OVERVIEW: The Mk36 Destructor (DST) is a sea‑laid bottom mine derived from the Mk82 500‑lb general‑purpose bomb, equipped with a modular mine conversion kit allowing rapid deployment. It serves as a quick-response submarine or aircraft-deployed mine using existing bomb stockpiles.

DETAILS: “Destructor” refers to the modular kit Mk36 for Mk82, Mk40 for Mk83, and Mk41 for Mk84 bombs converted using the Mk75 kit integrating fuze, arming device, booster, battery, and magnetic-influence firing mechanism. The Mk36 contains approximately 196 lb of H‑6 explosive, housed in the Mk82 casing, and can be delivered with retarded or free-fall methods using fin kits. Developed during the Vietnam War, DST mines were intended for anti-ship bottom mining in littorals and waterways, enabling flexible mine warfare using standard aircraft munitions.

FUNCTION: Deployed by aircraft or submarines, the Mk36 sinks to the seabed and uses its magnetic-influence fuze to detect nearby vessels. When a ship passes overhead, its magnetic field triggers detonation, sinking or disabling the target ship.

NOTE:
IOC: 1968
Operators: United States Navy, United States Air Force
Platforms: Aircraft (P-3 Orion, F‑111, others), submarines (via vertical launch systems)
Conflict used in: Vietnam War (limited use), Cold War contingency operations; no confirmed wartime naval losses

SOURCE: GlobalSecurity.org MK36 DST profile: https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/mk36.htm ; USN Mine Warfare Manual MCWP 3‑3.1.2 ; cmano‑db.com listing; TPUB Destructors technical manual.