Bombs, Cluster

General Description

A cluster bomb consists of the bomblets and a dispenser that holds the bomblets while in flight to the target area and then dispenses them over the target area. Some dispensers fall away from the aircraft and are stabilized in flight by fin assemblies. They use either mechanical timers or proximity fuzes that cause the submunitions to disperse at a predetermined height above the target. Multiple-piece dispensers open up and disperse the submunitions when the fuze detonates. Single-piece dispensers eject their submunitions out of ports or holes in the body when the fuze detonates. Attached dispensers stay with the aircraft and disperse their payload out the rear or from the bottom of the dispenser and can be reloaded and reused.

The submunitions include bomblets, grenades, and mines, which are filled with explosives, incendiary material, or chemical or biological agents. They may be antipersonnel, antimateriel, antitank, dual-purpose, incendiary, or chemical submunitions. The dispenser opens up while still in flight and “fires” the submunitions, which generally spread over a large area. Pressure, impact, movement, or disturbance causes the submunitions, depending on their intended use, to detonate. Some types of submunitions have an arming ribbon, parachute, or fin assembly to stabilize them in flight. Some submunitions contain a self-destruct fuze to destroy the submunition after the passage of a preset period of time in case it fails to detonate as intended.

The only cluster bomb with a “smart” capability is the CBU-97, Sensor Fuzed Weapon (SFW), produced by the United States in the 1990s. The SFW consists of a dispenser with 10 submunitions, each with 4 skeet-type warheads. After release, the dispenser disperses the parachute-stabilized submunitions. At a preset altitude, a rocket propels the submunition upward, which begins to spin as it climbs, dispensing the four skeet warheads randomly by centrifugal force. An infrared sensor in each warhead searches for a target and, on discovery, detonates over it, firing a kinetic fragment into [Page 233]the top of the target. If the skeet does not find a target after a preset time period, a sensor detonates the warhead above ground to spray the battlefield with myriad lethal fragments. This weapon is effective against armor and soft-skinned targets over an area of 4,800 square yards. The United States has only used the SFW in the April 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Origins and Development

The Germans developed the first cluster bombs during World War II. They consisted of a container that held between 6 and 108 submunitions of different types and burst open after release from an aircraft. The most well-known submunition was the 2-kilogram “Splitterbombe SD-2,” or Butterfly Bomb, to attack both civilian and military targets. The Luftwaffe used them in Britain, North Africa, and the Soviet Union.

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