CBU-1, CBU-2 confusion

[Stickler]

Various places in the game and the manual provide different nomenclature regarding CBU-1, CBU-2 and their respective submunitions, including compared to RL documentation, leading to confusion.

	Loadout/F6/.acmi	Debriefing	RL bomblet
CBU-1A/A	BLU-4B	Bomblets BLU-3B x 27, HE	BLU-4A/B, BLU-4/B
CBU-2/A	BLU-3	Bomblets BLU-3B x 19, HE	BLU-3/B
CBU-2B/A	BLU-3B	Bomblets BLU-3B x 22, HE	BLU-3/B

First, I have not found a RL reference indicating that the BLU-3 and BLU-3/B were different bomblets.

Second, the game manual (Cluster Bombs - Heatblur F-4E Phantom II) states that the CBU-1, CBU-2 are "Dispensers with 19 tubes each loaded with either 27 BLU-4B, 19 BLU-3 or 22 BLU-3B HE bomblets".

RL sources (reference bulletpicker.com/pdf/CBU.pdf and the below screenshots from T.O. 1F-4C-34-1-1, 15 MARCH 1970, CHANGE 9 - 26 JANUARY 1973) seem to indicate that the CBU-1A/A has 19 loaded (of 19) tubes with 509 bomblets, the CBU-2/A has 17 loaded (of 19) tubes with 360 bomblets, while the CBU-2B/A has 19 loaded (of 19 tubes) for 409 bomblets.

Looking at dcs-lua-datamine/_G/weapons_table/weapons/bombs at master · Quaggles/dcs-lua-datamine · GitHub, I assume "27, 19 or 22" bomblets refers to the number of bomblets that each tube contains in the game. These numbers, multiplied with 19 tubes, result in the approximate RL bomblets for each dispenser. The reference is probably not meant to be to the exact RL number of bomblets in each tube, because that number differed between tubes.

Unless someone has RL sources that indicate otherwise, I therefore suggest:

• to insert the slash where appropriate (e.g. "BLU-4/B" instead of "BLU-4B"),
• to rename the BLU-3 to "BLU-3/B",
• to rename the "BLU-3B" ejected from the CBU-1A/A as per the debriefing screen to "BLU-4A/B" or "BLU-4/B",
• to make it clear, at least in the manual, that "27, 19 or 22" bomblets refer to the number of bomblets in each tube in the game, whereas that number IRL was not the same for all tubes.

Edited June 22, 2024 by Stickler