Air-dropped bombs

Conflict Usage

Battle of Marawi

Side: Philippine government forcesRole: Close air support and urban strikestrikeclose air support

Philippine Air Force aircraft dropped bombs during the Battle of Marawi, including OV-10 Bronco and FA-50PH strike missions against IS-aligned militant positions; public sources often identify the munition only as a bomb or unguided bomb rather than a specific model.

Colombian FARC Dissident Conflict

Side: Colombian governmentRole: Aerial strike on dissident campstrike

In the Colombian FARC Dissident Conflict, the Fuerza Aeroespacial Colombiana used air-dropped bombs in a bombardeo against FARC dissidents in Fortul, Arauca; public reporting did not identify the exact bomb model.

Air-dropped bombs Images

Related Weapon Systems

MunitionsImprovised explosive deviceImprovised explosive deviceImprovised explosive devices are nonstandard bombs assembled from commercial, homemade, or military explosive components and triggers; this entry covers Houthi roadside and repurposed-ordnance IED use in Yemen, the Pulwama vehicle-borne suicide car bomb, Maute group booby traps in Marawi, and Boko Haram IED and mine-style attacks in the Lake Chad basin.

Aircraft & UAVsAW-109Light twin-engine attack and utility helicopterThe AW-109 is a light twin-engine helicopter family built by AgustaWestland, now Leonardo. Armed and utility AW109 variants have been used by the Philippine Air Force for close support at Marawi and by the Nigerian Air Force as Agusta 109 LUH/A109 LUH combat-support aircraft in Operation Lafiya Dole during the Boko Haram Insurgency.

MunitionsCBU-105 Sensor Fuzed WeaponCluster munitionThe CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon is a U.S. air-delivered cluster munition built around the CBU-97 dispenser and WCMD guidance kit. In the Yemeni Civil War, Human Rights Watch documented Saudi-led coalition use against vehicle and armored targets, making the weapon a notable example of precision-guided cluster munition use in the conflict.

MunitionsCBU-58A/B cluster bombAir-delivered cluster bombThe CBU-58A/B is a U.S.-origin air-delivered cluster bomb built around the SUU-30 dispenser and BLU-63-series anti-personnel submunitions. In the Yemen Civil War, Human Rights Watch documented CBU-58 remnants after Saudi-led coalition strikes in Sanaa, making the weapon part of the conflict's air-launched cluster-munition record.

MunitionsCluster munitionArea-effect bomb or rocket payloadCluster munitions are weapons that disperse multiple explosive submunitions over a wide area. Their battlefield appeal is area coverage against troops, vehicles, or airfields, but their persistence and unexploded submunitions have made them a leading cluster-munitions-ban concern in Libya and Yemen.

Aircraft & UAVsFA-50PHSupersonic light combat aircraftThe FA-50PH is the Philippine Air Force variant of KAI's FA-50 light combat aircraft, a South Korean supersonic jet derived from the T-50 trainer. During the Battle of Marawi, Philippine government forces used FA-50 jets for urban airstrikes and close air support against IS-aligned militants, including missions later scrutinized after a July 2017 friendly-fire incident.

Sources