Tag Archives: nato

Kit Bashing, Technology

Vehicle I-D: USS America LHA-6, do they make a model kit of it?

Video

USS America LHA-6 began sea trials in 2014.  LHA-6 is the lead ship of the new America class assault ships, replacing the older Tarawa class.  Do not confuse USS America LHA-6 with the scuttled aircraft carrier USS America CV-66.

22FEB2020, Laem Chabang Port, Thailand, Cobra Gold 2020.

USS America is the current home of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Video, fast roping on USS America, 18FEB2020:

Countermeasure Washdown System

Time lapse video of USS America ops, Philippine Sea, 10FEB2020:

Video,  birds-eye view of USS America, April 2016:

Time lapse silent video of launching:

Aircraft seen operating from USS America:

More info on USS America: Underway on USS America

Orange Hobby makes a 1:700 scale resin USS America LHA-6, U.S. suggested retail price $95.

VEHICLE I-D: USN’S NEW ROBOT GUN BOAT, OR CUSV

CVN-71

Technology

USN admits hi-tech military gear defeated by Mother Earth’s tiny sea creatures!

21 February 2020 / 13:47 (UTC-07 Tango 06) 02 Esfand 1398/26 Jumada t-Tania 1441/28 Wu-Yin 4718

“We have begun to set up machine learning deep neural networks to use artificial intelligence to classify the organisms, but do not have results yet.”-Brad Penta, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

A swarm of veligers, a larval stage of mollusks.

The U.S. Navy’s (USN) Naval Research Laboratory has been conducting surveys of what it calls ocean swarms.  This is when small lifeforms cluster in an area of the ocean and cause havoc with electronic devices.

Intermediate trophic level (ITL) organisms are actually determined by their place in the food chain.  Civilian biologists might differ in their definition of an ITL but the USN considers everything from copepods to jellyfish as ITLs.  When they ‘swarm’ they render USN underwater electronic devices useless because of the way they refract the electronic signals.  Some of these creatures even produce their own electronic signals.

In 2019, the USN and the University of Mississippi conducted an ITL survey off the coast of Delaware.  They used not only ocean going detection devices but airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDaR) cameras, which used lasers to scan the ocean surface.  But this LiDaR was different, instead of the monochromatic laser the scientists used a multi-color LiDaR system they call Multi-Wavelength LiDaR Environment, or MuWLE.

The MuWLE is so sensitive the scientists report that they detected clouds in the air, under the aircraft, that could not be seen with human eyes!

This is a ‘Wirewalker’, it floats with the motion of the ocean, measuring conductivity, temperature, depth, light and acoustic backscatter, and dissolved oxygen.

The researchers are now trying to collate all the data they collected.  The goal is to provide the USN with new technology that can allow its ocean going vehicles to avoid ‘ocean swarms’.

Other ocean swarm research team players include Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, University of South Alabama Dauphin Island Sea Lab, University of Southern Mississippi, Florida International University, and University of Delaware.

HI-TECH FAIL: CLIMATE CHANGE BIGGEST THREAT TO BILLION DOLLAR WEAPON SYSTEMS!

U.S.

Border cops report record number of…flowers?: Immigrant Invasion U.S.A., 09-15 February 2020

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Incomplete (tip-o-the iceberg) list of main-stream-news links about global immigrant/border operations affecting the United States taxpayers, days of 09 to 15 of Gregorian February 2020.

Yet another study blames climate change for social unrest and mass migration

U.S. Customs and Border Protection warning of massive stolen vehicle operations that export the stolen cars through the Ports of New York/Newark to African countries.

ICE arrests 75 people during recent operation conducted in Ohio and Michigan
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ALABAMA: Illegal immigrant has victory in court

ARIZONA: Man and woman sentenced to prison for people smuggling and for holding a person, who needed medical help, against their will

Near Tucson, Border Patrol captures five illegals and a citizen

As of 14FEB2020, 1-thousand illegals have been deported to Mexico

Border Patrol cops working an immigrant checkpoint in the Yuma Sector recover a stolen car being driven by citizens.

