CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon

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A CBU-105 munition is loaded to a B-52H Stratofortress

The CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon is a

precision-guided weapon, and the combination is designated CBU-105.[1]

Overview

The CBU-97 consists of an SUU-66/B tactical munition dispenser that contains 10

explosively-formed penetrator downwards at them.[citation needed
]

Operation

The 40 Skeets scan an area of 1,500 by 500 feet (460 m × 150 m) using

unexploded munitions
, and result in an unexploded-ordnance rate of less than 1%.

As the CBU-97 approaches its designated aim-point, the dispenser skin is severed into three panels by an

rocket motor
that stops its descent and spins it on its longitudinal axis, and releases Skeets 90 degrees apart, in pairs. Each spinning Skeet makes a coning motion that allows it to scan a circular area on the ground.

The

armored division with these bombs, where in the past dozens of aircraft would have had to drop hundreds of bombs for the same effect.[3]

The CBU-97, or CBU-105 version, is deployed by tactical aircraft from altitudes of 200 to 20,000 feet (60 to 6,100 m)

Above Ground Level (AGL) at speeds of 250 to 650 knots (460 to 1,200 km/h).[4]

History

The weapon has been in production since 1992 and it was first deployed, but not used, during

Operation Allied Force when NATO entered the Kosovo War. Sensor-fused weapons were first fired in combat during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.[citation needed
]

In 2010 the US government announced the sale to India of 512 CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapons.[2] The expected platform is the SEPECAT Jaguar.[5]

Saudi Arabia has also requested the CBU-105.

Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.[7][8]

The United States last bought SFWs in 2007, after which it continued to be produced for export. In September 2016, Textron announced it would no longer produce the weapon, citing low demand as well as international controversy over the use of cluster munitions.[9]

Operators

In addition to the United States, the CBU-105 has been ordered by India, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.[10]

General characteristics

Per globalsecurity.org:[4]

  • Type: Freefall bomb
  • Weight: 927 pounds (420 kg)
  • Name: CBU-97 Sensor Fused Weapon (SFW)
  • Length: 92 inches (234 cm)
  • Diameter: 15.6 inches (40 cm)
  • Dispenser: SW-65 tactical dispenser
  • Bomblets: 10 × BLU-108/B
  • Warhead: Armour Piercing
  • Unit Cost: $360,000 - baseline [$ FY90]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Lockheed Martin WCMD". www.designation-systems.net. Archived from the original on 2011-08-06. Retrieved 2006-09-12.
  2. ^ a b ABC: United States announced the sale to India-based 521 CBU-105 cluster bombs, 2011-08-30 Archived 2012-07-24 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Targeting Tanks with Smart Cluster Bombs". ABC News. 7 January 2006. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  4. ^ a b Pike, John. "CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon - Dumb Bombs". www.globalsecurity.org. Archived from the original on 2006-08-22. Retrieved 2006-09-27.
  5. ^ Hoyle2011-02-10T06:00:00+00:00, Craig. "AERO INDIA: Textron launches production of CBU-105 sensor fuzed weapon for India". Flight Global. Retrieved 2023-02-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Hoyle, Craig. "" Archived 2012-07-29 at the Wayback Machine Flight Magazine. June 15, 2011.
  7. ^ "Kampf gegen Huthi-Rebellen: Arabische Bodentruppen im Jemen? | tagesschau.de". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
  8. ^ Shelbayah, Ben Brumfield,Slma (2015-05-03). "Report: Saudi Arabia used U.S.-supplied cluster bombs in Yemen". CNN. Retrieved 2023-02-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Why the last U.S. company making cluster bombs won’t produce them anymore. The Washington Post. 2 September 2016.
  10. ^ "Air Weapons: Hockey Pucks From Hell". strategypage.com. Retrieved 2023-02-22.

External links

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