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Snake eye bomb bins. Mk-15


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Hi all I have been trying to understand the different types of MK-15 fins. I  have come across what appears to be two different types but both are said to be MK-15 fins. In the top picture the fins have rectangular cutouts in the blades. In the second 2 pictures the blades do not have the rectangular cutouts. I am curious as to what the differences are for?  Is one set simply a more modern set than the other? Anyway just wondering. Also are Snake eye kits still in use today? Thanks all for  your time.

 

 

14024_41_1.jpg

 
Figure 1-28.—Fin release band for Mk 15 fin.

 

 

 

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Short answer;

 

All Mk 15 Snakeye Fin have notches. The fin pictured at the bottom is not a Mk 15, it is a Mk 14 Snakeye Fin used on the Mk 81 250 lb GP Bomb. The folks who put together the technical pubs are not technical experts on the items and quite often get things wrong. From time tot time they will use the wrong drawing since they don't know the technical details of the items.

 

If it has notches, it's a Mk  15, no notches, it's a Mk 14.

 

Currently, the Mk 15 fin is only used on the Mk 62 Quickstrike Mine, it is no longer used on GP Bombs (hasn't been for the past 15+ years).

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19 hours ago, bluedot25 said:

What if it has rectangular holes instead of notches...?  I think these are the latest and last incarnation of the snakeye fins...

D4856137-2744-41C3-A2AF-9F21129A595E.thumb.jpeg.c70d2ef37486bc5dd1f57a582f145037.jpeg

That is the BSU-86 fin for the 500-lb Mk-82 type bomb body.

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