Profile
- Type
- Air-dropped anti-armor cluster bomb
- Conflict side
- Yemeni government and coalition forces
- Origin
- United Kingdom
- Service note
- Introduced in the 1970s; documented in Yemen in 2015-2016
Munitions
BL-755 cluster bomb
The BL-755 is a British air-dropped anti-armor cluster bomb built around a dispenser carrying 147 bomblets. In the Yemen Civil War, it is documented as a legacy UK-made munition used by Saudi-led coalition forces before Saudi Arabia said the coalition would cease using the type.
- Conflict side
- Yemeni government and coalition forces
- Built by
- Hunting Engineering Ltd
- Built in
- United Kingdom
Service History
- In service
- Legacy air-launched cluster munition; Saudi-led coalition use acknowledged in Yemen in 2016
- Used by
- Saudi-led coalition forces, Royal Saudi Air Force
- Wars
- Yemen Civil War
Production History
- Designer
- Hunting Engineering Ltd
- Designed
- Early 1970s
- Built by
- Hunting Engineering Ltd
- Built in
- United Kingdom
- Produced
- 1970s-1980s
- Variants
- BL755, IBL755, RBL755
Specifications
- Munition class
- Air-dropped cluster bomb
- Payload
- 147 high-explosive dual-purpose bomblets
- Primary role
- Anti-armor area attack with secondary anti-personnel effects
- Launch platform
- Combat aircraft, including Tornado strike aircraft in Saudi service
- Guidance
- Unguided dispenser munition
- Nominal weight
- About 600 lb / 272 kg
Conflict Usage
- Yemen Civil War
- Side: Yemeni government and coalition forcesRole: Air-dropped cluster munition strikes
Saudi-led coalition forces used UK-manufactured BL-755 cluster munitions in Yemen, with Amnesty documenting a recovered bomb near Al Khadra in Hajjah governorate and Saudi officials later acknowledging limited coalition use.
BL-755 cluster bomb Images
Related Weapon Systems
BLU-63A/B submunitionAir-dropped high-explosive fragmentation submunitionThe BLU-63A/B is a U.S.-origin impact-fired high-explosive fragmentation bomblet carried in CBU-58A/B cluster bombs. Open-source documentation links BLU-63A/B and related BLU-63 remnants to Saudi-led coalition air attacks during the Yemen Civil War, where the submunitions functioned as unguided area-effect strike munitions dispersed from air-delivered cluster bomb dispensers.
CBU-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.
Improvised explosive deviceImprovised explosive deviceImprovised explosive devices in Yemen were locally fabricated bombs used by Houthi-aligned forces for roadside ambushes, emplaced attacks, and repurposed ordnance, showing how the Yemen Civil War mixed guerrilla tactics with improvised munitions rather than a single standardized model.
SS-60 Mk4 Cluster Rocket300 mm unguided cluster artillery rocketThe SS-60 Mk4 is a Brazilian 300 mm ASTROS-family unguided artillery rocket made by Avibras for long-range area fires. In the Yemen Civil War, open-source investigations identified SS-60 Mk4-marked rocket remnants and Brazilian ASTROS cluster munition rockets after Saudi-led coalition strikes in Saada governorate.
SUU-30H/B dispenserAir-delivered submunition dispenserThe SUU-30H/B is a U.S.-origin, fin-stabilized submunition dispenser used as the cargo body for several air-dropped cluster bomb units, including CBU-52B/B and CBU-58A/B configurations. Open-source munitions documentation links SUU-30H/B remnants to Saudi/UAE-led coalition airstrikes during the Yemen Civil War.
ZP-39 submunitionDual-purpose improved conventional munition submunitionThe ZP-39 is an unidentified dual-purpose improved conventional munition submunition associated with ground-fired cluster munitions. In Yemen, Human Rights Watch identified ZP-39 remnants after an April 2015 Baqim incident in Saada governorate, while noting that the producer, country of origin, and delivery system were not publicly known.Sources
Bomb Cluster HE 600lb No 1 Mk 1 and 2 (BL755)Publisher: Imperial War Museums | Note: Supports BL-755 background as a 600 lb airborne cluster munition and describes development, manufacture, testing, and bomblet release. | Accessed: 2026-06-20BL755 British Cluster BombPublisher: OE Data Integration Network | Note: Supports general BL-755 background, target set, and classification as a cluster bomb. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Appendix A: Descriptions of Cluster Bomb TypesPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Supports manufacturer attribution to Hunting Engineering and technical background on BL-755 bomblet functioning. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Saudi Arabia-led coalition has used UK-manufactured cluster bombs in YemenPublisher: Amnesty International UK | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War direct use: BL-755 cluster bombs used by Saudi Arabia-led coalition forces in Yemen and recovered near Al Khadra in Hajjah governorate. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Saudi Arabia: Immediately abandon all use of cluster munitionsPublisher: Amnesty International | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War direct use: Saudi-led coalition spokesperson said BL-755 cluster munitions were used by coalition forces in Yemen and would no longer be used. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Saudi Arabia admits it used UK-made cluster bombs in YemenPublisher: The Guardian | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War direct use: Saudi officials acknowledged BL755 cluster munitions were used by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen between December 2015 and January 2016. | Accessed: 2026-06-20BL 755 cluster bomb imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a RAF Museum BL-755 cutaway photograph licensed CC BY-SA 3.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20BL 755 DanielHP imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a BL-755 photograph licensed CC BY-SA 2.0 and reviewed from Flickr. | Accessed: 2026-06-20BL755 side view imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a BL-755 side-view photograph licensed CC BY-SA 3.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20