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65-500: The BLU-108 is an air-delivered submunition , containing four further smart "Skeet" warheads. The system is manufactured by Textron Systems Weapon & Sensor Systems since 1992. The BLU-108 is released from a munitions dispenser, with a parachute being used to slow its descent. It then fires the four rapidly rotating skeets, which use multi-mode optical sensors to identify a variety of targets ranging from tanks and missile launchers to railway locomotives and stationary aircraft. When

130-478: A Laser JDAM (LJDAM) to provide both types of guidance in a single kit. Based on the existing JDAM configurations, a laser guidance package is added to a GPS/INS guided weapon to increase the overall accuracy of the weapons. Raytheon has developed the Enhanced Paveway family, which adds GPS/INS guidance to their Paveway family of laser-guidance packages. These "hybrid" laser and GPS guided weapons permit

195-574: A Lebanese village, on 19 July which killed 1 civilian and injured 12, including 7 children. The Israeli "army defended ... the use of cluster munitions in its offensive with Lebanon , saying that using such munitions was 'legal under international law ' and the army employed them 'in accordance with international standards ' ". Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mark Regev added, "[I]f NATO countries stock these weapons and have used them in recent conflicts – in FR Yugoslavia , Afghanistan and Iraq –

260-409: A cheaper lightweight PGM suitable for use against vehicles and other small targets, while a Paveway III 2000-pound penetrator (such as GBU-24) is a more expensive weapon suitable for use against high-value targets. GBU-12s were used to great effect in the first Gulf War , dropped from F-111F aircraft to destroy Iraqi armored vehicles in a process referred to as "tank plinking." Lessons learned during

325-613: A conflict has ended, and are costly to locate and remove. This failure rate ranges from 2 percent to 40 percent or more. Cluster munitions are prohibited for those nations that ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions , adopted in Dublin , Ireland, in May 2008. The Convention entered into force and became binding international law upon ratifying states on 1 August 2010, six months after being ratified by 30 states. As of 10 February 2022,

390-555: A guidance system which is usually monitored and controlled from an external device. A guided bomb of a given weight must carry fewer explosives to accommodate the guidance mechanisms. The Germans were first to introduce Precision Guided Munitions (PGMs) in combat, using the 1,400-kg (3,100 lb) MCLOS -guidance Fritz X to successfully attack the Italian battleship Roma in September 1943. The closest Allied equivalents were

455-526: A highly combustible thermobaric aerosol that results in a high pressure explosion when ignited. Anti-personnel cluster bombs use explosive fragmentation to kill troops and destroy soft (unarmored) targets. Along with incendiary cluster bombs, these were among the first types of cluster bombs produced by Nazi Germany during World War II. They were used during the Blitz with delay and booby-trap fusing to hamper firefighting and other damage-control efforts in

520-487: A large scale, by the British forces during the 1982 Falklands War . The first large-scale use of smart weapons came in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm when they were used by coalition forces against Iraq . Even so, most of the air-dropped ordnance used in that war was "dumb," although the percentages are biased by the large use of various (unguided) cluster bombs . Laser-guided weapons were used in large numbers during

585-626: A misleading picture during the war of the extent to which cluster weapons were being used and of the civilian casualties they were causing." On 26 April, General Richard Myers , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the US had caused only one civilian casualty. During the Israeli-Lebanese conflict in 1982 , Israel used cluster munitions, many of them American-made, on targets in southern Lebanon. Israel also used cluster bombs in

650-747: A report on incidents in Sri Lanka between January and May 2009 that could constitute violations of international humanitarian law or crimes against humanity. This report documented the use of cluster munitions by Sri Lanka’s government forces. Photos and eyewitness accounts described the use of such weapons in several attacks on civilian areas, including an incident on March 7, 2009, in Valayanmadam , where two cluster bombs exploded, causing significant civilian casualties and injuries. The reports suggest that cluster munitions were used in areas declared as safe zones for civilians. According to Gordon Weiss, who

715-679: A report prepared by Lionel Beehner for the Council on Foreign Relations, the United States restocked Israel's arsenal of cluster bombs, triggering a State Department investigation to determine whether Israel had violated secret agreements it had signed with the United States on their use. As Haaretz reported in November 2006, the Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz wanted to launch an investigation into

