CBU-24
Summary
| Category | Cluster Munition |
| Sub-type | Cluster bomb |
| Origin country | 🇺🇸 United States |
Technical specifications
| Warhead | Fragmentation submunitions |
| Guidance | Unguided |
CBU-24 scale diagram
Operators
Carried by
Description
The CBU-24 cluster bomb was developed in the 1960s to meet requirements for a tactical area-denial and anti-personnel weapon system.
The weapon is an unguided, free-fall cluster bomb. It utilizes an SUU-30 dispenser containing BLU-26 or BLU-36 antipersonnel fragmentation submunitions, which are spherical bomblets designed to scatter over a broad footprint. Following release from an aircraft, a mechanical timer fuze initiates the opening of the dispenser canister in mid-air, allowing centrifugal force to distribute the submunitions. The submunitions detonate upon impact or after a preset delay, dispersing shrapnel to disable personnel and unarmored targets.
The CBU-24 was widely deployed by the United States military. It was used extensively during the Vietnam War, where forces employed it against personnel, supply lines, and air defense radar sites.