500 pound (225 kilograms) Mk-82

General Purpose Bombs. General Purpose (GP) bombs are free fall ordnance or sometimes referred to as dumb bombs. The bombs are dumb in the fact they are only as accurate as the pilot or platform delivering them. The primary weapons effects are due to blast and fragmentation.

They come in a variety of sizes and weights ranging from 250 pounds for the MK-81 (pronounced "Mark"), 500 pounds for the MK-82, 1000 pounds for the MK-83, 2,000 pounds for the MK-84, 750 pounds for the M-117, and 3000 pounds for the M-118. Obviously the bigger the bomb the bigger the bang.

An improved 2,000 pounder designated the BLU-109/B has twice the thickness of the MK-84 and is used as a hardened penetration bomb. The BLU-107/B DURANDAL is a French made runway penetration bomb used for cratering runways rendering useless for aircraft operations. The M-117 (750 lbs) and M-118 (3000 lbs) bombs are primarily carried by heavy bombers.

By adding special guidance kits to the MK-83 and MK-84 the bombs accuracy and performance are greatly enhanced. These bombs then become precision guided munitions (smart bombs) and are designated by the GBU (Guided Bomb Unit) series bombs.