CALIFORNIA: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) served four immigration subpoenas on the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office

Federal grand jury indicts three top administrators of Philippines ‘christian’ church in human smuggling scheme and defrauding the immigration system

Near El Centro, Border Patrol captured a tractor-trailer with 26 illegals in it.

Border Patrol captured three illegals who then confessed to leaving one of their own to die on a mountain, more U.S. tax dollars were spent rescuing the abandoned illegal.

At the Calexico Station, Border Patrol captured a man sneaking back into the U.S., he had been previously convicted of sex crimes and deported.

Near the Cuyapaipe Indian Reservation three illegals were killed by exposure to extreme weather.

Stop buying your Valentines flowers from other countries!!!  San Diego sector Customs and Border Protection reports increased numbers of people trying to bring in potted flowers/plants from Mexico, which is illegal.  Only cut flowers are allowed and still must be inspected for insects and diseases. 

In San Diego, 10FEB2020, U.S. Coast Guard off-loaded 20-thousand pounds of cocaine captured at sea.

CONNECTICUT: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) served three immigration subpoenas to the State of Connecticut

DELAWARE: Yet another school district considers creating policies to favor illegals

FLORIDA:  Stop buying your Valentines flowers from other countries!!!    Customs and Border Protection reports that their Miami International Airport operation inspected the most imported flowers ever; more than 1-billion cut stems! 

By the way BlindBatNews wants to remind you that 2019 was a record year as well; report with video VALENTINES HELL: BUYING FLOWERS FROM OVERSEAS IS A NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT!

GUAM: Again it’s about the money; local news media reveal that Guam (and Hawaii) is being paid by U.S. taxpayers to take in migrants from other Pacific island countries.  A proposal to save taxpayers money would cut $4-million from Guam’s Compacts of Free Association revenues!  (apparently Hawaii spends 187-million of your tax dollars on migrant services every year)

GEORGIA: A citizen is fighting to bring his wife back from Mexico, no she wasn’t deported, she voluntarily left in protest of U.S. government!  Now her U.S. citizen son is dying from cancer.

HAWAII:  In federal court, Singapore based Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement pled guilty to knowingly dumping pollution into U.S. waters and will pay a fine of $1-million-750-thousand.  It is considered the largest fine ever in the District of Hawaii.

IDAHO: Ada County (the Californicated metro area of Idaho) Sheriff’s office quitting the immigration hold refund program

INDIANA:  More proof it’s about making money for corporations as federal court rules meat factory knowingly employing illegals is not violating wage laws by paying them much less than citizens!

LOUISIANA: State Attorney General claims to be anti-illegal immigration, but labor unions reveal he hires mainly foreigners!

MAINE:  Cumberland County Sheriff clashes with ICE

MARYLAND: A few sheriffs rebel against state’s pro-immigrant anti-ICE policy

MINNESOTA: Roseau County becomes anti-immigrant pro-gun Second Amendment ‘sanctuary’

 NEBRASKA: ICE praises state leaders for their co-operation

NEW HAMPSHIRE:  State politician wants voters to use school board election to decide immigration policy?

NEW YORK:  Stop buying your Valentines flowers from other countries!!!  Customs and Border Protection reports having to inspect 40-million flowers coming through airports in The Empire State!

Federal Travel Ban will impact The Empire State’s economy

NORTH CAROLINA:  Data reveals that Obama Care (Affordable Care Act, ACA) has had no effect on improving medical services for illegals

NORTH DAKOTA:  Irish Americans are considered criminals in North Dakota?

PENNSYLVANIA: Scams against illegal immigrants are skyrocketing in the pro-illegal ‘sanctuary’ state

Resident gets prison time for people smuggling

TEXAS:  Customs and Border Protection captures record 1-thousand-543-pounds of liquid methamphetamine!