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780-834: A section of road near the Jonglei state capital, Bor. The strategic town was the scene of heavy fighting, changing hands several times during the South Sudanese Civil War , which erupted in the capital Juba on 15 December 2013 before spreading to other parts of the country. According to UNMAS, the site was contaminated with the remnants of up to eight cluster bombs and an unknown quantity of bomblets. Human Rights Watch reported that "Ukrainian government forces used cluster munitions in populated areas in Donetsk city in early October 2014." Also "circumstances indicate that anti-government forces might also have been responsible for

845-655: A single mission; the Thanh Hoa Bridge , for instance, was attacked repeatedly with gravity bombs, to no effect, only to be dropped in one mission with PGMs. Although not as popular as the newer JDAM and JSOW weapons, or even the older laser-guided bomb systems, weapons like the AGM-62 Walleye TV-guided bomb are still being used, in conjunction with the AAW-144 Data Link Pod, on US Navy F/A-18 Hornets . In World War II,

910-662: A total of 123 states have joined the Convention, as 110 states parties and 13 signatories. The first significantly operationally used cluster bomb was the German SD-2 or Sprengbombe Dickwandig 2 kg , commonly referred to as the Butterfly Bomb . It was used in World War II to attack both civilian and military targets, including on Tokyo and Kyushu . The technology was developed independently by

975-512: A violation of American law. Carter's administration prepared to notify Congress that American weapons were being used illegally, which would have resulted in military aid to Israel being cut off. The American consul in Jerusalem informed the Israeli government of their plans and, according to Carter, Prime Minister Begin said that the operation was over. During the 16-year-long conflict on

1040-553: Is a form of air-dropped or ground-launched explosive weapon that releases or ejects smaller submunitions. Commonly, this is a cluster bomb that ejects explosive bomblets that are designed to kill personnel and destroy vehicles. Other cluster munitions are designed to destroy runways or electric power transmission lines. Because cluster bombs release many small bomblets over a wide area, they pose risks to civilians both during attacks and afterwards. Unexploded bomblets can kill or maim civilians and/or unintended targets long after

1105-464: Is possible to jam GPS, the guidance package reverts to inertial navigation in the event of GPS signal loss. Inertial navigation is significantly less accurate; the JDAM achieves a published circular error probable (CEP) of 13 m under GPS guidance, but typically only 30 m under inertial guidance (with free fall times of 100 seconds or less). The precision of these weapons is dependent both on

1170-712: The 2006 Lebanon War . Two types of cluster munitions were transferred to Israel from the U.S. The first was the CBU-58 which uses the BLU-63 bomblet. This cluster bomb is no longer in production. The second was the MK-20 Rockeye, produced by Honeywell Incorporated in Minneapolis. The CBU-58 was used by Israel in Lebanon in both 1978 and 1982. The Israeli Defense company Israel Military Industries also manufactures

1235-632: The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war . The Armenian-populated city of Stepanakert came under bombardment throughout the war, beginning on the first day. Human Rights Watch reported that residential neighborhoods in Stepanakert which lacked any identifiable military targets were hit by the Azerbaijani Army with cluster munitions. Human Rights Watch also identified Azerbaijani usage of cluster munitions in Hadrut . Human Rights Watch also reported

1300-578: The BOLT-117 , in 1968. GBU-12 Paveway IIs were used to great effect in the first Gulf War , dropped from F-111F aircraft to destroy Iraqi armored vehicles in a process referred to as " tank plinking ". Lessons learned during the first Gulf War showed the value of guided bombs, with precision-guided munitions accounting for 70% of munitions expended during Operation Enduring Freedom . Responding to after-action reports from pilots who employed laser and/or satellite guided weapons, Boeing has developed

1365-580: The CBU-94/B , was first used by the U.S. in the Kosovo War in 1999. These consist of a TMD (Tactical Munitions Dispenser) filled with 202 submunitions. Each submunition contains a small explosive charge that disperses 147 reels of fine conductive fiber of either carbon or aluminum-coated glass. Their purpose is to disrupt and damage electric power transmission systems by producing short circuits in high-voltage power lines and electrical substations . On

