| Matra Durandal | |
| Origin: | France |
| Type: | Anti-runway bomb |
| Is Missile: | "yes" |
| Service: | 1977–present |
| Used By: | United States, France, Israel |
| Wars: | Gulf War (1991) |
| Manufacturer: | Matra (now MBDA) |
| Weight: | 200kg (400lb) |
| Length: | 2.7m (08.9feet) |
| Diameter: | 22.3cm (08.8inches) |
| Filling Weight: | 100kg (200lb) primary charge 15kg (33lb) secondary charge |
Named after a mythical medieval French sword, the Durandal is an anti-runway penetration bomb developed by the French company Matra (now MBDA), designed to destroy airport runways and exported to several countries. A simple crater in a runway could be filled in without issue, so the Durandal uses two explosions to displace the concrete slabs of a runway, thus making the damage to the runway far more difficult to repair.
Designed to be dropped from low altitudes, the bomb's fall is slowed by a parachute. The maximum release speed is 550kn and the minimum release altitude is 200feet. When the bomb has reached a 40° angle due to the parachute's drag, it fires a rocket booster that accelerates it into the runway surface. The 100kg (200lb) primary charge explodes after the weapon has penetrated the concrete and drives the secondary charge even deeper. The 15kg (33lb) secondary charge then explodes after a one-second delay. Later production weapons have a programmable fuse that can delay the secondary detonation up to several hours.
The weapon can penetrate up to 40cm (20inches) of concrete, and creates a crater 2m (07feet) deep and approximately 5m (16feet) in diameter. In addition, concrete slabs around the crater are disturbed in an area approximately 15m (49feet) in diameter. The disturbed slabs are displaced up to 50cm (20inches) above the original surface, making repair more difficult than the simple crater from a conventional bomb.[1]
There is a persistent story that the first use of the current Matra Durandal was by Israeli Mirages during the Six-Day War. This is inaccurate, as this war took place ten years before the Durandal was first available on the arms market.[2] Rather, the prototype French/Israeli anti-runway weapon program which cratered Egyptian runways in 1967 is related, but distinct from the Durandal. The Israeli weapon used rockets rather than parachutes to brake over the target. The Matra development branch was in development from 1971 on and would form the basis for the Durandal which uses parachute braking.[1] [3] The Durandal was adopted by the US in a slightly modified form (with a steeper impact angle and a higher 630 knot deployment speed) as the BLU-107/B in the 1980s, and carried by F-111 and F-15E strike aircraft.[1]
| The U.S. Air Force procurement program for Durandal[4] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiscal Year | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | Total | |
| Dollars in millions | 9.2 | 23.3 | 87.5 | 184.1 | 195.1 | 499.2 | |
| Quantity | 350 | 840 | 3,000 | 6,000 | 6,000 | 16,190 | |
In addition, the Durandal is in service with Argentina, Turkey, and at least 14 other nations. The Durandal is not currently in the weapon inventory of the French Armée de l'Air[1] [5]
It was used by the US Air Force in Desert Storm, delivered by F-111E's of the 20th Fighter Wing based in Turkey. 20th Wing flight commander Captain George Kelman said "there is nothing better at destroying a runway than a Durandal."[6]
It has been reported that China has developed its own anti-runway bombs, the Type 200A, using Durandals as models. In the 1980s, China purchased a number of Durandals from France.[7]
Argentina
Brazil
China
Ecuador
Egypt
France
Greece
Jordan
Libya
Nigeria
Oman
Pakistan
Serbia
United States
Turkey