Border Patrol captures 8-thousand rounds of ammo being smuggled from U.S. into Mexico

17 illegals found inside tractor-trailer being driven by a citizen 

 Border Patrol captures armed smuggler: “Our agents are encountering armed smugglers now more than ever before.”-Raul L. Ortiz, Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent

Border Patrol now using facial recognition tech at the Progreso Port of Entry 

At Brownsville Port of Entry more than $2-million worth of illegal drugs captured, and Border agents resuscitated an unconscious citizen child.

In Star County more than $750-thousand worth of illegal drugs captured over a two hours period.

 Falcon Dam has been identified as a major national security concern and as such the U.S. Coast Guard, the International Boundary and Water Commission, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department all agreed to jointly patrol the area during ‘elevated security situations’.

UTAH: Social service organizations warn that increased homelessness will be the result of continued unchecked immigration to Utah

Illegal immigrant, and operator of a tire shop, has his day in court after brutal attack

VIRGINIA: State ‘lawmakers’ approve drivers’ licenses for 270-thousand illegals

WASHINGTON: News media investigation proves Greyhound Bus is voluntarily helping ICE capture illegals

Washington DC:   U.S. Border Patrol to send Tactical Unit officers to ‘sanctuary cities’

  At Dulles Airport, Customs and Border Protection captured a woman from South Korea who lied about how much cash she was bringing into the U.S.  Also, packages mailed from the British empire’s United Kingdom were found to be full of illegal steroids.  They were being sent to addresses in Georgia, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Concerning the global Swine Flu and Bird Flu epidemics, at the same airport Customs and Border Protect also captured illegal Asian pork from Vietnam being smuggled inside ramen noddle cups, as well as pet food containing dead birds from China suspected of carrying Bird Flu!  They were incinerated. 

Going Viral, 14-15 February 2020: VACCINE FAIL AS 14-THOUSAND IN THE U.S. DIE, INFECTIONS SKYROCKET!

IMMIGRANT INVASION U.S.A. 01-08 FEBRUARY 2020

 

International

Capitalism kills Recycling?: Climate Change 09-15 February 2020

Incomplete list of links to news articles concerning climate change events during the days of 09 to 15 of the Gregorian month of February 2020.

Climate change will expand farming opportunities

Having fewer kids will not save us from climate change
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African countries turn organic waste into electricity

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Trash bag investors expect increase in demand for trash bags, blame India and China

Trash truck investors expect skyrocketing demand for trash trucks due to growing global waste caused more people moving to metro areas.

GREECE:  a ‘protection plan’ for possible volcano eruption in Santorini

ICELAND: Twin bomb cyclones to merge into one of strongest-ever storms hammering Iceland 

IRAN:  4.4 quake

SOUTH AFRICA:  Higher Antarctic Temperatures Bad News for South Africa

SWITZERLAND: Researchers say 3-thousand meter drill hole for thermal energy factory did not create earthquakes

TURKEY:  Bovine survivors of Elazığ earthquake find new home

UNITED KINGDOM:  hurricane-force winds, ‘life-threatening’ floods

UNITED STATES: Official 2020 flood prediction for Mississippi River is bad, just like last year’s prediction

Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas are rated as the worst states for recycling

Major recycling company jacks up fees to taxpayer funded municipalities, will invest in solar power, blames it on fee increases by taxpayer owned landfills and finicky capitalist commodity markets

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At Egg Harbor Township, state militia (National Guard) conducted natural disaster response training that included weapons of mass destruction (chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear) 11FEB2020.
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While public officials complain about the costs and supposed lack of manpower for recycling programs, an 11 years old girl started her own recycling program
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Climate Change 01-08 February 2020: “GLOBAL SYSTEMIC COLLAPSE”

Going Viral 14-15 February 2020:  VACCINE FAIL AS 14-THOUSAND IN THE U.S. DIE, INFECTIONS SKYROCKET!

Influenza

Vaccine fail as 14-thousand in the U.S. die, infections skyrocket!: Going Viral, 14-15 February 2020

Incomplete list of links to news reports about viral outbreaks during the days of 14 to 15 of the Gregorian month of February 2020.