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1430-812: The Gulf War , the United States, France, and the United Kingdom dropped 61,000 cluster bombs, containing 20 million submunitions, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). The US accounted for 57,000 of these droppings. The US Department of Defense estimated that 1.2 to 1.5 million submunitions did not explode. According to human rights organizations, unexploded submunitions have caused over 4,000 civilian casualties, including 1,600 deaths, in Iraq and Kuwait. 2003–2006 : United States and allies attacked Iraq with 13,000 cluster munitions, containing two million submunitions during Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to

1495-652: The HRW . The majority were DPICMs, or Dual-purpose improved conventional munitions . At multiple times, coalition forces used cluster munitions in residential areas, and the country remains among the most contaminated to this day, bomblets posing a threat to both US military personnel in the area, and local civilians. When these weapons were fired on Baghdad on 7 April 2003 many of the bomblets failed to explode on impact. Afterward, some of them exploded when touched by civilians. USA Today reported that "the Pentagon presented

1560-732: The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia , in 1999, of which the Royal Air Force dropped 531 RBL755 cluster bombs. Both the Americans and the British utilised cluster bombs. On 7 May 1999, between the time of 11:30 and 11:40, a NATO attack was carried out with two containers of cluster bombs and fell in the central part of the city: Reports claimed that 15 civilians were killed, 8 civilians were seriously injured, 11 civilians had sustained minor injuries, 120 housing units were damaged and 47 were destroyed and that 15 cars were damaged. Overall during

1625-493: The Russian Air Force of using RBK-250 cluster bombs during the conflict. A high-ranking Russian military official denied use of cluster bombs. The Dutch government, after investigating the death of a Dutch citizen, claimed that a cluster munition was propelled by an 9K720 Iskander tactical missile (used by Russia at the time of conflict, and not used by Georgia). In 2009, the U.S. Department of State prepared

1690-615: The Syrian uprising , a few videos of cluster bombs first appeared in 2011, but escalated in frequency near the end of 2012. As Human Rights Watch reported on 13 October 2012, " Eliot Higgins , who blogs on military hardware and tactics used in Syria under the pseudonym 'Brown Moses', compiled a list of the videos showing cluster munition remnants in Syria's various governorates." The type of bombs have been reported to be RBK-250 cluster bombs with AO-1 SCH bomblets (of Soviet design). Designed by

1755-729: The 1,000-lb (454 kg) AZON (AZimuth ONly), used in both Europe and the CBI Theater , and the US Navy 's Bat , primarily used in the Pacific Theater of World War II which used autonomous, on-board radar guidance. In addition, the U.S. tested the rocket-propelled Gargoyle ; it never entered service. No Japanese remotely guided PGMs ever saw service in World War II. The United States Army Air Forces used similar techniques with Operation Aphrodite , but had few successes;

1820-492: The 1990s submunition-based weapons have been designed that deploy smart submunitions, using thermal and visual sensors to locate and attack particular targets, usually armored vehicles. Weapons of this type include the US CBU-97 sensor-fuzed weapon , first used in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom , the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Some munitions specifically intended for anti-tank use can be set to self-destruct if they reach

1885-608: The 1999 Kosovo War , but their effectiveness was often reduced by the poor weather conditions prevalent in the southern Balkans. There are two basic families of laser-guided bombs in American (and American-sphere) service: the Paveway II and the Paveway III. The Paveway III guidance system is more aerodynamically efficient and so has a longer range, however it is more expensive. Paveway II 500-pound LGBs (such as GBU-12) are

1950-399: The Convention on Cluster Munitions. Incendiary cluster bombs are intended to start fires, just like conventional incendiary bombs (firebombs). They contain submunitions of white phosphorus or napalm , and can be combined anti-personnel and anti-tank submunitions to hamper firefighting efforts. In urban areas they have been preceded by the use of conventional explosive bombs to fracture

2015-521: The German Mistel (Mistletoe) " parasite aircraft " was no more effective. The U.S. programs restarted in the Korean War . In the 1960s, the electro-optical bomb (or camera bomb ) was reintroduced. They were equipped with television cameras and flare sights, by which the bomb would be steered until the flare superimposed the target. The camera bombs transmitted a "bomb's eye view" of

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2080-681: The Soviet Union for use on tank and troop formations, PTAB-2.5M bomblets were used on civilian targets in Mare' in December 2012 by the Syrian government. According to the seventh annual Cluster Munition Report, there is ″compelling evidence″ that Russia has used cluster munitions during their involvement in Syria. Cluster bombs remnants were discovered by a UN de-mining team in February 2014 on

