The E120 bomblet was a biological
cluster bomb
A cluster munition is a form of air-dropped or ground-launched explosive weapon that releases or ejects smaller submunitions. Commonly, this is a cluster bomb that ejects explosive bomblets that are designed to kill personnel and destroy vehi ...
sub-munition developed to disseminate a liquid
biological agent
Biological agents, also known as biological weapons or bioweapons, are pathogens used as weapons. In addition to these living or replicating pathogens, toxins and Toxin#Biotoxins, biotoxins are also included among the bio-agents. More than 1,2 ...
. The E120 was developed by the United States in the early 1960s.
History
The E120 bomblet was one of several biological weapons that were developed before the United States abandoned its offensive biological warfare program in 1969–1970.
[Eitzen, Edward M. ]
Medical Aspects of Chemical and Biological Warfare
'': Chapter 20 - Use of Biological Weapons,
PDF
p. 6), ''Borden Institute
The Borden Institute is a U.S. Army “Center of Excellence in Military Medical Research and Education”.
In 1987, U.S. Army Colonel Russ Zajtchuk conceived the idea for a “Center of Excellence in Military Medical Research and Education,” u ...
'', Textbooks of Military Medicine, PDF via Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. ...
, accessed November 12, 2008. The E120 was developed in the early 1960s.
[ The Schu S-4 strain of the ]tularemia
Tularemia, also known as rabbit fever, is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium '' Francisella tularensis''. Symptoms may include fever, skin ulcers, and enlarged lymph nodes. Occasionally, a form that results in pneumonia or a throat ...
bacterium was standardized as Agent UL for use in the E120 bomblet.[Pike, John E.]
Tularemia
''Globalsecurity.org'', accessed November 12, 2008.
Specifications
The E120 was a spherical bomblet with a diameter of 11.4 centimeters.[ It was designed to hold 0.1 kilograms of liquid biological agent. Much like the ]M139 bomblet
The M139 bomblet was an American sub-munition designed for use in warheads as a chemical cluster munition. Each spherical bomblet held of sarin nerve agent.
History
A spherical chemical cluster munition, the M134, had been developed for the ...
, the E120 had exterior "vanes". However, the vanes' function on the E120 was to cause the bomblet to rotate as it fell, thus shattering and rolling around upon impact while spraying the agent from a nozzle.[''Countermeasures'']
Chapter 6 - An Overview of Emerging Missile State Countermeasures
p. 14, accessed November 12, 2008.
See also
* E14 munition
* E61 anthrax bomblet
* Flettner rotor bomblet
*M143 bomblet
The M143 bomblet was a biological cluster bomb sub-munition developed by the United States during the 1960s. The spherical bomblet was the biological version of the Sarin-filled M139 bomblet, M139 chemical bomblet.
History
The M143 bomblet was pr ...
References
{{U.S. biological weapons
Biological weapon delivery systems
Submunitions