BLG 66 Belouga
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The bomb lance grenade BLG 66 Belouga is a bomb in submunition anti-track designed by the French company Matra and entered service in 1979.
Summary
[ Hide ]Features [ edit | modify the code ]
Weighing 305 kg , it has a cylindrical shape and measures 3.33 meters long with a diameter of 36 cm , 55 cm with the tail . It carries 151 submunitions multipurpose tablet weight of 1.3 kg and a caliber of 66 mm (hence its name) in three categories with a total mass of 195 kg :
- AC anti-tank type, effective against armored vehicles
- Type EC, fragmentation grenade against vehicles, equipment, and an anti-personnel role, lethal-range estimated at 60 m .
- IZ type of area denial, to destroy the lining of the tracks, then against the runways and road junctions and can explode several hours after their release [1] , [2] .
After dropping, the catcher bracket is ejected late, then a parachute is taken to slow the ammunition. The munitions are then ejected by successive crowns, with the possibility for the driver to choose (cabin prior to) the length of the treatment area is an area 240 meters long by 40 wide by 10 000 sqm self zone from 120 m to 120 5 000 m².
It can be carried by the majority of combat aircraft of the Army of the French air whose SEPECAT Jaguar [3] , and the Mirage 2000 , capable of carrying four of the bombs.
History [ change | modify the code ]
The commissioning of this ammunition began in 1979 .
It was used by the army of the French air at two over combat missions airbase Kuwait to Al Jaber during the Daguet operation during the 1991 Gulf war before his removal from service [4] .
The forces Nigerian of ECOMOG used it in 1997 on the city of Kenema during the civil war in Sierra Leone [5] .
Operators [ edit | modify the code ]
70% of Belouga ammunition were sold to export [6] .
Argentina Stock destroyed in 2005.
France This country has withdrawn from service this weapon between 1996 and 2002, according to its vis-à-vis policy cluster weapons[ 7] and the entire stock was destroyed in March 2005 announced[ 8] .
Greece
India
Iraq This weapon is more service in the Iraqi army since later the Iraq war in 2003.
Kuwait
Nigeria Sold in early 1980. Several captured by Boko Haram using its munitions[ 9] .
References [ change | modify the code ]
- ( in ) Jane's Page [ archive ]
- ( in ) Data sheet Combat systems [ archive ]
- ( en ) Association of Veterans of 11EC: Aircraft [ archive ]
- ( en ) France and the Oslo Convention [ archive ]
- ( in ) Survey of Cluster Munition Policy and Practice [ archive ] , February 2007
- ( en ) Law Proposal George Hage to complete the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban device [ archive ] , President of the National Assembly on 9 November 2005.
- ( en ) [PDF] The French position on cluster munitions - Statement of General Scellos (as a representative of the Ministry of Defence) [ archive ]
- ( en ) use, production, where are we? [ Archive ]
- Nicolas Champeaux, Olivier Fourt, " Info RFI: the French bombs resurface the hands of Boko Haram " [ archive ] , on Radio France International , (accessed 16 October 2015 ) .
External link [ edit | modify the code ]
- ( In ) Video demonstration of BLG 66 Belouga [ archive ]