2145-825: The Soviet-Afghan War, the Soviets dealt harshly with Mujaheddin rebels and those who supported them, including leveling entire villages to deny safe havens to their enemy and the usage of cluster bombs. Sea Harriers of the Royal Navy dropped BL755 cluster bombs on Argentinian positions during the Falklands War of 1982. The United States dropped 21 Rockeye cluster bombs during its invasion of Grenada . The armed conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Nagorno Karabakh in 1992–1994 led to

2210-602: The U.S. National Defense Research Committee developed the VB-6 Felix , which used infrared to home on ships. While it entered production in 1945, it was never employed operationally. In 1962, the US Army began research into laser guidance systems and by 1967 the USAF had conducted a competitive evaluation leading to full development of the world's first laser-guided bomb , the BOLT-117 , in 1968. All such bombs work in much

2275-643: The United States, Russia and Italy (see Thermos bomb ). The US used the 9-kilogram (20 lb) M41 fragmentation bomb wired together in clusters of 6 or 25 with highly sensitive or proximity fuzes . From the 1970s to the 1990s cluster bombs became standard air-dropped munitions for many nations, in a wide variety of types. They have been produced by 34 countries and used in at least 23. Artillery shells that employ similar principles have existed for decades. They are typically referred to as ICM ( Improved Conventional Munitions ) shells. The US military slang terms for them are "firecracker" or "popcorn" shells, for

2340-691: The Vietnam War era in Vietnam's Quảng Trị province alone. During the South Lebanon conflict in 1978, the IDF used cluster bombs provided by the United States. According to U.S. President Jimmy Carter , this use of the cluster bombs violated the legal agreement between Israel and the U.S. because the weapons had been provided for defensive purposes against an attack on Israel. Israel also transferred American weapons to Saad Haddad's Lebanese militia,

2405-581: The advent of the microchip. They made their practical debut in Vietnam, where on 13 May 1972 when they were used in the second successful attack on the Thanh Hoa Bridge ("Dragon's Jaw"). This structure had previously been the target of 800 American sorties (using unguided weapons) and was partially destroyed in each of two successful attacks, the other being on 27 April 1972 using Walleyes . That first mission also had laser-guided weapons, but bad weather prevented their use. They were used, though not on

2470-468: The aircraft to escape the blast area in low-altitude attacks). Modern cluster bombs and submunition dispensers can be multiple-purpose weapons containing a combination of anti-armor, anti-personnel, and anti-materiel munitions. The submunitions themselves may also be multi-purpose, such as combining a shaped charge , to attack armour, with a fragmenting case, to attack infantry, material, and light vehicles. They may also have an incendiary function. Since

2535-472: The carriage of fewer weapons types, while retaining mission flexibility, because these weapons can be employed equally against moving and fixed targets, or targets of opportunity. For instance, a typical weapons load on an F-16 flying in the Iraq War included a single 2,000-lb JDAM and two 500-lb LGBs. With LJDAM, and the new Small Diameter Bomb , these same aircraft can carry more bombs if necessary, and have

2600-519: The conflict between government forces and rebel forces trying to overthrow Gaddafi's government, during the battle of Misrata These reports were denied by the government, and the Secretary of State of the US, Hillary Clinton said she was "not aware" of the specific use of cluster or other indiscriminate weapons in Misurata even though a New York Times investigation refuted those claims. During

2665-523: The first Gulf War showed the value of precision munitions, yet they also highlighted the difficulties in employing them—specifically when visibility of the ground or target from the air was degraded. The problem of poor visibility does not affect satellite-guided weapons such as Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW), which make use of the United States' GPS system for guidance. This weapon can be employed in all weather conditions, without any need for ground support. Because it

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2730-456: The ground without locating a target, theoretically reducing the risk of unintended civilian deaths and injuries. Although smart submunition weapons are much more expensive than standard cluster bombs, fewer smart submunitions are required to defeat dispersed and mobile targets, partly offsetting their cost. Because they are designed to prevent indiscriminate area effects and unexploded ordnance risks, some smart munitions are excluded from coverage by

2795-499: The initial attack, these knocked out 70% of the electrical power supply in Serbia . During the Vietnam War, the US used cluster bombs in air strikes against targets in Vietnam, Laos , and Cambodia . Of the 260 million cluster bomblets that rained down on Laos between 1964 and 1973, particularly on Xieng Khouang province , 80 million failed to explode. As of 2009 about 7,000 people have been injured or killed by explosives left from

