CBU-97 SFW

The CBU-97 entered production in 1992, having been designed during the Cold War for strikes against armored formations. While the United States concluded domestic procurement in 2007, the system remained in production for export until 2016, when manufacturing ceased due to low demand and international controversy regarding cluster munitions.

The system is a freefall cluster bomb unit consisting of an SUU-66/B tactical munition dispenser containing 10 BLU-108 submunitions. Each submunition carries four sensor-fused Skeet projectiles. During operation, the dispenser skin is severed by an explosive charge, allowing the submunitions to be ejected. The submunitions deploy parachutes to achieve separation before rocket motors arrest their descent and initiate a spin to release the Skeets in pairs. Each Skeet utilizes infrared and laser sensors to identify targets via pattern-matching; the laser detects vehicle contours while the infrared sensors identify heat signatures. Upon target detection, the Skeet fires an explosively-formed penetrator downward to strike the upper armor of vehicles, such as main battle tanks and armored personnel carriers. The system includes a primary self-destruct mechanism and a redundant timer to disable munitions that fail to find a target, resulting in an unexploded ordnance rate of less than 1%. The CBU-105 variant incorporates a Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser tail kit for precision guidance.

The weapon is operated by the United States and has been exported to several nations, including India, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Oman, South Korea, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. India integrated the system for use with the SEPECAT Jaguar. The weapon was first deployed during Operation Allied Force and saw its initial combat application during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In 2015, the use of the CBU-105 by Saudi Arabian forces during the intervention in Yemen was reported and criticized by international observers.