Durandal

Has the Durandal ever been used in combat? Is it still in the USAF inventory?

Dear Member,

A listing in Arm Force Journal International after the 1991 Gulf War shows the USAF as having dropped a number of DURANDALS. Also the anti-runway weapon used by the French Air Force against a Chad airfield used by the Libyans was the BAP-100 from the Jaguar and not the Durandal.

Finally, I did a report for the Popular Mechanics on the DURANDAL back in the 1980s. The main problem the USAF had with the French version was fusing. Also other antirunway weapons were rejected because they believed that they lacked the warhead to crater the heavy Russian runways that were in the Northern areas.

Jack E. Hammond

Slightly off topic but along the same lines

I meant to throw out a bit of info, did you guys know that the F111s and subsequently F15Es were supposed to be armed with the JP233? The USAF was part of the inital developemnt program to create a NATO wide dispenser system, along with germany belgium canada and the UK. The USAF pulled the plug in the late 70s everyone lost intrest and went there own way, the UK built the JP233, the germans produced the MW1 dispenser and the USAF went with Durundral and am not sure if the RCAF and the BAF intended to buy durundral but I fairly sure they didnt (can someone enlighten me?). Intrestingly to the JP233 system was designed to be modular ,with smaller aircraft (Jaguar Harrier F16s) Utilising the front portion and rear portions on different pylons, this may have been being touted as a replacement for the BL755 in RAF/RN service also.

Lebanon Airport

As far as Im aware the airport in beiruit was struck GBU-24 LGBs from medium altitude, I also remeber watching released footage from the Israeli Air Force showing the impacts at the Runway/Taxiway intersections. The concept of low level runway cratering sorties was a product of the cold war, they were to be honest a stepping stone to more advanced stand of dispenser that would not have placed the delivering aircraft within the range of the airfields terminal air defences (MGM-109/ The Tauraus Munition to name but two) with these weapons systems being so very very specialised they fared badly when having to change to a new operating enviroment and as such are little used AFAIK in modern operations, they to my mind are as un-predictable as a dumb munitions, there delivery altitude impinge a higher work load on the aircrew and place the aircraft in the heart of terminal air defences. Consider this with the latest laser and GPS guided munitions, which can accurately be placed on a runway from tens of kms away , in the releatively safe medium altitude enviroment, these systems can also deliver a higher amount of destructive force to the runway than say a load of Durundrals from low altitude. If I was an air commander I know what one I would choose!

Durandal

Durandal was used during the First Gulf War although I’m not absolutely certain by whom – France or Iraq. There was an unexploded one sticking out of the ground just outside the perimeter fence at the southern end of the runway at Ahmed al Jaber Air Base. It was there for some time after the Liberation and became something of a local landmark. The story goes that when the Iraqis invaded Kuwait in August 1990 they bombed the airfield using (French made) BAP-100 anti-runway bombs; the raid was intended to keep the Kuwaiti Air Force from taking off. It may well be that that was when the Durnadal was dropped although I’m not certain. The unexploded Durnadal was later blown up live on UK TV on the first anniversary of the Liberation – I still have a piece of it.

Durandal has also been used in a sub-Saharan country – I can’t remember where, but will find out.

eodda

Israeli Airforce attack on the International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon:

Interesting question. I would also like to know what armaments currently in the US inventory perform the same role.