2860-557: The likelihood of successfully hitting a vehicle. Modern guided submunitions, such as those found in the U.S. CBU-97, can use either a shaped charge or an explosively formed penetrator . Unguided shaped-charge submunitions are designed to be effective against entrenchments that incorporate overhead cover. To simplify supply and increase battlefield effectiveness by allowing a single type of round to be used against nearly any target, submunitions that incorporate both fragmentation and shaped-charge effects are produced. An anti-electrical weapon,

2925-414: The many small explosions they cause in the target area. A basic cluster bomb consists of a hollow shell and then two to more than 2,000 submunitions or bomblets contained within it. Some types are dispensers that are designed to be retained by the aircraft after releasing their munitions. The submunitions themselves may be fitted with small parachute retarders or streamers to slow their descent (allowing

2990-614: The more up-to-date M-85 cluster bomb. Hezbollah fired Chinese-manufactured cluster munitions against Israeli civilian targets, using 122 mm rocket launchers during the 2006 war, hitting Kiryat Motzkin , Nahariya , Karmiel , Maghar , and Safsufa . A total of 113 rockets and 4,407 submunitions were fired into Israel during the war. According to the United Nations Mine Action Service , Israel dropped up to four million submunitions on Lebanese soil, of which one million remain unexploded. According to

3055-522: The operation, at least 23 Serb civilians were killed by cluster munitions. At least six Serbs, including three children were killed by bomblets after the operation ended, and up to 23 square kilometres (8.9 sq mi) in six areas remain "cluster contaminated", according to Serbian government, including on Mt. Kopaonik near the slopes of the ski resort. The UK contributed £86,000 to the Serbian Mine Action Centre. 1991 : During

3120-525: The precision of the measurement system used for location determination and the precision in setting the coordinates of the target. The latter critically depends on intelligence information, not all of which is accurate. According to a CIA report, the accidental bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade during Operation Allied Force by NATO aircraft was attributed to faulty target information. However, if

3185-513: The roofs and walls of buildings to expose their flammable contents. One of the earliest examples is the so-called Molotov bread basket used by the Soviet Union in the Winter War of 1939–40. Incendiary clusters were extensively used by both sides in the strategic bombings of World War II . They caused firestorms and conflagrations in the bombing of Dresden in World War II and the firebombing of Tokyo . Some modern bomb submunitions deliver

3250-572: The same way, relying on the target being illuminated, or "painted," by a laser target designator on the ground or on an aircraft. They have the significant disadvantage of not being usable in poor weather where the target illumination cannot be seen, or where it is not possible to get a target designator near the target. The laser designator sends its beam in a series of encrypted pulses so the bomb cannot be confused by an ordinary laser, and also so multiple designators can operate in reasonable proximity. Laser-guided weapons did not become commonplace until

3315-492: The skeet passes over what it considers a high priority target (this priority can be changed prior to employment), it fires a 0.9 kg (2 lb) explosively formed penetrator providing armor-piercing and incendiary effects, as well as a fragmentation ring meant to damage any soft targets, primarily enemy personnel, in the immediate vicinity of the target. This article relating to bombs is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Submunition A cluster munition

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3380-621: The success of the weapon in the Gulf War. In World War II, the aforementioned Fritz X and Henschel Hs 293 guided ordnance designs were used in combat by Nazi Germany against ships, as the USAAF would do with the Azon in hitting bridges and other hard-to-hit targets in both Western Europe and Burma. Later, U.S. National Defense Research Committee developed the VB-6 Felix , which used infrared to home on ships. While it entered production in 1945, it

3445-460: The target areas. They were also used with a contact fuze when attacking entrenchments. These weapons were widely used during the Vietnam War when many thousands of tons of submunitions were dropped on Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Most anti-armor munitions contain shaped charge warheads to pierce the armor of tanks and armored fighting vehicles . In some cases, guidance is used to increase

3510-458: The target back to a controlling aircraft. An operator in this aircraft then transmitted control signals to steerable fins fitted to the bomb. Such weapons were used increasingly by the USAF in the last few years of the Vietnam War because the political climate was increasingly intolerant of civilian casualties, and because it was possible to strike difficult targets (such as bridges) effectively with

