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120 mm submunition bomb S12B
Region
Italy
Category
Ammunition, Missiles and precision weapons
Armament All 120 mm smoothbore mortars. Development By Simmel Difesa , for Italian and other TDA pattern 120 mm mortars. Description The body is of steel and in two parts; the forward section has its nose threaded to accept a time fuze, while the rear section has the tail end recessed and threaded to accept the tailboom. The two sections push-fit together and are secured by a number of shear pins. Beneath the fuze there is an expelling charge and a pusher plate and in the forward part of the body are 12
submunitions. Beneath the submunitions is a steel plate which rests upon the inner lip of the rear body section. The tail unit is extruded from steel and has a tailboom and 12 fins. The primary cartridge fits into the tailboom and the four secondary charges fit around the tailboom, ahead of the fins, in horseshoe containers. The bomb is drop loaded and fired in the usual way. When the time fuze functions, it ignites the expelling charge and the subsequent explosion presses down on the pusher plate. The force is transmitted to the steel plate below the submunitions, this pushes on the rear section, shears the securing pins and throws the rear section and tail unit clear. A distributing charge in the bomb then fires, ejecting the submunitions and dispersing them around the trajectory. The bombs then fall to the ground and are fuzed to burst on impact. Each bomb contains a shaped charge of Composition A5 weighing 25 g. The bomb is designed to burst at a height of 400 m above the ground, in order to obtain a dispersal pattern which ensures overlap between the individual bomblets. Manufacturer Simmel Difesa SpA.