Daisy Cutter (detonator)
A "Daisy Cutter" detonator ( English daisy cutter ' Gänseblümchenschneider ') is an extension tube with which the impact detonator of a conventional high-explosive bomb (eg the Mark 82 series) is triggered before the bomb hits the ground. The ignition close to the ground - similar to proximity fuze - achieves an optimal effect of pressure waves and splinters parallel to the target surface. Similar mechanical distance fuses were already used by the Germans in the First and Second World Wars (see also Dinort rod ).
The daisy-cutter detonators were first used by the US in the Vietnam War to use heavy bombs that detonated above the ground to strike clearings in the jungle without creating large craters. The free space created in this way was sufficient to drop soldiers or equipment with helicopters . Depending on their intended use, these detonators are only used for high-explosive bombs, for example the American Mark 82 and Mark 83 (which, however, are normally equipped with conventional detonators).
The best-known application of this technique is the American BLU-82 / B . In contrast to other bombs that also use this ignition system, this bomb was originally developed specifically for clearing clearings and for this reason is always equipped with a daisy-cutter detonator, while this detonator is only an option for other bombs.