BK-90 Mjoelnir

The BK-90 Mjoelnir is a gliding disposable bomb cassette, part of the BK-90 (Bomb Kapsel 90) weapon family. It was developed by the DASA company (Germany) primarily for the JAS-39 Gripen fighter of the Swedish Air Force.

Development and Origins

The PBK Mjoelnir was developed under the CWS (Container Weapon System) program by MBB (now DASA) in the 1980s. The CWS project was based on the MW-1 submunition dispenser, used on the German Air Force’s Tornado fighter. Its design incorporated nose and tail modules, various warhead options, and wings that allowed for short-distance gliding.

The Mjoelnir features a rectangular fuselage with short wings and stabilizers at each corner of the fuselage at the tail. Similar to the MW-1 in its submunition dispersal method, the BK-90 contains 12 tubular guides on each side, each firing munitions in both directions perpendicular to the cassette’s flight path.

Operational Capabilities

This PBK is designed for deployment from low altitudes at high speed, allowing the aircraft to target precisely using INS navigation and radar. The PBK Mjoelnir can also be dropped from high altitudes to increase its range, with an additional GPS/INS navigation capability. The low-altitude release range is up to 8 km, while at high altitude, it can reach up to 22 km.

Submunition Types

Upon opening over the target, the BK-90 ejects submunitions from its tubular guides, which deploy mini-parachutes to stabilize their descent. The approximate coverage area is 250 by 400 meters. There are two main types of submunitions: the MJ-1 and the MJ-2.

The MJ-1 is a 4 kg fragmentation submunition with an airburst, designed to attack personnel and lightly armored targets; each cassette contains 48 units (two per guide). The MJ-2, on the other hand, is an 18 kg anti-tank submunition, with 24 units per cassette.

The BK-90 Mjoelnir family, also referred to by DASA as DWS (Dispenser Weapon System), includes the DWS-24 (where 24 indicates the number of tubular guides). DASA also offers other variants of the BK-90 of different sizes and weights, such as the 400 kg DWS-16 with 16 guides, the 1000 kg DWS-40 with 40 guides, and the 1400 kg DWS-60 with 60 guides.