American Mk.82 bomb found in Russian forest raises eyebrows

The Russian military found an unexploded American Mk.82 aerial bomb in a forest in an unidentified area, reports the Military News UA profile on platform X. The discovery is particularly interesting because it's essentially the first time an unexploded aerial bomb of non-Soviet or non-Russian manufacture has been found on the front line, according to the report.

Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, the Russians have regularly been finding unexploded ordnance of various types on their territory. This is often the result of issues with the Russian Federation's military weaponry, which, due to malfunctions, fails to reach the intended target and falls within the country of the aggressor.

Among the recently noted incidents of this type is the crash of the Iranian-made Mohajer-6 drone in Russia. On another occasion, the Russians found a black Beaver drone near the city of Astrakhan—another drone, this time belonging to the Ukrainians. This equipment, because of its camouflage, must have surprised the Russians with its presence.

The Russians must have been equally surprised when they recently found an American-made Mk.82 aerial bomb in an unknown area. The Military News UA profile explains that this is the first time an unexploded ordnance made by a country other than Russia or the former USSR has been found on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Let us recall that the Mk.82 bomb found in one of the forests in the Russian Federation is essentially a general-purpose free-fall aerial bomb. The ammunition, with a nominal weight of around 225 kg (about 500 lbs), is one of the smallest but also one of the most commonly used aerial bombs.

This bomb, measuring slightly over 2.2 metres in length and 28 cm in width, houses 87 kg (about 192 lbs) of explosive material. The Mark 82's streamlined steel body contains a load that is a mixture of two components—TNT (80%) and aluminum powder (20%)—and is referred to as Tritonal.

The manufacturer ensured that the Mk.82 could be as versatile as possible during armed conflicts. For this reason, different sets of fins, fuses, and retardation systems can be mounted on the Mark 82 bomb. This is an important advantage, as it allows for the preparation of the most effective ammunition depending on the conditions on the front.