L.D H.E. M.C. Mk.1 (1,000 lb)
Contents
Description
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The 1,000 lb L.D H.E. M.C. Mk.1 is a British bomb. Its full name in British Ordnance Nomenclature is "Low Drag; High-Explosive; Medium Capacity; Mark 1; 1,000 lbs". It is a version of the American-made 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bomb, with very similar performance.
Vehicles equipped with this weapon
General info
| Bomb characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Mass | 453.6 kg (1,000 lbs) |
| Explosive mass | 201.8 kg |
| Explosive type | Torpex |
| TNT equivalent | 322.88 kg |
| HE max penetration | 98 mm |
| Armour destruction radius | 12 m |
| Fragment dispersion radius | 140 m |
Effective damage
This bomb is a conventional high-explosive bomb, with a particularly large explosive power, for a weapon of its mass. It has high penetration against armour, though it should not be relied on as many armoured vehicles at higher tiers have more than enough armour to negate this effect. However, the overpressure caused by the detonation of this munition is almost guaranteed to destroy anything within its 12 m destruction radius, and the large fragment dispersion radius of 140 m can occasionally knock out lightlx-armoured, open-topped vehicles via overpressure.
Comparison with analogues
The L.D H.E. M.C. Mk.1 is very similar to older British 1,000 lb bombs like the M.C. Mk.I and G.P. Mk.I, performing identically, albeit with a substantially higher explosive yield. Despite its designation as "low drag", it has no discernible ballistic differences between its predecessors. When possible, the L.D H.E. M.C. Mk.1 should always be chosen over similar unguided 1,000 lb bombs not only due to its substantially increased explosive power, but also its reduced impact on aircraft performance.
The L.D H.E. M.C. Mk.1 is based on the American bomb LDGP Mk 83, though it has a substantially increased explosive yield due to a different explosive type (Torpex instead of Composition H6). However, the impact on aircraft performance is marginally worse when compared to the American munition, though it is more than made up for by the sheer explosive yield.
Usage in battles
This bomb should be used as any other medium-high power weapon. It is perfectly suited to taking out enemy bases and airfields in Air battles, and is equally effective at bombarding enemy ground forces in Ground Realistic Battles. It is not suited for use in Ground Simulator Battles due to the vulnerability of aircraft that use it, as well as poor stability when doing evasive manoeuvres. Additionally, it should not be used to destroy aircraft carriers in uncoordinated aerial assault, as it does little damage to this enemy type, and you will have a high risk of being shot down.
A bomb-fuse of 1.5 to 2.5 seconds is advised to minimise the likelihood of self-destruction or damaging one's own aircraft.
It is ill-advised to use this ordnance with the Lightning F.53 unless aerial superiority is guaranteed and there isn't likely to be any advanced anti-air systems. This is due to the lack of a ballistic computer, and the significant impact on performance.
With the Blackburn Buccaneer S.1, it is best to use the L.D H.E. M.C. Mk.1 in Air Realistic battles due to its large capacity to neutralise enemy bases. In Ground Realistic Battles, however, it is up to user preference; both the 1,000 lb bombs and the AGM-12B Bullpups are perfectly capable at taking out ground targets, especially given the presence of a ballistics computer.
With the Blackburn Buccaneer S.2, it is best to carry 3 x 1,000 lb L.D H.E. M.C. Mk.1 under each inner wing pylon, and carry an additional 4 x 1,000 lb H.E. M.C. Mk.13 bombs in the bomb bay (L.D bombs do not fit). This gives the Buccaneer up to 10 independent bomb drops, allowing for immense damage in both ground and air realistic battles. At least one outer pylon should carry countermeasures as it is necessary to stave off enemy threats. AIM-9B missiles should be avoided due to limited utility.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Very large explosive yield for a 1,000 lb bomb
- Low drag reduces impact on aircraft performance
- Objectively superior to most analogues in every aspect
Cons:
- Underwhelming yield compared to 1,000 kg bombs commonly found among other nations
History
The L.D H.E. M.C. Mk.1 (1,000 lbs) started out as an American development during the immediate post-war by Edward "Ed" Heinemann of the Douglas Aircraft Company. Its distinct shape was designated "Aero 1A" in US service, and entered trials with the United States Army Air Forces shortly after. It originally utilised Minol, a supplementary explosive used temporarily during WWII while TNT and RDX were in short supply, though when it entered service by the time of the Vietnam War, it was vastly superseded by Composition H6.
As part of NATO standardisation programmes throughout the latter half of the 20th century, the rights to use the American bomb were sold to NATO allies including the United Kingdom where they were domestically manufactured. The standard High Explosive compound used in British ordnance was Torpex, used since the second world war. It was an evolution of Tritanol, having a composition mixture of 42% RDX, 40% TNT and 18% powdered aluminium. This gave it vastly increased explosive performance compared to TNT or Tritanol alone, giving the British version of the 1,000 lb low-drag bomb a significant increase in explosive yield of about 18%.
The usage of the L.D H.E. M.C. Mk.1 continued as the standard unguided ordnance for the British Armed Forces in the 1,000 lb / 500 kg air-drop category until it was phased out in April of 2019, in favour of smaller, precision ordnance such as Paveway munitions manufactured by Raytheon UK.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
- Similar Bombs
- AN-M65A1 (1,000 lb)
- AN-M65A1 Fin M129 (1,000 lb)
- LDGP Mk 83 (1,000 lb)
- G.P. Mk.I (1,000 lb)
- M.C. Mk.I (1,000 lb)
- H.E. M.C. Mk.13 (1,000 lb)
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
