napalm" without making it clear that MK-77 bombs had actually been deployed instead.[2][9]
U.S. officials incorrectly informedU.K. Ministry of Defence officials that MK-77s had not been used by the U.S. in Iraq, leading to Defence MinisterAdam Ingram making inaccurate statements to theU.K. Parliament in January 2005.[10] Later both Adam Ingram andSecretary of State for DefenceJohn Reid apologized for these inaccurate statements being made toMembers of Parliament.
Later variants of the bomb were modified to carry a reduced load of 75 U.S. gallons (284 L; 62 imp gal) of fuel, which resulted in the total weight decreasing to around 552 pounds (250 kg).
