M143 bomblet
The M143 bomblet was a biological cluster bomb sub-munition developed by the United States during the 1960s. The spherical bomblet was the biological version of the Sarin-filled M139 chemical bomblet.
History
The M143 bomblet was produced at the peak of U.S. biological delivery systems development during the 1960s.[1] Essentially, the biological version of the M139 bomblet, the M143 was smaller than the M139.[1] The Sergeant missile system utilized the M143 in its M210 warhead, it could hold 720 individual bomblets. If that system relased the bomblets at an altitude of 50,000 feet, the weapon could attain a coverage area of 60 square miles.[1]
Specifications
The M143 was a spherical bomblet that had a diameter of 8.6 centimeters (cm).[2] Designed to carry a liquid biological agent, the M143 carried a 0.5 kilogram (kg) explosive charge meant to disseminate the agent upon impact.[2] Eight percent of the liquid released from the M143 was in the form of an inhalable aerosol. When filled, the bomblet had a mass of .34 kg and 190 milliliters (ml) of liquid agent could contain 6 X 10^12 anthrax spores.[2] The M143 demonstrates the lethality of even a small amount of biological agent, the amount of anthrax contained in the bomblet would be the equivalent of 300 million lethal doses.[2]
References
- ^ a b c Smart, Jeffery K. Medical Aspects of Chemical and Biological Warfare: Chapter 2 - History of Chemical and Biological Warfare: An American Perspective, (PDF: p. 51), Borden Institute, Textbooks of Military Medicine, PDF via Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, accessed November 12, 2008.
- ^ a b c d Countermeasures, Chapter 6 - An Overview of Emerging Missile State Countermeasures, p. 14, accessed November 12, 2008.