[Ribbon-Grey]

CBU-72 / BLU 73B



ORIGIN: (Real World)
United States of America

GAMES FEATURED IN:
Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies
Ace Combat 05: The Unsung War
Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War
Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception
Ace Combat 06: Fires of Liberation

COMPATIBLE AIRCRAFT
A-10A Thunderbolt II
ADF-01F Falken
F-15 ACTIVE
F-15 S/MTD
Su-37 Terminator
X-29A
YA-10B
YR-302 Fregata

OVERVIEW:
The the 550-pound CBU-72 cluster bomb contains three sub munitions known as fuel/air explosive (FAE). The sub munitions weigh approximately 100 pounds and contain 75 pounds of ethylene oxide with air-burst fusing set for 30 feet. An aerosol cloud approximately 60 feet in diameter and 8 feet thick is created and ignited by an embedded detonator to produce an explosion.

This cluster munition is highly effective against minefields, armored vehicles, aircraft parked in the open, and bunkers. The weapon is made up of three separate sub munitions dispensing an aerosol fuel cloud across the target area. As the fuel cloud descends to the ground it is ignited by an embedded detonator to produce an impressive explosion. The rapidly expanding wave front due to overpressure flattens all objects within close proximity of the epicenter of the aerosol fuel cloud, and produces debilitating damage well beyond the flattened area.

During Desert Storm the Marine Corps dropped all 254 CBU-72s, primarily from A-6Es, against mine fields and personnel in trenches. Some secondary explosions were noted when it was used as a mine clearer; however, FAE was primarily useful as a psychological weapon. Second-generation FAE weapons were developed from the FAE I type devices (CBU-55/72) used in Vietnam.

The Marine Corps and Navy withdrew their remaining fuel-air munitions from operational service following Operation Desert Storm. By 1996, the Army's Operations Support Command transferred the CBU-55 and CBU-72 to demilitarization, and by mid-2001 only a few hundred remained to be demilitarized.

Source:
Global Security

*Original Article by "Millie"*

[JakeHarlow]

Seems to me this would be a pretty inhumane weapon to use on people. Imagine being scorched by this bad boy...I can see why it was evaluated as being a useful implement in psychological warfare.

[Ribbon-Blue]

I hear that if you don't get burned to death, you die of oxygen deprevation. It 'sucks' the oxygen out of the air around it.

[Apollo]

I hear that if you don't get burned to death, you die of oxygen deprevation. It 'sucks' the oxygen out of the air around it.

True, and all that air is hot, so it rises and makes a 'shroom cloud.

[Traben]

That happened at Dresden in WWII... I thought that "fire-bombing" was no longer practiced, but I guess that's what the FAEB is.

[Apollo]

Um, I think fire-bombing is the dropping of many incinderary bombs on a city to make it catch fire. On a side note, the X-29 in AC0 can use the FAEB.

[Tazuren]

Um, I think fire-bombing is the dropping of many incinderary bombs on a city to make it catch fire.

This is exactly what fire bombing is.

[Green Giant]

Also, the SU-37 in ACZ has the FAEB...

[JakeHarlow]

Yeah, as if that awesome plane NEEDED to be any better...With the FAEBs, that thing is awesome. For A2G, that is.

[Ribbon-Azure]

I have finally figured out what that bomb hanging off my A-10 was. lol.

Damn... no wonder we retired those things.

[Geopelia]

I belive that the FAEB exists only in AC, and i think that is inhuman its use against persons.
People must prohibit its use of any armed force of the world, or use only against heavy command cruiser or rail guns and stuff like that

[Ribbon-Azure]

No, they're real, and, some nations don't use them anymore (us) while others are developing them (Russia).