Vaccine critics blast new Kansas requirements for meningitis, hepatitis A
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Young people in England urged to have MMR vaccine following mumps surge
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Wisconsin reports second child dies from flu

Arizona reports second child dies from flu

At least 92 children in the U.S. die from ‘flu related’ illness

14-thousand people killed by ‘flu related’ illness so far this flu season

New York state reports record number of flu infections

Ohio reports 19% increase in hospitalizations due to flu

Berks County, Pennsylvania, reports 34% spike in flu infections

Massachusetts flu warning level raised to Very High

17 flu deaths just in Dallas County, Texas

26 flu deaths just in Clark County, Nevada

29 flu deaths in the tiny state of Maryland

Connecticut teacher becomes 40th person in the state to die from flu, local doctor warns “No vaccine is 100%. You can still get the flu even if you get the flu shot but we believe you’ll have a milder illness in many cases.”-Doctor Virginia Bieluch, Hospital of Central Connecticut

Study says Double-Dose of flu shots show no Benefit?

U.S. residents getting tested for influenza will also get tested for COVID-19

COVID-19 hits German car makers hard

France announces 1st COVID-19 death
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Four quarantined COVID-19 patients escape Russian hospital

Egypt confirms COVID-19 infection

Japan confirms first COVID-19 death

Japan asks Chinese to avoid Tokyo Marathon

Vietnam blocks cruise ships from docking

Singapore declares COVID-19 worse than SARS

Hong Kong Disneyland to act as quarantine camp?

China confirms 1,716 medical staff infected, 5,090 new cases

China is already spending U.S.$5.87-billion to fight COVID-19

How People Die After Contracting COVID-19
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U.S. military’s Northern Command confirmed it is prepping for COVID-19 outbreak in United States

DARPA involved in COVID-19 research

Official advise given to U.S. Navy and Marine personnel: “- The U.S. Department of State has advised NO travel to China due to the novel coronavirus.
– All personnel assigned to MCIEAST, II MEF, and MARSOC (active-duty, civilian personnel, dependents, retirees) are encouraged to follow CDC guidance regarding the virus.
– NMCCL is working closely with medical providers across MCIEAST, II MEF, MARSOC, Navy and Marine Corps Public Health, and the CDC to ensure all appropriate measures are taken to prevent potential spread.
– Anyone contracting a respiratory illness should not assume its COVID-19. In fact, the flu is far more commonplace. Please ensure your flu vaccination is current.
– Any beneficiaries who have traveled to China in the past 14 days with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing should seek medical care right away. Call NMCCL prior to arrival or let medical staff know immediately upon check-in if you have traveled to China recently.

Best Prevention Methods:
• Appropriately wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
• Use alcohol-based hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
• Avoid close contact with those are sick
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces”

Washington state militia members (National Guard) with the 341st Military Intelligence Battalion translated COVID-19 safety advice for non-English speaking U.S. residents into Arabic, French, Spanish, Russian, Ukrainian, Thai, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Korean.

Four countries in the African region license vaccine in milestone for Ebola prevention
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Going Viral, 12-13 February 2020: MASSIVE ONE DAY SPIKE IN DEATHS & INFECTIONS!

Technology

Vehicle I-D: USN’s new Robot GunBoat, or CUSV

Video

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Second Class Grant G. Grady, 07FEB2020.

February 2020, demonstration of the latest Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle (CUSV),  Norfolk, Virginia.

USN photo by Mass Communication Specialist Third Class Rebekah M. Rinckey, 10FEB2020.

USN photo by Mass Communication Specialist Third Class Rebekah M. Rinckey, 10FEB2020.

Video explains the ‘potential’ use of CUSV:

USN photo by Mass Communication Specialist Second Class Grant G. Grady, 10FEB2020.

USN photo by Seaman Andrenay Gorham, 12FEB2020.

