Caina Longbranch

Caina-Longbranch
Defence Systems Ltd.

Aircraft Bombs

In addition to standard Western – NATO series Mark-81 (250 lb), Mark-82 (500 lb), Mark-83 (1,000 lb), Mark-84 (2,000 lb) steel bombs that we distribute and systems integrate, we also produce the High Frag advanced combat qualified versions of the classic Mk-80 series that have been combat qualified for over 20 years.  Since 2008 Caina-Longbranch also has two smaller aerial bombs that are currently under development in both classes.  We provide both bomb casings and completed filled bombs upon customer request and offer the installation of customer supplied fuses or a range of impact and proximity fuses to meet tailored operational requirements.  To support in IMO shipping logistics, we provide qualified explosives filling on three continents and currently qualifying a fourth facility within our network.

OUR MK-80 Series integreated aircraft bomb program consists of the following in all four class sizes of MK-81, MK-82, MK-83, and also MK-84

– Cast steel bomb casings. These are the lower cost options, and while quite serviceable a cast steel body fragments inconsistently when the bomb detonates. The cast steel bomb casings break up much like a flower pot when dropped with large and small inconsistent fragments, but not in a consistent radial or elliptical blast pattern depending on how the bomb is released from the aircraft pylons..

– Forged Steel bomb casings. While the forging process costs more then the casting process, the metallurgy is better and more homogenous. The detonation creates more consistent metal fragments/splinters and the spread is more consistent.

Next we progress to High Frag & High Frag incendiary bomb casings, depending on your specific application.

– using our 8mm “ball bearings” this provides a devastating anti personnel solution. Depending on terrain and targets a proximity fuse can be used for close to ground air burst or detonating on the side of a mountain or rough terrain offering a lot of natural hard cover. In this way the detonation eliminates hard to get targets arrayed on the side of a hill / in rough terrain in a close in anti ambush role. For example, a High Frag Mk-81 250 pound bomb has roughly the same fragmentary effect as a conventional MK-82 500 pound steel bomb (usually cast steel for economy).

N.B. Extensive experience has shown when using proximity fuzes, only a nose fuze is really necessary, and the use of a tail fuze is both redundant and a waste of money in return for little or no effect, unless you need delayed impact as a penitrator / deep penitrator bomb. The second fuze in the tail is even redundant with nose impact fuzes as both nose and tail fuzes are not required for most targets. As much as we have to provide what the customers want, at the same time we also are obligated to provide technical leadership based on many years of experience for our customers to at least consider as well.

– using the 12.5mm “ball bearings” provides both a greater anti vehicle and light armour solution as will as anti personal to a lesser extent due to the larger, fewer ball bearings

– we can also use 15mm “ball bearings” however, they are of better effect in the larger MK-83 and MK-84 high frag bomb casings for increased anti-armour effect. The larger the “ball bearings”, the greater the mass and kinetic energy for increased anti armour effect.

In all of the high frag bombs we can add an incendiary effect to ignite or “light up” the target hit. The “ball bearings” penetrate the target and the incendiary compound “lights up” the target.

We also produce the standard conventional steel conical tail fin assemblies for the MK-81, MK-81, MK-83, and MK-84. These steel conical tail fin assemblies can be provided with the bomb casings or offered separately for your own current inventory of bomb casings, and are also supplied to other OEM manufacturers upon request.

Please inquire for specifics on our Aerial Ordnance Projects and Programs 

The truck above is from a scene from over 20 years ago of the effect of one of our 250 lb MK-81 combat qualified and advanced High Frag bombs on an advancing military column, showing the same or better fragmentary effect as the standard MK-82 500 lbs bomb but at half the weight for more bomb payload, range or extended loiter time with the same or greater effect than conventional MK-80 series bombs. Our High-Frag bombs can be further enhanced with PD or Proximity nose fuzes and optional tail fuzes. For greater precision and to prevent collateral unintended damage, laser guidance and/or GPS can be added to all of our combat qualified advanced Mk-80 series bomb casings. Fragmentary effect can be tailored in the order from a pure anti-personal effect to a anti-light armour effect and an incendiary effect can also be added as well as an option.

Special Note: For those who don’t like the above scene, frankly we don’t like it either and we are great believers in the late General Norman Schwarzkopf’s comment after decades of military service that: “warfare is a form of human insanity”, because it is. At the same time if we must engage, then it must be done effectively to get it over with as practically soon as possible with the aim of settling the conflict in the long term. Better still is to pro-actively engage in and not avoid our international commitments of peace and stability operations and intelligent practical long term reconstruction work to prevent conflict from breaking out in the first place or collectively working to fix what is broken. When we turn our backs on parts of the world and hope for the best through “rose colored glasses”, this is the end result with civilians in these countries traditionally and tragically being the biggest victim. It is better that we engage in the peace and stability operations and if necessary, fight the small wars pro-actively as a new form of International or NATO defence white paper for the future, at lower overall cost of “blood and treasure”in the long term. As the last century showed us on at least two major occasions and in the words of the now retired American Secretary of Defence Robert Gates in the June 2011: ” … And we find there’s a bad history. When we turn inward, we end up in a really big war.” This in fact applies not only to the United States but the entire international community, especially those who put on their “rose colored glasses” and wiggle out of their international commitments or expect the Americans to unfairly shoulder their load. The concept of proactive international peace and stability operations with international community working in a genuine team effort and finishing what we start is really not that complicated.