Mark 81
The Mark 81 is a general-purpose 250 lb bomb (nicknamed "Firecracker"). It's the smallest of the Mark 80 series of low-drag general-purpose bombs.
Also recorded as Mk 81 · Mk.81 · Firecracker
Mark 81
Maj T. Campbell, U.S. Marine Corps · This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing. · Public domain
- Name
- Mark 81 General Purpose (GP) Bomb
- Field
- general-purpose bomb
- Period
- 1950
- Region
- United States
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
The Mark 81 is a general-purpose 250 lb bomb (nicknamed "Firecracker"). It's the smallest of the Mark 80 series of low-drag general-purpose bombs.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
No house-authored Note is published until its assertions and sources pass the VALÉORINE evidence contract. The documentary article remains available in full while that enrichment is being consolidated.
Documentary enrichment in progress · no unsupported statement published
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Mark 81. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Evidence Panel
not yet certified
- Identity
- resolved
- Independent source families
- 0
- Admitted assertions
- 0
- Open conflicts
- 0
Authority files
wikidata · Q2140849
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Mark 81 General Purpose (GP) Bomb • Origin — United States • Type — Low-drag general-purpose bomb • Is Explosive — yes • Weight — 262 lb • Length — 74 in • Diameter — 9 in • Filling — Tritonal, Minol or Composition H-6 • Filling Weight — 96 lb
Development and deployment
Development and deployment
Developed for United States military forces in the 1950s, it was first used during the Vietnam War. The bomb consists of a forged steel case with 96 lb of Composition H6, Minol or Tritonal explosive. The power of the Mk 81 was found to be inadequate for U.S. military tactical use, and it was quickly discontinued, although license-built copies or duplicates of this weapon remain in service with various other nations. Development of a precision guided variant of the Mk 81 bomb (GBU-29) was started due to its potential to reduce collateral damage compared to larger bombs, but this program has now been cancelled in favor of the Small Diameter Bomb.
Variants
Variants
• Mark 81 Snakeye fitted with a Mark 14 TRD (Tail Retarding Device) to increase the bomb's drag after release. The bomb's increased air-time, coupled with its (relatively) forgiving safe drop envelope, allowed for very low-level bombing runs at slower speed. Used commonly in the close air support role in Vietnam (prior to wider availability of GBU-series precision ordnance). Nicknamed "snake", as in the typical Vietnam support loadout of "snake and nape" (250 lb Mk 81 Snakeye bombs and 100 lb AN-M47 napalm canisters). • GBU-29 Joint Direct Attack Munition, a precision guided version of the Mark 81 (cancelled).
Operators
Operators
* •: Produced under licence by MKE. Mk. 81s also integrated with LGK-81 smart bomb kit for use with TAI Hürkuş platform. *
Definition
Definition
The following is established of the heading itself.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- United States
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Militaria
6,095 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Mark 7 nuclear bombTerminology
- Mark 77 bombTerminology
- Mark 8 nuclear bombTerminology
- Mark 8 torpedoTerminology
- Mark 82Terminology
- Mark 84Terminology
- Mark 90Terminology
- Mark I trench knifeTerminology
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own an object connected with Mark 81?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.