What type of bomb has an explosive weight of approximately 50 percent of the total weight?

The correct answer pertains to General Purpose (GP) bombs, which are designed to be versatile and effective against a variety of targets. Generally, a GP bomb comprises about 50 percent of its total weight in explosives, making it effective for both surface-level and deeper penetrative attacks. This balance between explosive material and casing allows GP bombs to create significant damage upon detonation while being easier to carry and deploy.

In contrast, the other types of bombs serve specific purposes that dictate different explosive weight ratios or construction characteristics. For instance, penetrator bombs are designed for deep penetration into bunkers or hardened targets, often featuring a denser structure but not a balanced weight in explosive content. Cluster munitions disperse smaller submunitions and do not conform to a single explosive-weight-to-total-weight ratio like GP bombs. Laser-guided bombs have guidance systems but also may vary in the proportion of explosive material depending on the technology used for targeting and delivery.