(Note: this was not the first use of such devices. One notable example is the ' daisy cutter' fuse used on Vietnam-era American weapons, an extended probe designed to ensure that the bomb would detonate on contact (even with foliage) rather than burying itself in earth or mud, which would reduce its effectiveness. GP bombs can be fitted with a variety of fuses and fins for different uses. To address this problem, GP bombs are often fitted with retarders, parachutes or pop-out fins that slow the bomb's descent to allow the aircraft time to escape the detonation. In low-altitude attacks, there is a danger of the attacking aircraft being caught in the blast of its own weapons. Most modern air-dropped GP bombs are designed to minimize drag for the carrier aircraft.

In many cases this is strictly a nominal weight, or caliber, and the actual weight of each individual weapon may vary depending on its retardation, fusing, carriage, and guidance systems. General-purpose bombs are often identified by their weight (e.g., 500 lb, 250 kg). The GP bomb is a common weapon of fighter bomber and attack aircraft because it is useful for a variety of tactical applications and relatively cheap. The British term for a bomb of this type is 'medium case' or 'medium capacity', abbreviated to MC. General-purpose (GP) bombs use a thick-walled metal casing with explosive filler (typically TNT, Composition B, or Tritonal in NATO or United States service) composing about 50% of the bomb's total weight. 3.1 Modern American GP bombs: the Mark 80 series.

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