E61 anthrax bomblet

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The E61 anthrax bomblet was an American biological sub-munition for the E133 cluster bomb. This anti-personnel weapon was developed in the early 1950s and carried 35 milliliters of anthrax spores or another pathogen.

History

Around October 1953 the United States Air Force reoriented its biological warfare program. One result of this, in anti-personnel weaponry, was a move away from weapons such as the M33 cluster bomb to the lethal E61 anthrax bomb.^[1] The E61 was first developed in January 1951 as both an anti-personnel and anti-animal weapon capable of being clustered and dropped from a medium height.^[2] On March 5, 1954, a directive from the U.S. Department of Defense altered the course of the U.S. biological weapons program.^[3] The program shifted focus to developing munitions that were not only improved but those that could be delivered by high speed aircraft and balloon.^[3] The weapons referred to included the E61 bomblet.^[3]

Specifications

The E61 bomblet was a 1⁄2-pound (230 g)^[3] anti-personnel bomb designed to be carried in the E133 cluster bomb.^[4]^[5] The cluster bomb was designed to hold about 540 of the E61 anthrax bomblets.^[5]^[4] The E61 held about 35 milliliters (1.2 U.S. fl oz) of agent^[6] and a variety of pathogens could be used,^[5] generally anthrax spores.^[4]^[3] The E61 was perceived as superior to its predecessors, the M33 cluster bomb and its payload of M114 bombs.^[6]^[2] In fact, four of the smaller E61 bomblets produced twice the coverage area of the larger M114 bomb.^[6] Upon impact the E61 would detonate releasing an aerosol of its anthrax spore laden slurry into the air of its target area.^[5]

References

^ Whitby, Simon M. Biological Warfare Against Crops, (Google Books), Macmillan, 2002, pp. 114-15, (ISBN 0333920856).
^ ^a ^b Endicott, Stephen Lyon and Hagerman, Edward. The United States and Biological Warfare: Secrets from the Early Cold War and Korea, (Google Books), Indiana University Press, 1998, p. 72, (ISBN 0253334721).
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Guillemin, Jeanne. Biological Weapons: From the Invention of State-Sponsored Programs to Contemporary Bioterrorism, (Google Books), Columbia University Press, 2005, p. 101, (ISBN 0231129424).
^ ^a ^b ^c Cirincione, Joseph. Deadly Arsenals:, (Google Books), APH, New Delhi: 2004, p. 60, (ISBN 8176487325).
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Chauhan, Sharad. Biological Weapons, (Google Books), APH, New Delhi: 2004, p. 197, (ISBN 8176487325).
^ ^a ^b ^c Smart, Jeffery K. Medical Aspects of Chemical and Biological Warfare Archived 2012-08-26 at the Wayback Machine: Chapter 2 - History of Chemical and Biological Warfare: An American Perspective, (PDF: p. 51 - p.43 in PDF), Borden Institute, Textbooks of Military Medicine, PDF via Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, accessed December 28, 2008.

v t e United States biological weapons program
Weaponized agents	Anthrax Botulism Brucellosis Q fever Enterotoxin type B Rice blast Tularemia VEE Wheat stem rust
Researched agents	AHF BHF Bird flu CHIKV Dengue fever EEE Glanders Hantavirus Lassa fever Melioidosis VND Plague Potato blight Psittacosis Ricin RVF Rinderpest Smallpox Typhus WEE Yellow fever
Munitions	E120 bomblet E133 cluster bomb E14 munition E23 munition E48 particulate bomb E61 bomb E77 balloon bomb E86 cluster bomb E96 cluster bomb Flettner rotor bomblet M114 bomb M115 bomb M143 bomblet M33 cluster bomb
Operations and testing	Operation Sea-Spray Operation Big Buzz Operation Big Itch Operation Dark Winter Operation Dew Operation Drop Kick Operation LAC Operation Magic Sword Operation May Day Operation Polka Dot Operation Whitecoat Project 112 Project Bacchus
Facilities	U.S. Army Biological Warfare Labs Building 101 Building 257 Building 470 Deseret Test Center Dugway Proving Ground Fort Detrick Fort Douglas Fort Terry Granite Peak Installation Horn Island Testing Station One-Million-Liter Test Sphere Pine Bluff Arsenal Plum Island Animal Disease Center Vigo Ordnance Plant
Related topics	Biological agent Biological warfare Entomological warfare Soviet biological weapons program Korean War bio-warfare allegations List of topics U.S. biological weapons program U.S. biological defense program U.S. bio-weapons ban War Bureau of Consultants War Research Service

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