The US Biological Warfare Balloon Bomb: The E77

I've been researching the history of past UK, and to a smaller extent, US Biological Warfare experiments that were conducted in public areas, and have just discovered an exotic type of US BW munition that was developed during the 1951-1960?

The weapon was called the E77 biological munitions system or E77 Biological Balloon Bomb. It was a development of the WW2 Japanese balloon bombs that were designed to be carried from Japan to the west coast of the US by the Pacific jet stream.

It is known that the US E77 Biological Bomb was extensively tested at a site in California during 1954 where the munition demonstrated that it's military characteristics had been met. More extensive testing continued throughout the Fifties.

It is known that the University of Minnesota were contracted to this munition programme.

I remember seeing a Discovery programme a few years back that dealt with the Japanese incendiary balloon bombs, which I think included a reconstruction of a bomb/balloon.

Does anyone out there remember seeing a photograph or film of the US E77?


zero lift