Last of the M117s

Airmen from the 5th Munitions Squadron assemble Minot Air Force Base’s remaining supply of M117 bombs at Minot AFB, N.D., March 22, 2016. The M117 is an air-dropped 750 lb. general purpose bomb that was used extensively with the B-52 during the Vietnam War. The B-52 is the only airframe that can carry the M117. Minot’s last M117 was dropped March 30. (U.S. Air Force photos/Airman 1st Class J.T. Armstrong)

Last of the M117s

Bombs Away!

Published April 1, 2016
By Airman 1st Class Jessica Weissman
Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Since The Vietnam War, the M-117 bomb has been in the U.S. Air Force's weapon stockpile. This 750-pound general purpose bomb, once used for combat missions, is now solely used for pilot training.

With only a couple hundred bombs still in their inventory, Minot Air Force Base's 5th Munitions Squadron completely phased out the remaining bombs on March 30, 2016.

Beginning on March 22, 2016, munitions Airmen took the final step before loading the last of the bombs onto the aircraft. The lowest ranking munitions Airman placed the clip on the arming wire and a Major trimmed the wire to the proper length.

"I was there for the first continuous bomber presence in 2004, and since then the Air Force decided to demilitarize the M-117," said Master Sgt. Larry Cartwright, NCO in charge of conventional maintenance assigned to the 5 MUNS. "However, someone had the idea to use this as training instead of paying money to just get rid of them."
Munitions Airmen here built over 100 M-117s in the last few months.

"The only struggle we really had with building the bombs was rusted threading," said Airman 1st Class Blake Bradley, conventional maintenance crew member assigned to the 5 MUNS.

"We put a fin on the bomb and fuse it together," said Cartwright. "These bombs are so old that we do not use electrical fuses and there is no laser guidance. The metal fin on the back adds aerodynamic stability. It only takes us between 3-8 minutes to build one bomb. "

Once this bomb is dropped from the B-52 Stratofortress, the nose fuse lines up the components and will detonate on impact, said Cartwright.

"My instructors in Tech School 22 years ago said I would never see an M-117," said Cartwright. "I have probably seen more M-117 bombs that any other bomb."

Now that the last of these bombs have been dropped, B-52 aircrews and munitions Airmen can focus on training with newer bombs rather than bombs manufactured in the mid-1950s.

"It is crazy that this is the first time the Air Force has ever said they want to just completely get rid of something," said Bradley. "I've only been in the Air Force for about a year now, so it's awesome to be happening already in my career."