CBU-87

Eduard BRASSIN, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Mark Davies

Eduard Brassin’s 1/72 CBU-87s are available online from Squadron.com

The CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition is a cluster bomb used by the United States Air Force, developed by Aerojet General/Honeywell and introduced in 1986 to replace the earlier cluster bombs used in the Vietnam War. CBU stands for Cluster Bomb Unit. When the CBU-87 is used in conjunction with the Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser guidance tail kit, it becomes a precision-guided weapon, and is designated CBU-103.

The basic CBU-87 is designed to be dropped from an aircraft at any altitude and any air speed. It is a free-falling bomb and relies on the aircraft to aim it before it drops; once dropped it needs no further instruction, as opposed to guided munitions or smart bombs. The bomb can be dropped by a variety of modern-day aircraft. It is 7 feet 7 inches (2.31 meters) long, has a diameter of 16 inches (41 centimetres), and weighs roughly 950 pounds (430 kg). The price is US$14,000 per bomb.

Each CBU-87 consists of an SUU-65B canister; a fuse with 12 time delay options and 202 sub-munitions (or bomblets) designated BLU-97/B Combined Effects Bomb. Each bomblet is a yellow cylinder with a length of 20 centimetres and a diameter of 6 centimetres. The BLU-97/B bomblets are designed to be used against armour, personnel and soft-skin targets and consist of a shaped-charge, a scored steel fragmentation case and a zirconium ring for incendiary effects. The CBU-87 can also be equipped with an optional FZU-39/B proximity sensor with 10 altitude selections.

When dropped from an aircraft, the bomb starts spinning. There are 6 speeds that can adjust the bomb's rate of spin. After it drops to a certain altitude, the canister breaks open and the sub-munitions are released. Each bomblet has a ring of tabs at the tail end; these orient the bomblet and deploy an inflatable decelerator to decrease the falling speed of the bomblet. When the sub-munitions hit the ground, they will cover a large area and the CBU-87 can be adjusted so it can cover a smaller or wider area. Depending on the rate of spin and the altitude at which the canister opens, it can cover an area between 20x20 meters (low release altitude and a slow rate of spin) to 120x240 meters (high release altitude and a high rate of spin).

Source: Wikepedia

Eduard Brassin offers a growing range of aftermarket bombs, amongst the latest of which is the set of four CBU-87s reviewed here.

The bombs come attractively packaged in a blister pack with sponge cushioning. Very clear instructions are included, with colour call-outs cross-referenced to the Gunze Aqueous and Mr Color paint ranges. The instructions detail the paint finish applied to this weapons and a small sheet of decals provides for the bomb markings. A PDF copy of the instructions is downloadable from Eduard’s website.

The quality of casting is excellent, with the pour stub attached to the base of each bomb and another to the tailfin section.

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Painted and decaled, these CBU-87s should be an excellent addition to any suitable model, and are sure to be a vast improvement over any injected kit items.

This set of four CBU-87s by Brassin is very nicely rendered. It offers a real opportunity to improve and refine on kit-supplied items and add to the appearance of numerous subjects. I definitely recommended it.

Thanks to Eduard for the samples and images.

Review Text & Images Copyright © 2017 by Mark Davies
Page Created 25 April, 2017
Last updated 25 April, 2017

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