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2000 lbs
Air-delivered bombs in the 2,000-pound weight class are amongst the largest regularly deployed by modern air forces. They typically have significant destructive potential, being used to target large concentrations of troops, armoured vehicles, or, more often, buildings or fortified structures.
Analyst Note:
This image shows a remnant of a control fin from a Paveway III bomb guidance kit that is compatible with 2,000-pound-class air-delivered bombs. In U.S. service, this combination receives designations in the GBU-24 series. Based off this remnant alone, it cannot be determined which model of air-delivered bomb was paired with this particular guidance kit. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows a remnant of a control actuator shaft from a Paveway guidance kit control section, found after a strike in Yemen in 2015. Markings giving the CAGE code for Raytheon (“96214”) and the part number (“2870627-2”) are both visible. The complete remnant can be seen in related entry 1559. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows a remnant of the control fin of a GBU-24 (as seen partially marked), the designation for the combination of a Paveway III guidance kit paired with a 2,000-pound-class air-delivered bomb. This remnant is not enough to determine which model of bomb the kit was originally paired with. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows some of the markings on a MK 84 2000-pound-class air-delivered bomb, including model designation (“BOMB MK 84 MOD 4”), weight class (“2000 LBS”), part number (“PART NO 30…03 923AS105”), and production lot (“LOT NO GDT 17 …00…”). Many countries produce MK 80-series bombs, so markings such as lot numbers can determine the country of production. “GDT 17” in the lot number indicates that this munition was produced by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, an American company, in 2017. The Israeli Air Force announced they carried out the specific strike associated with this image, which indicates that this specific bomb was transferred to the Israeli Air Force. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows a remnant of a JDAM tail kit that was paired with a MK 84 2,000-pound-class air-delivered bomb. The CAGE code (“OUVG2”) for Aeroantenna Technology, an American manufacturer of GPS components for guidance systems, is visible on the wiring. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows one of the actuated fins of a Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) tail kit. The manufacturer CAGE code (“76301”) and the part number (“70P862100-1005”) are visible. This CAGE code corresponds to Boeing, the manufacturer of the JDAM guidance kit, while the part number corresponds to a fin of a JDAM kit compatible with MK-84 and BLU-109 2,000-pound-class air-delivered bombs. (ARES).
Analyst Note:
This image shows fragments of a BLU-109C/B 2,000-pound penetrator bomb. The remnant with visible threads is part of the aft closure ring attached to the base of the bomb. This features nine vent holes as an ‘insensitive munition’ (IM) safety feature. Three of the threaded vent holes are visible on this fragment. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows a remnant of the tail actuator subsystem of a Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) bomb guidance kit. The size of this JDAM kit indicates that it is one of the kits compatible with 2,000-pound-class bombs, either the MK-84 or BLU-109. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows a strake from a Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kit (KMU-557/558) as fitted to 2,000-pound BLU-109-series penetrator bombs. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows a MK 84 2,000-pound bomb that has had its fuze and baseplate removed in order to access the explosive filler. The fuze, fuze retaining ring, and baseplate can be seen on the white sheet.
The explosive material used to fill the bomb has been removed, possibly to be repurposed in improvised explosive devices or craft-produced munitions. Unexploded ordnance is often ‘harvested’ for these purposes. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
MK 84 unguided air-delivered bombs can be fitted with a variety of tail kits, or with guidance kits which convert them into precision guided munitions (PGMs). When an air-delivered bomb impacts a building or the ground without functioning, the tail or guidance kit may be sheared off. With these separated from the munition—and in the absence of other identifying features, such as a seeker fitted to the nose of the weapon—it becomes very difficult to determine whether the bomb was guided or unguided. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
The BLU-117 air-delivered bomb is nearly identical in format to the more common MK 84, but uses the PBXN-109 explosive filler which is more insensitive than the typical explosive compositions found in MK 80-series bombs. The BLU-117 is also coated with a grey, thermally resistant paint, and marked with three yellow bands (as opposed to the green paint with two yellow bands found on standard MK 80-series bombs). These changes were requested by the U.S. Navy for safer storage of these munitions aboard ships. (ARES)
3 Analyst Notes:
This is an image released by the Israeli Defense Forces that shows an F-15I of 69 Squadron Israeli Air Force preparing to take part in a high-profile airstrike on 27 September 2024, in which the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed.
Analyst Note:
This image shows an Israeli Air Force F-16C fighter aircraft from 101 Squadron carrying a MK 84-series 2,000-pound-class air-delivered bomb fitted with a SPICE 2000 ‘bolt-on’ guidance kit. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
In this image, an F-15C fighter aircraft from 106 Squadron Israeli Air Force is seen carrying two MK 84-series 2,000-pound-class air-delivered bombs fitted with Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) ‘bolt-on’ guidance kits. In U.S. service, this combination is known as the GBU-31. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
The MK 84 series of unguided air-delivered bombs can be converted to precision guided munitions by being fitted with guidance kits such as the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), SPICE 2000, or Paveway series. This MK 84 is also marked with a variant designation “MOD 4”. (ARES)
