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In September 1966, the U.S. Army’s top headquarters in South Vietnam told aviation units they were formally allowed to turn UH-1 helicopters into impromptu bombers. Yet for months already, Huey crews had been dropping modified mortar bombs on enemy positions.
The crews dubbed their creation the Mortar Aerial Delivery System (MADS), and some gave the choppers with the new gear installed the nickname “Mad Bombers.”
“Its simplicity of installation and operation provides a new dimension of fire support when difficult targets in mountainous areas are discovered,” one 1967 report from the 1st Cavalry Division declared.
To say the system was simple would be generous. The original setup devised by troops from the 173rd Airborne Brigade and 145th Aviation Battalion was little more than an open-topped wooden chute mounted in the main cabin of either short-fuselage UH-1B/C gunships or the longer UH-1D/H transports. The entire assembly held 20 modified 81mm high explosive mortar rounds.The procedure to turn them into small air-dropped bombs was relatively easy. Ground crews would first remove the projectile’s nose and base fuzes, as well as the propellant charges. Then they would install a World War II-era M158 bomb fuze, which would detonate the mortar-bomb’s explosive charge on impact. These fuzes had been available during World War II and Korea for use on a variety of larger weapons, including the 115-pound M70 and M70A1 mustard gas bombs.
Delivering the bombs was a similarly uncomplicated procedure. At one end of the chute, technicians had cut a slot and slipped in a removable plywood board. At the right moment, a member of the crew would manually pull this stopper out and the mortar bombs would just roll out.
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I never heard of this but it seems a good idea!
In September 1966, the U.S. Army’s top headquarters in South Vietnam told aviation units they were formally allowed to turn UH-1 helicopters into impromptu bombers. Yet for months already, Huey crews had been dropping modified mortar bombs on enemy positions.
The crews dubbed their creation the Mortar Aerial Delivery System (MADS), and some gave the choppers with the new gear installed the nickname “Mad Bombers.”
“Its simplicity of installation and operation provides a new dimension of fire support when difficult targets in mountainous areas are discovered,” one 1967 report from the 1st Cavalry Division declared.
To say the system was simple would be generous. The original setup devised by troops from the 173rd Airborne Brigade and 145th Aviation Battalion was little more than an open-topped wooden chute mounted in the main cabin of either short-fuselage UH-1B/C gunships or the longer UH-1D/H transports. The entire assembly held 20 modified 81mm high explosive mortar rounds.The procedure to turn them into small air-dropped bombs was relatively easy. Ground crews would first remove the projectile’s nose and base fuzes, as well as the propellant charges. Then they would install a World War II-era M158 bomb fuze, which would detonate the mortar-bomb’s explosive charge on impact. These fuzes had been available during World War II and Korea for use on a variety of larger weapons, including the 115-pound M70 and M70A1 mustard gas bombs.
Delivering the bombs was a similarly uncomplicated procedure. At one end of the chute, technicians had cut a slot and slipped in a removable plywood board. At the right moment, a member of the crew would manually pull this stopper out and the mortar bombs would just roll out.
I never heard of this but it seems a good idea!
statistics: Posted by Rebcop — 5:52 AM - 1 day ago — Replies 0 — Views 58