BLG 66 Belouga

The BLG 66 Belouga is a French air-dropped cluster-bomb dispenser developed for low-level strike aircraft and loaded with 151 EG, IZ, or AC submunitions. In the Boko Haram Insurgency, sources reported Belouga-family submunitions recovered from Boko Haram-linked caches and suicide-bombing materials, making the relevant catalog context the repurposed submunitions rather than confirmed air delivery of the complete bomb.

Boko Haram InsurgencyBoko Haram and ISWAP

Conflict side: Boko Haram and ISWAP
Built by: GIAT IndustriesThomson-DASA Armements
Built in: France

BLG 66 Belouga, Air-dropped cluster bomb and submunition dispenser, Munitions

Image source: BLG 66 Belouga.jpg

Profile

Type: Air-dropped cluster bomb and submunition dispenser
Conflict side: Boko Haram and ISWAP
Origin: France
Service note: Entered serial production in 1979; Nigerian conflict evidence concerns recovered submunitions reported in 2015.

cluster munitionair-droppedmine warfare strike

Service History

In service: Serial production began in 1979; Nigerian stockpile and recovered-submunition reporting appears in later cluster-munition monitoring.
Used by: Boko Haram, Nigerian Armed Forces, French Air Force
Wars: Boko Haram Insurgency

Production History

Designer: French Ministry of Defense-sponsored Belouga program by Giat Industries and Thomson-DASA Armements
Designed: Development began in 1975
Built by: GIAT IndustriesThomson-DASA Armements
Built in: France
Unit cost: About US$50,670 per complete system in equivalent 1998 dollars, according to Forecast International
Produced: Serial production from 1979; production dormant by the early 2000s
Number built: About 4,905 dispensers and 770,655 submunitions produced by January 2003, according to Forecast International
Variants: EG general-purpose fragmentation submunition, IZ delayed-action interdiction submunition, AC shaped-charge anti-tank submunition

Specifications

Payload: 151 EG, IZ, or AC submunitions per dispenser
Length: 3.30 m
Diameter: 36 cm
Tail span: 58 cm
Loaded weight: 245 kg in Forecast International's archived data
Submunition caliber: 66 mm class
Compatible aircraft: Alpha Jet, Mirage III/V/50/2000, Rafale, Tornado, F-104, and similar tactical aircraft using a standard NATO 14-inch attachment

Conflict Usage

Boko Haram Insurgency: Side: Boko Haram and ISWAPRole: Repurposed cluster submunitions for improvised explosivesmine warfare strike
Monitoring and media sources reported in 2015 that Boko Haram used BLG-66/GR-66 submunitions removed from Belouga cluster bombs in improvised explosive devices and suicide-bombing materials; the evidence concerns recovered submunitions, not aircraft delivery of complete bombs.

BLG 66 Belouga Images

BLG 66 Belouga, Air-dropped cluster bomb and submunition dispenser, Munitions - view 1 — Source: BLG 66 Belouga.jpg

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Sources

Belouga BLG 66 and EG/IZ/AC SubmunitionsPublisher: Forecast International | Note: Supports manufacturer background, development history, production status, cost context, compatible aircraft, and technical specifications for the BLG 66 Belouga. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 BLG-66 Belouga bombPublisher: Military Periscope | Note: Supports background that the Belouga is a French freefall weapon developed by Matra for low-level tactical aircraft and dispensing numerous submunitions. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Nigeria: Cluster Munition Ban PolicyPublisher: The Monitor | Note: Supports Boko Haram Insurgency direct-use context: Nigerian forces alleged Boko Haram used submunitions removed from cluster munitions in IEDs, and Monitor identifies the photographed submunitions as BLG-66 type. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Info RFI: des bombes francaises refont surface aux mains de Boko HaramPublisher: RFI via Cameroun24 | Note: Supports Boko Haram Insurgency direct-use context: reports that Belouga/GR-66 submunitions were used by Boko Haram in suicide-bombing explosives and recovered from caches attributed to the group. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Boko Haram Beyond the HeadlinesPublisher: Combating Terrorism Center at West Point | Note: Supports Boko Haram Insurgency direct-use context: describes IEDs traced to Beluga bombs used by Boko Haram and cites the RFI reporting on French bombs resurfacing in Boko Haram hands. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 BLG 66 Belouga.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for the BLG 66 Belouga photograph, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by Hatonjan. | Accessed: 2026-06-21