Who produced the biggest explosions of the Vietnam War?

Short answer

The giant conventional bombs dropped from C-130 transports under the Commando Vault program: the 15,000 lb (6,800 kg) BLU-82B, with 12,600 lb (5,700 kg) of GSX slurry, and the 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) M121 with an 8,050 lb (3,650 kg) Tritonal warhead.

Published: November 1, 2026 · Updated: November 1, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Who produced the biggest explosions of the Vietnam War?

BLU-82B Daisy Cutter Bomb

Commando Vault: bombs from a transport

In October 1968, a C-130 crew from the 29th Tactical Airlift Squadron carried out a series of test drops guided by MSQ-77 radar controllers. In March 1969, the 463rd launched Project Commando Vault and the drops became routine. The BLU-82/B was first used in Vietnam on 23 March 1970, and for the rest of the war the USAF used it in tactical airlift operations called Commando Vault.

The BLU-82B, 15,000 lb

The BLU-82B/C-130 weapon system, known through the Commando Vault program and nicknamed "Daisy Cutter," was a conventional 15,000 lb bomb dropped from a C-130 or MC-130, capable of flattening a patch of forest into a helicopter landing zone. Its 15,000 lb (6,800 kg) included 12,600 lb (5,700 kg) of low-cost GSX slurry, based on ammonium nitrate, aluminum powder, and polystyrene. It was originally designed to blast an instant clearing in the jungles of Vietnam, where it was tested in drops.

The M121 and its blast radius

The M121 weighed 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) and carried an 8,050 lb (3,650 kg) Tritonal warhead. Its destructive shock-wave diameter reached 60 meters, with stunning effects on personnel up to 500 meters away.