USN photo by Seaman Andrenay Gorham, 12FEB2020.

CUSV control station on the dock.

USN photo by Seaman Scott Youngblood, 20JUL2011.

This is what the CUSV looked like in 2011.  Supposedly it can operate autonomously.

 

VEHICLE I-D: CVN-71

Kit Bashing, Technology

Vehicle I-D: LC-130H à La skis, can I get skis for my model C-130 kit?

Video

A New York Air National Guard Crew Chief inspects the landing gear on a ‘Skibird’ LC-130H Hercules on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, 06MAR2020. U.S. Air Force photo by Technical Sergeant Scott Fremming.

Video report from October 2019, first time LC-130H-upgrade is loaded with HIMARS:

A New York Air National Guard LC-130H arrives at the Paris Air Show, 16JUN2019.

This LC-130H has been updated with the NP2000 propellers, Paris Air Show, 19JUN2019.

Not all Skibird’s operate in snowy conditions. This upgraded LC-130H is ferrying New York Army National Guard Soldiers to Puerto Rico. New York Army National Guard photo by Sergeant Alexander Rector, 11APR2019.

New York Air Guard’s SkiBird helping Canadians build ‘SkiWay’ landing strip in the Arctic, 11APR2019.

New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing offloads cargo in Greenland, on 26APR2019.

Video, Senior Master Sergeant explains the craziness of airfield ops in Antarctica:

Video from March 2019, explaining what a LC-130 Crew Chief does:

New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing’s LC-130, McMurdo Station, Antarctica 15JAN2019.

New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing LC-130 (upgraded with evil British empire Rolls-Royce T56 series 3.5/NP2000 props), McMurdo Station, Antarctica, 17DEC2018.

Grass field take-off?  No, it’s the camera angle.  NY National Guard’s LC-130 takes off for Antarctica, 06SEP2018.

LC-130(F-H?) in Antarctica, 23JUL2017.

The Common Science Support Pod, or IcePod, houses a variety of instruments to meausure changes in the Antarctic ice sheet.

Some ‘scientist’ from Colombia University explaining how the IcePod works.  To find out more go here:  https://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/res/pi/icepod/

New York Air National Guard LC-130H Hercules-Skibird takes-off near the Canadian Task Force base camp on Little Cornwallis Island, Nunavut, during Operation NUNALIVUT, 10APR2016.
Canadian Armed Forces photo by Corporal Parks.

New York Air National Guard LC-130H Hercules-Skibird arrives on Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. Canadian Armed Forces photo by Petty Officer Second Class Belinda Jeromchuk, 10APR2016.

2016 video report on Canadian Forces Operation Nunalivut, note the wing flex on the older LC-130H as it lands:

Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, 27JUN2016.

January 2014, Pegasus Field, Antarctica, problems with landing gear being rectified.

Leaving Antarctica, 02FEB2011.

McMurdo Station, Antarctica, 2007.

Rocket assisted take-off from Greenland, 2003.  For some reason it’s officially called Jet Assisted Take Off (JATO) even though it’s actually rockets.  With the new Rolls-Royce T56 series 3.5 turbine/NP2000 props JATO is no longer needed.

Several of the New York Air National Guard’s LC-130Hs were former U.S. Navy LC-130Rs from VXE-6.

Airmodel makes a 1:72 scale conversion set that includes skis for LC-130.

Max Decals #7211

Out-of-print MicroScale #72-195

SNOWBLIND: C-130 OHIO C-17 PENNSYLVANIA

KODIAK MACE 2019: USMC KC-130J VID FEST!

MODEL KIT EC-130J GETS SPECIAL HANDLING BY NATIONAL GUARD!

VEHICLE I-D: NORMANDY PAINTED C-130 HERCULES

THAT’S NOT A C-130J, IT’S STILL THE OLD C-130H!

Kit Bashing, Technology

Vehicle I-D: CVN-71, are there model kits of this?

Video

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt arrives in Guam, 07FEB202.

  CVN-71 on its way to Guam, 25JAN2020.

