Turkey To Receive U.S BLU-109 Bunker Bursting Bombs

The Pentagon has awarded a contract for the sale of an unspecified number of BLU-109 bunker bursting bombs to Turkey.

Ellwood National Forge and General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems have been awarded a $682,900,000 foreign military sales contract (Turkey) for BLU-109 penetrator bomb bodies and components.

The estimated completion date of Dec. 31 for this project is 2020, a Pentagon release said.

BLU-109s have been in the Pentagon’s inventory since 1985 and are reported to have been deployed on fighters in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was mated to a laser-guided system during operation Desert Storm in Iraq.

The BLU-109 has been sold to key US allies including Israel, Saudi Arabia and UAE. However, this is the first reported sale of the bomb to Turkey.

The bomb contains 550 pounds of high explosive Tritonal, a combination of 80% TNT and 20% aluminum powder. The BLU-109’s tail fuze delays the bomb’s detonation until the bomb has penetrated the targeted bunker, ensuring complete destruction of the location, according to available literature on the bomb.