Mark 83 bomb
title: "Mark 83 bomb" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["cold-war-aerial-bombs-of-the-united-states", "aerial-bombs-of-the-united-states", "military-equipment-introduced-in-the-1960s"] topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_83_bomb" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox weapon"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Mark 83 general-purpose bomb |
| image | File:Bomb Mk83.jpg |
| image_size | 300 |
| type | Low-drag general-purpose bomb |
| origin | United States |
| is_explosive | y |
| is_missile | y |
| service | Since 1950s |
| wars | Gulf War |
| variants | |
| mass | 447 kg |
| length | 3 m overall |
| diameter | 350 mm |
| filling | H6 or PBXN-109 |
| filling_weight | 202 kg |
| detonation | M904 nose fuze and |
| M905 tail fuze | |
| tailspan | 480 mm |
| ref | Janes |
| :: |
| name = Mark 83 general-purpose bomb | image = File:Bomb Mk83.jpg | image_size = 300 | alt = | caption = | type = Low-drag general-purpose bomb | origin = United States | is_explosive = y | is_missile = y | service = Since 1950s | used_by = | wars = Gulf War | designer = | design_date = | manufacturer = | developed_from = | developed_into = | unit_cost = | production_date = | number = | variants = | spec_label = | mass = 447 kg | length = 3 m overall | part_length = | width = | height = | diameter = 350 mm | filling = H6 or PBXN-109 | filling_weight = 202 kg | detonation = M904 nose fuze and M905 tail fuze | yield = | wingspan = | tailspan = 480 mm | ref = Janes The Mark 83 is a 1000 lb bomb, part of the Mark 80 series of low-drag general-purpose bombs in United States service.
Development and deployment
The nominal weight of the bomb is 1,000 lb, although its actual weight varies between 985 lb and 1,030 lb, depending on fuze options, and fin configuration. The Mk 83 is a streamlined steel casing containing 445 lb of tritonal high explosive. When filled with PBXN-109 thermally insensitive explosive, the bomb is designated BLU-110.
The Mk 83/BLU-110 is used as the warhead for a variety of precision-guided weapons, including the GBU-16 Paveway laser-guided bombs, the GBU-32 JDAM and Quickstrike sea mines.
The Mk 83 is also used as the warhead in a variety of Pakistani smart bombs made by GIDS. During Operation Swift Retort in 2019, 2 JF-17 Thunders of the No. 16 Squadron "Black Panthers" armed with newly developed Mk. 83 Range Extension Kit (REK) bombs struck military targets in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.
This bomb is most typically used by the United States Navy but is also used by the USAF in the F-22A in a JDAM configuration. According to a test report conducted by the United States Navy's Weapon System Explosives Safety Review Board (WSESRB) established in the wake of the 1967 USS Forrestal fire, the cooking-off time for a Mk 83 is approximately 8 minutes 40 seconds.
File:Mark 83 Bombs.jpg|Loading of Mark 83 1,000-pound general-purpose bombs File:US Navy 040205-N-5859A-001 An F-A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the Eagles of Strike Fighter Squadron One One Five (VFA-115) carries ten Mark 83 bombs.jpg|Ten Mark 83 bombs aboard a US Navy F/A-18E. File:Hornet releases MK-83 1000 pound bombs during ATFLIR tests.jpg|F-A-18E Super Hornet releases MK-83 1000 pound bombs during ATFLIR tests. File:Defense.gov News Photo 980207-N-6895K-001.jpg|Transportation of two MK-83 1,000 pound bombs from a weapons elevator to the flight deck of the USS George Washington (CVN 73). File:US Navy 041113-N-3799S-002 A U.S. Navy pilot flies an F-A-18C Hornet assigned to the Marauders of Strike Fighter Squadron Eight Two (VFA-82), over the Pacific Missile Range Facility armed with MK-83 1000 pound general purpose b.jpg|MK-83 1,000 pound bomb mounted aboard F/A-18C. File:US Navy 100127-N-5685W-040 Aviation Ordnancemen aboard the Nimitz-Class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) prepare to move a Mark 83 inert bomb from the assembly line.jpg|US Navy aviation-ordnancemen aboard the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) preparing to move a Mark 83 inert unit from assembly line.
References
References
- [[Janes Information Services. (24 June 2024). "Mk 80 general-purpose bombs (BLU-110/111/117/126/129)". Jane's Group UK Limited..
- [[Janes Information Services. (12 June 2025). "GBU-10/12/16/58 Paveway II". Jane's Group UK Limited..
- [[Janes Information Services. (2 June 2025). "GBU-31/32/38 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM)". Jane's Group UK Limited..
- [[Janes Information Services. (3 June 2024). "GBU-54/55/56 Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (LJDAM)". Jane's Group UK Limited..
- "FMU-152/B ELECTRONIC BOMB FUZE". Integrated Publishing.
- (23 April 2000). "Mk83 General Purpose Bomb". [[Federation of American Scientists]].
- [[Kaiser Tufail]]. (18 February 2021). "Pulwama: Two years on".
- Kaiser Tufail. (10 July 2019). "Pulwama-From bluster to whimper".
- Alan Warnes. (19 March 2020). "Operation Swift Retort one year on".
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