Between 2021 and 2024, the Bundeswehr will receive guided precision drop ammunition GBU-54 (Guided Bomb Unit) for the Eurofighter combat aircraft. The GBU-54 consists of the LJDAM control element (from Boeing), the detonator (from Junghans Microtec) and - as an active element - the standard MK-82-EP bomb body. EP indicates increased performance.
Der vom Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr beauftragte Generalunternehmer Diehl Defence hat jetzt den Unterauftrag für die Lieferung von 910 Bombenkörpern an Rheinmetall vergeben.
In addition, the French procurement agency DGA recently ordered MK-82 EP to equip the Mirage 2000 and Rafale combat aircraft. This was preceded by a five-year development program and extensive testing by the subsidiary RWM Italia SpA, Rheinmetall's competence center for air force ammunition, with the participation of the explosives manufacturer Eurenco. Both orders add up to over 2,000 bomb bodies worth more than 35 million euros.
Der 250-kg-Bombenkörper MK82-EP ist für maximale Sicherheit während Lagerung, Handhabung und Einsatz entwickelt worden. Er ist eine verbesserte, völlig austauschbare Variante des Standardmodells MK82 und zeichnet sich durch verbesserte Wirkung aus.
The MK82-EP can be used unguided, but also as guided drop ammunition with Paveway, Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (LJDAM) or Armament Air-Sol Modulaire (ASM) kits.
With the establishment of the MK82-EP as the new standard for users of the Mirage 2000, Rafale and Eurofighter fighter aircraft, the bomb body continues to be considered a likely armament for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), the air combat system developed by both Germany and France Future.
Gerhard Heiming
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