Talk:CBU-55

I was at Bien Hoa in 72 and worked in the bomb dump. The CBU 55 was experimental and brought to our bomb dump. They were gold. They were dropped then Followed by a flight of A33 loaded with either Mk82 daisy cutters or 2.75” flechette rocks. The vc would climb trees to avoid the propane which sucked the air out of their tunnels. The 82s and 2.75” would finish the job. This was during the An Loc offensive. Summer of 72.

Used more than once
My understanding is that the CBU-55 was definatley used m,ore than once. The Khmer Air force is, I believe on the record of using it a lot. Unfortunately I can't find references to back this up but I am certain the weapon was used more than once, as stated in the article

also the US Navy Air Warfare Centre Weapons Development Division site http://www.nawcwpns.navy.mil/nawcwd/about/arming_the_fleet/h_influ1.htm claims that the weapon was not "fueled" by Propane (as is also claimed by several other personal accounts on web sites) but rather the weapon contains three submunitions containing ethylene oxide liquid fuel.

US Navy sites also claim the weapon was used in Desert Storm

The wikipedia page for the OV-10 Bronco refers to CBU-55'sw being dropped operationally from that aircraft in 1972, contradicting this article.

The air combat information groups website acig.org refers to the weapon being used in Cambodia by the Khmer Air force from 1974, and also infers the use by the US prior to that in that theatre. The same site refers to operational use in Laos —Preceding unsigned comment added by Angra (talk • contribs) 03:33, 20 August 2007


 * This article is plain wrong CBU-55 is definitely a Fuel Air Explosive device, a 500 lbs bomb containing three submunitions with ethylene oxide. It was used many times, not just once. And it's not as powefull as stated. There was, however, another bomb called blu-76, and I think early versions did use propane. That was a much larger bomb, over a ton. Check this link: http://www.popasmoke.com/visions/image.php?source=3667, that should make it clear. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.52.104.147 (talk) 22:25, 5 October 2007 (UTC)


 * There's a pilot in Hearts and Minds (film) that speaks of dropping CBU's. Perhaps the 750 lbs. CBU-55 was only used once, but smaller variations were used on multiple occaisions? - Eric (talk) 07:02, 22 April 2008 (UTC)


 * Okay, maybe it was used only once in Vietnam. I just found this:
 * "Second-generation FAE weapons were developed from the FAE I type devices (CBU-55/72) used in Vietnam. The Marine Corps and Navy withdrew their remaining fuel-air munitions from operational service following Operation Desert Storm. By 1996, the Army's Operations Support Command transfered the CBU-55 and CBU-72 to demilitarization, and by mid-2001 only a few hundred remained to be demilitarized." . - Eric (talk) 08:05, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

Notability, Cleanup, and POV
I have removed the Notability, Cleanup, and POV tags from the article. No apparent reason existed for any of these, neither an explaination for any of them here on the Talk page. - Eric (talk) 07:06, 22 April 2008 (UTC)


 * As a former A-1 Skyraider pilot in the USAF's 1st Special Ops Squadron at Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Base (NKP), Thailand, I can add to and correct some of the inaccuracies of this story. Without knowing any of the Navy history, the US Air Force Armament Center at Eglin Air Force Base, FL developed and executed a combat evaluation of the CBU-55 weapon in Southeast Asia in late 1971.  I was told, but cannot verify, that munitions were delivered to and dropped on combat sorties by USAF A-37's flying out of Bien Hoa, SVN--this would have been the Special Ops Squadron there at the time.  At the same time, in December, 1971, at team from Eglin arrived at  NKP, and I was selected as the local project officer for a series of combat mission deliveries of the CBU-55.  My own flight logs show that I flew missions on Dec 2, Dec 5, and Dec 8, in flights of two A-1H Skyraiders.  I recall the Dec 8 mission vividly, because a senior project officer (non-rated) from Eglin ordered that six, rather than four as previously carried, CBU-55 canisters be loaded onto a heavier, less powerful A-1E two seat model, so that this Colonel could ride in the right seat with me for the mission.  While I protested, given the very high coefficient of drag for these relatively flat-faced canisters and the absence of any published weight/drag/takeoff requirement information on this prototype ordance, we were ordered to take off anyway.  When the aircraft did not become airborne with no runway remaining, I jettisoned the six canisters, and of course, the plane took off instantly.  The remaining unexploded ordnance, with the multiple propane cans breaking loose from some of the CBU-55 tubes, made for interesting work by our talented Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD)crew.  The combat battle damage was very shaky for the weapon, for the most part because the three cans were ejected from the canister quickly after release from the aircraft wing, and when the drag chutes deployed, these fuel-air bombs became very vulnerable to whatever wind existed between release and impact, causing much drift and great problems with accuracy. While this could of course be "solved" by a much lower release altitude, this put the pilot and plane in unacceptably higher risk to groundfire. When deployed against troops in bunkers, though, if and when the pilot could get the cans near the target, the results were impressive.  In the end, it was not decided to use the weapon further, but it was definitely deployed by the 1st SOS in late 1971!  On a later tour of duty as a staff member on the National Security Council in the White House during the Ford Administration, I participated in a process whereby the Israeli Air Force sought to buy the surplus and unused inventory of CBU-55's.Erjayne (talk) 21:49, 1 August 2013 (UTC)