Leaving San Diego, 17JAN2020.

Scrubbing the deck in 2013.

Leaving Newport News Shipyard in 2013, after four years of overhaul.

The following pics are of CVN-71 at the end of a 39 month fuel complex overhaul, May 2011: 

2009, when CVN-71 began its overhaul.

U.S. TAXPAYERS SEND AUSSIE PRIME MINISTER A MODEL BOAT!

VEHICLE ID: ARMORED DRUG SMUGGLING BOATS

ITALERI 1:720 DEUTSCHLAND, LUTZOW, SCHEER & GRAF SPEE

1:600 MOSKVA: AURORA VS AIRFIX

1/600 USS IOWA CLASS KITS: AURORA, MONOGRAM, OTAKI, REVELL. AN APPEAL TO AIRFIX!

Weapon I-D: MARK 82

Technology

SnowBlind: C-130 Ohio C-17 Pennsylvania

Video

C-17s of the 911th Airlift Wing, Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station, Pennsylvania, 07FEB2020.

“Honey, I’m home!”

Video, C-130s of the 179th Airlift Wing, Ohio, 07FEB2020:

Video, De-icing C-130s in Ohio, 07FEB2020:

A-10C SNOWBLIND WALKAROUND IN IDAHO!

BARE METAL: C-17 STRIPPED

U.S. TAXPAYERS TO RESCUE “DONATED” C-130 (with new pics)

Technology

Weapon I-D: Mark 82, Cold War & beyond

Video

Bombing-up an S-3A Viking with Mk82s. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate First Class Michael D.P. Flynn, 01FEB1988.

The Mark 82 (aka BDU) is a 5-hundred pound/227-kilogram unguided ‘vehicle’ (practice bombs about 400lbs/181kg) designed to hit your enemy with 192 pounds/87-kilograms of Tritonal high explosive. It was first used during the U.S. occupation of Vietnam.  It’s part of the Mark 80 series of low-drag bombs, from Mk81 to Mk84, of similar shape but increasing size.

Mark 82s on Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sergeant Stephen Schester, 27APR2010.

The shape and size of the standard fins have changed over the decades, and the type of fins used changes the nomenclature (the various fins/tail cones have their own nomenclatures as well).

They’ve even been fitted with nose fuse extensions.

This video is about the history of the F-4 Phantom-2, but it has a couple of scenes from Vietnam in which F-4s off-load massive amounts of Mk82s:

Most ‘live’ Mk82s are painted olive drab with yellow markings and trim.  Some are light grey with yellow trim.  Yellow indicates it is a ‘live’ bomb.

“Bombs can be filled by conventional explosive or other explosive compositions (TNT, Tritonal, Comp B) with a wide range of fuzes (M904-M905, FMU-139, FMU-152, FBM 21, ID 260).”

USAF photo by Staff Sergeant Ryan Callaghan, 25JAN2017.

This live Mk82 has a nose mounted M904 fuse.

USAF photo by Master Sergeant Don Sutherland, 01FEB1981.

USAF photo by Senior Airman Zachary Heal, 05FEB2020.

Many bombs have varying shades of paint from one to the other, depending on how they were stored, exposure to sunlight, etc.

USAF photo by Senior Airman Zachary Heal, 05FEB2020.

This live Mk82 has a rear mounted M905 fuse.

USAF photo by Senior Airman Jacob M. Thompson, 27JAN2021.

Some tail cones have ‘pinwheels’ (ATU-35A/B tail mounted fuse drive assemblies) that have an arming wire connected to the bomb release mechanism.  The ATU-35 is for both the M904 nose fuse and the M905 rear mounted fuse.

Pinwheels on the tail cones of these practice bombs, denoted by the blue stripe around the nose. USAF photo by Master Sergeant Ken Hammond, 27JUN1987.

These Mk82s have the M904 nose fuse with the ATU-35 tail drive. USAF photo by Master Sergeant Ken Hammond, 27JUN1987.

