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What are these bombs please?


RidgeRunner

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Hi all,


I’m in the closing stages of my Mustang build and had a potential change of thought last night regarding ordnance. My plan had been to install the WW2-style underwing tanks but I now realise that most, if not all, photos show these machines (Indonesian) with bombs and not tanks.


My question is: what are these bombs and are they of the type used in the 1950s? To my untrained eye they look like they could be Japanese WW2 era. Any ideas, please?

 

Thanks a lot.

 

Martin

 

image

 

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Not sure how much info you have, but that's an Indonesian P-51D in the Museum in Jakarta.  The Mustangs were ex-Dutch RNLAF and saw Post WW2 service in Indonesia.  Best of luck with your quest!

 

20170212_122007.jpg

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I'm not sure how easy it would be to get weapons that fit the standard Mustang Fuel Tank/ Bomb carrier- I'll have a thumb through my Mustang references and see if I can spot any more of those bombs. 

Rear fuse on those babies? 

 

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52 minutes ago, Duncan B said:

The tail units are very similar to Russian bombs and the Indonesians were being equipped with Russian stuff during the timeframe of their Mustang operations.

 

Duncan B

True but I can’t see anything Russian that matches :( 

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I would make a rough mock-up (ie a tube) of the M38 to see whether it's the right size. Manual TM 9-1980 'BOMBS FOR AIRCRAFT' (downloadable from the net) has information on pages 231 and 233. The text says "47.5 inches long and 8.12 inches in diameter."

 

Rob

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2 hours ago, Rob de Bie said:

I would make a rough mock-up (ie a tube) of the M38 to see whether it's the right size. Manual TM 9-1980 'BOMBS FOR AIRCRAFT' (downloadable from the net) has information on pages 231 and 233. The text says "47.5 inches long and 8.12 inches in diameter."

 

Rob

The thing is, if these preserved machines have simply been fitted with practice rounds from storage, I need to know what bombs they would have used operationally in the mid to late 1950s. I am guessing they wouldn’t have been US models given that the US (CIA) was trying to overthrow them! ;) 

 

Martin

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12 hours ago, RidgeRunner said:

The thing is, if these preserved machines have simply been fitted with practice rounds from storage, I need to know what bombs they would have used operationally in the mid to late 1950s. I am guessing they wouldn’t have been US models given that the US (CIA) was trying to overthrow them! ;) 

 

Martin

Quite the opposite. The US bomb carriers are configured to carry weapons that feature the US bomb twin lug system. A Russian Bomb would simply not fit as the lugs were not compatible. 

 

Selwyn

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12 hours ago, RidgeRunner said:

The thing is, if these preserved machines have simply been fitted with practice rounds from storage, I need to know what bombs they would have used operationally in the mid to late 1950s. I am guessing they wouldn’t have been US models given that the US (CIA) was trying to overthrow them! ;) 

 

Martin

 

IMHO, museum based ordnance like that could be very suspect, but who knows. What airforce/era are you modelling the Mustang to be Martin?

 

Terry

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1 hour ago, Selwyn said:

Quite the opposite. The US bomb carriers are configured to carry weapons that feature the US bomb twin lug system. A Russian Bomb would simply not fit as the lugs were not compatible. 

 

Selwyn

So would I be safe in installing the kit bombs? The build is a late-1950s F-51K of the AURI. Thanks. 

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8 minutes ago, RidgeRunner said:

So would I be safe in installing the kit bombs? The build is a late-1950s F-51K of the AURI. Thanks. 

Further @Selwyn, I cant actually find any photos of these machines in service with anything hanging off the underwing pylon, no tanks or bombs! I might just leave them un-used.

 

Thanks again for your help.

 

Martin

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