The color of USAF LGB's

The Guidance Control Unit (GCU) is usually anodized, not painted. If they are different colors, you are probably looking at different weapons/contol/airfoil groups. Can you point us at a picture?..

Michael,

The USAF does not paint their bombs. The bombs come from the factory painted the way you see them in photos.

Also, in order to accurately answer your question, I would need to know 'exactly' what area you are referring to.

Are you talking about the area where the fins are attached to the guidance section, or the actual seeker head that is at the most forward point of the guidance section?

As Rufus has asked, do you have a photo you can send to reference?

Dave

This is a manufacturer's variant. Five different manufacturers may make the guidance section. All of which may use slightly diff parts. So long as the item maintains form and function, the Air Force doesn't care about those little variations. So as to it's true color... Pick any one you see on the web. Keep in mind (munition colors)... White is usually Navy Orange is a test color (may be more test colors) Blue or blue stripes means inert non explosive Yellow stripes mean live explosive That's just a few of the colors

Mike AMMO IYAAYAS

Never seen a white GCU on an Navy LGB yet - OD-ish, or "clear" anodized metal.

Ahhh..."flight test orange"...

I'm not sure if the GCUs come in white in the Navy. I didn't mean to imply that all Navy weapons and their components were white. I'm going off my own experience as a munitions guy (11+ yrs AMMO and counting) in the Air Force. Any time we have a white munition, it's always been a Navy asset. I haven't seen all of their assets. And I don't think I've ever seen clear anodized metal either - not sure where you got that from. The orange comes from what I've seen during field test of the JDAM at Edwards and a few tests at Eglin.

Not really sure where I picked up the term "clear anodized"...probably in a metal shop class somewhere. It's a term for an anodized finish that lets most if not all of the base color of the metal show through, vice a colored surface. Aluminum can be electronically anodized, but still be silver, for example. (Come to think of it now, I haven't used that term myself in years.)

I've been at it for about 18 years as a civie with the USN and USMC, and have yet to encounter a white GCU...except on some developmental types which aren't or weren't fielded. DAMASK is one I can think of...can't think of any other white munitions - other than Mk20/CBU-99/100's, Walleye, Shrike, Harpoon, HARM, or other early A/A missiles; but those aren't laser guided. Certainly all of the USN laser guided A/G munitions I've delt with have had OD-ish or metallic GCU's (aladine, possibly). And most of the newer ones (like GBU-24) have been Joint developments. Only the bomb bodies vary, from what I've seen. If ou've been working at Eglin, yeah - I could see how you'd come across a big lot of shared assets.

Next time you're at Edwards, look me up...

The few Navy assets I did see were Mk20 and CBU's but can't remember which type. There were various missiles also but have no idea what they were - the navy stuff usually came in and right back out again. I dealt with that stuff at Ellsworth in South Dakota of all places - completely landlocked state. Go figure. Not sure if I'll ever make it back to Edwards. If I do, I'll have to bring the family with. That was my first time seeing the night sky in the pitch black desert - an amazing sight that should be on everyone's to-do list at least once.

Mike

Good question. Seems like there's a band of reddish paint around the nose guidance unit in the area where the fins attach. It doesn't seem to depend on the tonnage, because it seems like the same seeker unit can be attached to a 500- or 2000- pounder. I've seen it both ways, and it might depend on production batch.

Yeah - even darker at sea...really a thing to behold. And how you can look up and actually see satellites there amongst the stars - I used to have one timed and memorized...came overhead here most nights about

Funny how some of the simplest, most fundemental parts of life can sneak up and get your attention when you're not "looking".