Mk 101 Lulu

Mk-101 Lulu NDB (Nuclear Depth Bomb).

The Mark 101 Lulu was an air-dropped nuclear depth bomb (NDB) developed by the United States in the 1950s. It utilized a W34 nuclear warhead, with a yield of about 11 kilotons. It was deployed by the United States Navy for the purposes of anti-submarine warfare, in five different models, from 1958 until 1971. Weapons were also stockpiled at overseas allied bases under American military guard for use by maritime aircraft of NATO allies, notably at RAF St. Mawgan, Cornwall, for use by Royal Air Force Avro Shackleton aircraft, and the Dutch Navy P-2 Neptune and P-3 Orion aircraft. The Mk-101 "Lulu" began to be replaced by the multi-purpose B57 nuclear bomb in the mid-1960s. The B-57 was a bomb that could be used by tactical strike aircraft in a land warfare role, as well as a nuclear depth bomb. The Mk-101 "Lulu" had a length of 7 ft 6 in (229 cm), diameter of 1 ft 6 in (46 cm), and weighed 1,200 lb (540 kg). In RAF service for carriage by Shackleton MR2 and MR3 maritime patrol bombers it was known as Bomb, AS, 1200 lb, MC.

This weapon lacked an important safety/arming device, i.e., there were no sensors to detect free-fall from an aircraft which would result from the bomb being intentionally dropped in flight. As a result, if an armed Mk 101 bomb accidentally fell off an aircraft whilst it was parked on the flight deck of a warship and then rolled overboard, it could automatically detonate when it sank to the preset depth.^[1]

The W34 boosted-fission warhead used in the Mk-101 "Lulu" was also used in several other similar weapons, and a version referred to as 'Peter' was used as a thermonuclear primary in the British Yellow Sun and as the "Python" in the U.S. (The B28 nuclear bomb).

References

↑ TNA AVIA 65/2082 Proceedings of the Ordnance Board in Joint Session with the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment

James N. Gibson, Nuclear Weapons of the United States: An Illustrated History (Schiffer Publishing, 1996): Chapter 12, "Nuclear Anti-Submarine Weapons".
http://www.mcis.soton.ac.uk/Site_Files/pdf/nuclear_history/glossary.pdf

United States nuclear devices

Fission

World War II bombs	Gadget Little Boy Thin Man Fat Man

Post-war bombs	Mark III Mark 4 Mark 5 Mark 6 Mark 7 Mark 8 Mark 10 Mark 11 Mark 12 Mark 13 Mark 18 Mark 20

Primaries	Swan Python Robin Tsetse Kinglet

Post-war warheads	W4 W5 W7 W8 W9 W12 W13 W19 W23 W25 W44 W45 W48 W54 W70 W72 W74 W79 W82

Atomic demolition munitions (mines)	T-4 SADM TADM MADM

Boosted
fission

Warheads	W30 W31 W33 W34 W40

Thermonuclear

Bombs	Mark 14 Mark 15 TX-16 Mark 17 Mark 21 TX-22 Mark 24 Mark 26 Mark 27 B28 Mark 36 Mark 39 B41 B43 TX-46 B53 B57 B61 B77 B83 B90

Depth bombs	Mark 90 Mk 101 B57

Warheads	W15 W27 W28 TX-29 XW-35 W38 W39 W47 W49 W50 W52 W53 W55 W56 W58 W59 W62 W67 W68 W69 W71 W73 W76 W78 W80 W81 W84 W85 W86 W87 W88 W89 W91 RRW

Enhanced radiation warheads	W66 W70 Mod 3 W79 Mod 0 W82 Mod 0

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, February 13, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.