Kaman Precision Products, Inc., Orlando, Florida, has been awarded a $57,334,714 firm-fixed-price contract for joint programmable fuze-152s. This contract provides a cockpit-selectable bomb fuze employed in MK-80 series warheads (both guided and unguided variations). Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, and is expected to be completed by July 2024. This contract involves Foreign Military Sales for 25 countries. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2018 ammunition procurement funds and special Defense acquisition funds in the amount of $57,334,714 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8213-20-C-0005).
The FMU-152A/B Bomb Fuze is a multi-function hard/soft target fuzing system developed for use by both the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy in
the MK80 series, BLU-100 series, and in conjunction with High Drag and Low Drag Tail Kits. In addition to impact/post-impact delay, the fuze is
capable of accepting a signal from a separate proximity sensor (e.g., DSU-33 series, DSU-38/B, and DSU-40/B). The FMU-152A/B fuze is a multi-function, electronically programmable hard/soft target fuzing system. The fuzing system consists of a cylindrical fuze and a closure ring in the U.S. Navy application. In the U.S. Air Force application, power is provided by the FZU-63/B (or FZU-55A/B) air-driven turbinealternator, which is lanyard activated upon release from the aircraft.
The primary U.S. GP bombs are the Mark 80 series. This class of weapons uses a shape known as Aero 1A, designed by Ed Heinemann of Douglas Aircraft as the result of studies in 1946. It has a length-to-diameter ratio of about 8:1, and results in minimal drag for the carrier aircraft. The Mark 80 series was not used in combat until the Vietnam War, but has since replaced most earlier GP weapons. It includes four basic weapon types:
Mark 81 – nominal weight 250 pounds (113 kg)
Mark 82 – nominal weight 500 pounds (227 kg)
Mark 83 – nominal weight 1,000 pounds (454 kg)
Mark 84 – nominal weight 2,000 pounds (907 kg)
