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Navigation: Fuzes > Bombs, Clusters and Dispensers > United States

Nose, Impact, AN-M126, AN-M126A1, M126

Description

Fuze AN-M126A1 (or AN-M126) is an impact type vane operated and delay armed nose fuze. It detonates the bomb instantaneously upon impact. Instead of a booster, this fuze has a steel cylinder. The cylinder contains a firing train consisting of a primer, an upper detonator and a lower detonator. (In certain chemical bombs the train is seated against the tetryl burster.) The AN-M126, the earlier model, has more teeth on the gears than the AN-M126A1 and requires 570 vane revolutions to arm as opposed to 325 revolutions in the AN-M126A1. Fuze AN-M126 has three safety blocks, each a 120° segment. In the unarmed position, the arming sleeve fits into a groove in the blocks. This prevents the blocks from falling out. Fuze AN-M126A1 has one safety block.

Fuze AN-M126A1 is 1 .75 inches in diameter and 3.25 inches long. A cylindrical case encloses the working parts . An arming vane hub with an arming vane attached, a striker fastened to the head of a firing pin and a C-shaped safety block are located at the nose end of the fuze. A detonator holder containing the detonator is located at tail end. The safety block is held in the unarmed fuze by an arming sleeve screwed into the arming-vane hub . A 33-tooth vanehub gear is fastened to the inner end of the arming-vane hub and meshes with a pinion. A 34-tooth arming-sleeve gear is fastened to the inner gear of the arming sleeve and meshes with the pinion . The firing pin and firing pin spring extend from the nose of the fuze through the arming sleeve and the two gears into the opening above the detonator. A retaining pin holds the firing pin in the fuze. The arming vane is prevented from turning by a safety wire which is threaded through holes in two arming wire guides. One of the guides is attached to the fuze case ; the other, to the arming vane .