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.

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).”

This live Mk82 has a nose mounted M904 fuse.

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

This live Mk82 has a rear mounted M905 fuse.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

Blue bombs.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

VEHICLE I-D: F-22 RAPTOR