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Corporal Steven Walls, 28JAN2020.

The live Mk82s (BSU-33s?) on this AV-8B Harrier are grey with yellow trim.  Note the USMC fins are the similar to the USAF fins.

USMC photo by Lance Corporal James Marchetti, 14JAN2014.

Mark 82s onboard aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). USN photo by Photographer’s Mate Second Class Tracy Lee Didas, 01OCT1989.

Same aircraft carrier, but in 1993. Mark 82s onboard aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). USN photo by Photographer’s Mate Second Class Hayhurst, 01OCT1993.

For those model builders who are worried that they’ve hit their Mark 82s/BDUs with a paint bomb, most U.S. Navy/USMC bombs have a thick stucco looking coating of paint.

USN photo by Photographer’s Mate Second Class Tracy Lee Didas, 04NOV1987.

Mark 82s being transferred from ship-to-ship during Desert Storm. USN photo by Photographer’s Mate Second Class Charles W. Moore, 01FEB1991.

Video, 726th EABS Munitions Systems team shows you how to build a Mk82, November 2019, Djibouti:

An F-4E Phantom II off-loads a bunch of blue bombs onto the Bardenas Bombing Range in Spain. USAF photo by Staff Sergeant David Nolan, 25MAR1986.

Practice bombs are painted blue, or O-D with blue trim and fins.  Some are so old the blue paint is extremely faded.  Some practice bombs have spotting charges in the fin section to make it easier to spot where it impacts on the target field.

BDU-45 mounted on P3C Orion. USN photo by Mass Communication Specialist Second Class Harry J. Rucker the Third, 25OCT2009.

The U.S. Navy calls their practice Mk82 bomb the BDU-45.  Note there is a difference between USN fins and USAF fins.

BDU-45 mounted on P3C Orion. USN photo by Mass Communication Specialist Second Class Harry J. Rucker the Third, 25OCT2009.

USAF photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Araos, 02JUL2012.

Blue bombs.

Georgia Air National Guard F-105G gets bombed-up with a cement filled Blue Bomb. Photo by Airman First Class Sheryl D. Barnett, 10APR1981.

Video, Davis Monthan, Arizona, Operation SnowBird 2013, Idaho National Guard bombs-up their A-10s with Maverick missiles and Mk82s:

An Iranian F-14 tomcat bombed-up with Iranian made Mk82s on Iranian designed bomb rack.

A-10A on Sembach Air Base, Germany, being bombed-up with a Mk82 Snake Eye. USAF photo by Sutherland, 22APR1982.

The Mk82 can be fitted with low-drag fins or the infamous high-drag fins called Snake Eye.  The Snake Eye, or Mark 14 Tail Retarding Device, was developed because aircraft making low-level bombing runs would get hit by the shrapnel from the low-drag Mk82s.

A-7 Corsair II releasing Mark 82 hi-drag (Snake Eye) bombs on bombing range in Florida. USAF photo by Technical Sergeant Frank Garzelnick, 01MAY1980.

The Iranians love the Snake Eye, using it during low-level high-speed bombing runs against invading Iraqi forces in the 1980s and still using it today.

Iranian Thunderbolts (twin tailed F-5s) dropping snake eyes.

U.S. Navy A-6 Intruders dropping snake eyes.

Snake Eye outside the U.S. Air Force 88th Operations Support Squadron, Munitions Flight, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, 03MAR2021. USAF photo by Ty Greenlees.

USAF photo by Master Sergeant Dennis L. Carlson, 07DEC1978.

GBU-12 Paveway II is a ‘smart’ Mk82 with laser guidance system.

Canadian CF188 (F-18) being bombed-up with a Paveway in Kuwait, 13JAN2015.

This Mk82 is equipped with the Air Inflatable Retarder (AIR) tail.

FB-111A off-loads Mk82-AIR bombs, USAF photo by Master Sergeant Ken Hammond, 17NOV1990.

VEHICLE I-D: F-22 RAPTOR