3575-521: The targeting information is accurate, satellite-guided weapons are significantly more likely to achieve a successful strike in any given weather conditions than any other type of precision-guided munition. Other military satellite guidance systems include: Russian GLONASS , European Galileo , Chinese BeiDou Navigation Satellite System , Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System , Japanese regional Quasi-Zenith Satellite System . The guided bomb had its origins in World War II . Its usage increased after

3640-630: The territory of Western Sahara , the Royal Moroccan Army (RMA) dropped cluster bombs. The RMA used both artillery-fired and air-dropped cluster munitions. BLU-63, M42 and MK118 submunitions were used at multiple locations in Bir Lahlou, Tifarity, Mehaires, Mijek and Awganit. More than 300 cluster strike areas have been recorded in the MINURSO Mine Action Coordination Center database. During

3705-633: The use of cluster bombs during the Lebanon war. Halutz claimed that some cluster bombs had been fired against his direct order, which stated that cluster bombs should be used with extreme caution and not be fired into populated areas. The IDF apparently disobeyed this order. Human Rights Watch said there was evidence that Israel had used cluster bombs very close to civilian areas and described them as "unacceptably inaccurate and unreliable weapons when used around civilians" and that "they should never be used in populated areas". Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of using cluster munitions in an attack on Bilda,

3770-459: The use of cluster munitions against military and civilian targets in the region. As of 2010, 93 km (36 sq mi) remain off-limits due to contamination with unexploded cluster ordnance. HALO Trust has made major contributions to the cleanup effort. During renewed hostilities in April 2016 , HALO Trust reported the use of cluster bombs by Azerbaijan, having found cluster munitions in

3835-535: The use of cluster munitions by the Armenian forces during the months-long bombardment of Tartar , missile attacks on Barda and on Goranboy . Amnesty International also confirmed that the Armenian forces had used cluster munitions in Barda, which resulted in the deaths of 25 Azerbaijani civilians, according to Azerbaijan. About 2,000 cluster bombs containing 380,000 sub-munitions were dropped on Yugoslavia during

3900-489: The use of cluster munitions". British-supplied and U.S.-supplied cluster bombs have been used by Saudi Arabian-led military coalition against Houthi militias in Yemen , according to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Saudi Arabia is not signatory to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Smart bomb The creation of precision-guided munitions resulted in the retroactive renaming of older bombs as unguided bombs or "dumb bombs". Guided bombs carry

3965-399: The villages of Nerkin Horatagh and Kiçik Qarabəy . Azerbaijan reported that the Armenian forces had used cluster munition against Azerbaijani civilians in the given period. According to the Cluster Munition Monitor report in 2010, neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan not acceded to become a member of the Convention on Cluster Munitions . Further use of cluster munition was reported during

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4030-423: The world has no reason to point a finger at Israel." Georgia admitted using cluster bombs during the war, according to Human Rights Watch but stressed they were only used against military targets. The Georgian army used LAR-160 multiple rocket launchers to fire MK4 LAR 160 type rockets (with M-85 bomblets) with a range of 45 kilometers the Georgian Minister of Defense (MoD) said. Human Rights Watch accused

4095-418: Was never employed operationally. The US briefly deployed the ASM-A-1 Tarzon (or VB-13 Tarson) bomb (a Tallboy fitted with radio guidance) during the Korean War , dropping them from Boeing B-29 Superfortresses . In 1962, the US Army began research into laser guidance systems and by 1967 the USAF had conducted a competitive evaluation leading to full development of the world's first laser-guided bomb ,

4160-423: Was the spokesperson for the UN in Colombo , the "largest remaining functioning hospital" in the Vanni region of Sri Lanka was bombed. The Sri Lankan military has been accused of bombing the hospital with cluster munitions, but cluster bombs were not used in the bombing of the hospital. The government has denied using cluster munitions, but in 2012 unexploded cluster bombs were found, according to Allan Poston, who

4225-424: Was the technical advisor for the UN Development Program ’s mine action group in Sri Lanka. An article published by The Guardian in 2016 provided photographic evidence and testimonies from former de-miners and civilians pointing to the use of Russian-made cluster bombs in areas that the government had declared as "no-fire zones." It was reported in April 2011 that Colonel Gaddafi 's forces had used cluster bombs in

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