These bombs can also be provided with Mk 15 Snakeye fins to retard their fall. These four metal tail blades (mostly added to Mk 82s) open on launch to provide time for the Hornet to clear the area ahead of the fragmentation envelopes of low-level bombing run blasts. Another modification is the BDU-54 "balute" (a balloon-parachute combination). "Slick" versions (non-retarded) have less drag and are used for higher altitude deliveries or lofting. The F/A-18 can also carry two 5 kT-10 kT B57 fission or 10 kT-100 kT B61 boosted fission tactical nuclear weapons. Needless to say, a nuclear strike is not a typically envisaged Hornet mission.
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4.3.1.2 Cluster Bombs
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Cluster bomb units are submunition weapons that deliver bomblets, fuel air exposives (FAE) or mines from altitudes of 400 to 40,000 feet. With the exception of sensor-fuzed weapons, they are unguided munitions designed to cover wide areas using various detonation methods against both general and specific target types. The most common CBU dispenser is the clamshell-shaped Mk 7.
