Just checked yes it is a BLU 43 The BLU-43/B "Short Dragontooth", and BLU-44/B & BLU-44A/B "Long Dragontooth", were aerially dispensed, contact-pressure-fired anti-personnel blast minelets. All three variants were externally identical, but differed in their sterilization process. The "Dragontooth" mines were designed for use in Vietnam for wide area denial or road-blocking purposes. Their unsymmetrical external shape enabled them to spiral to the ground at relatively low speeds without a parachute. The mines contained a chemical self-inerting system, which was to render the minelet inoperative after a certain amount of time. Although the "Dragontooth" mines were never adopted by the U.S. military as a standard equipment, the design was copied by the Soviets for their PFM-1 "Butterfly" mine, which was used in large numbers in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
The BLU-43/B and BLU-44/B were used as payload in the following cluster bombs: •CBU-28/A (4800 BLU-43/B (40 CDU-2/B clusters of 120 mines each) in SUU-13/A) •CBU-37/A (4800 BLU-44/B (40 CDU-3/B clusters of 120 mines each) in SUU-13/A)
The CBU-37/A could presumably also be filled with BLU-44A/B mines.
Data for BLU-43/B, BLU-44/B: Dimensions: 76 mm x 38 mm x 14 mm (3.0 in x 1.5 in x 0.56 in) Explosive: liquid nitromethane / nitroethane
Though the site that said this item was never standard equipment, it is wrong I have destroyed several thousands of these and their dispensers. They were dropped all along the HoChiMinh trail
Dragoon tooth, think BLU43 but not sure that is right number. VN era, last ones were demilled in mid 80's
ReplyDeleteJust checked yes it is a BLU 43
ReplyDeleteThe BLU-43/B "Short Dragontooth", and BLU-44/B & BLU-44A/B "Long Dragontooth", were aerially dispensed, contact-pressure-fired anti-personnel blast minelets. All three variants were externally identical, but differed in their sterilization process. The "Dragontooth" mines were designed for use in Vietnam for wide area denial or road-blocking purposes. Their unsymmetrical external shape enabled them to spiral to the ground at relatively low speeds without a parachute. The mines contained a chemical self-inerting system, which was to render the minelet inoperative after a certain amount of time. Although the "Dragontooth" mines were never adopted by the U.S. military as a standard equipment, the design was copied by the Soviets for their PFM-1 "Butterfly" mine, which was used in large numbers in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
The BLU-43/B and BLU-44/B were used as payload in the following cluster bombs:
•CBU-28/A (4800 BLU-43/B (40 CDU-2/B clusters of 120 mines each) in SUU-13/A)
•CBU-37/A (4800 BLU-44/B (40 CDU-3/B clusters of 120 mines each) in SUU-13/A)
The CBU-37/A could presumably also be filled with BLU-44A/B mines.
Data for BLU-43/B, BLU-44/B:
Dimensions: 76 mm x 38 mm x 14 mm (3.0 in x 1.5 in x 0.56 in)
Explosive: liquid nitromethane / nitroethane
Though the site that said this item was never standard equipment, it is wrong I have destroyed several thousands of these and their dispensers. They were dropped all along the HoChiMinh trail
Dragoon tooth is my first thought, similar like items are still found in the mid-east
ReplyDelete