Profile
- Type
- Air-delivered cluster bomb
- Conflict side
- Yemeni government and coalition forces
- Origin
- United States
- Service note
- Cold War-era munition documented in Yemen in 2016
Munitions
CBU-58A/B cluster bomb
The 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.
Service History
- In service
- U.S.-origin munition produced in the 1970s; remnants documented in Yemen in 2016
- Used by
- Saudi-led coalition forces
- Wars
- Yemen Civil War
Production History
- Designer
- United States Air Force Armament Laboratory
- Designed
- Late 1960s to early 1970s
- Built by
- Milan Army Ammunition PlantU.S. Army Munitions Command final loading; Ajax Hardware Manufacturing Corporation produced BLU-63B bomblets
- Built in
- United States
- Unit cost
- U.S. Air Force purchase request priced 5,955 CBU-58/B cluster bombs at $208.80 each in 1971 loading costs
- Produced
- Early 1970s production and later stockpiles; a Yemen remnant documented by HRW was marked as manufactured in 1978
- Number built
- At least 5,955 CBU-58/B cluster bombs ordered for U.S. Air Force loading in 1971
- Variants
- CBU-58/B, CBU-58A/B, SUU-30H/B dispenser configuration
Specifications
- Delivery
- Externally carried, air-delivered cluster bomb for aircraft release
- Dispenser
- SUU-30-series dispenser; OSMP identifies the Yemen-documented configuration as SUU-30H/B
- Submunitions
- 650 BLU-63A/B or BLU-63/B anti-personnel bomblets
- Explosive fill
- About 163 lb (74 kg) total COMP B explosive in the BLU-63A/B payload, according to OSMP
- Intended effect
- Area fragmentation effects against personnel, soft-skinned vehicles, materiel, and similar exposed targets
Conflict Usage
- Yemen Civil War
- Side: Yemeni government and coalition forcesRole: Air-delivered area attack munition
Human Rights Watch documented remnants of CBU-58 cluster bombs after Saudi-led coalition air attacks on residential neighborhoods in Sanaa on January 6, 2016, including markings on a CBU-58 remnant from the al-Zira'a Street area.
Related Weapon Systems
BL-755 cluster bombAir-dropped anti-armor cluster bombThe 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.
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.
GBU-16 Paveway II1,000-pound laser-guided bombThe GBU-16 Paveway II is a U.S.-origin laser-guided bomb that combines a 1,000-pound Mk 83-class bomb body with a Paveway II guidance kit. In the Yemen Civil War, human-rights and munitions investigators identified likely GBU-16 remnants from Saudi/UAE-led coalition airstrikes, making it part of the conflict's documented air-delivered precision-munition record.
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
Yemen: Coalition Drops Cluster Bombs in CapitalPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War direct use: CBU-58 cluster bombs used by Saudi-led coalition forces in Sanaa on January 6, 2016, with photographed remnants and manufacturer markings. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Yemen: Cluster Munitions Wounding CiviliansPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War background: Saudi-led coalition forces used U.S.-supplied cluster munitions in Yemen and were assessed by HRW as responsible for most documented cluster-munition attacks. | Accessed: 2026-06-20CBU-58A/BPublisher: Open Source Munitions Portal | Note: Supports specifications and background for the CBU-58A/B, including the SUU-30H/B dispenser, 650 BLU-63A/B submunitions, and total explosive weight. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Review of BLU-63/B Bomblet ProgramPublisher: U.S. Government Accountability Office | Note: Supports manufacturer and specification context: CBU-58/B used an SUU-30A/B dispenser with BLU-63/B bomblets, with U.S. Army loading and Ajax Hardware BLU-63/B production contract details. | Accessed: 2026-06-20CBU 58 Cluster BombPublisher: National Museum of the U.S. Air Force | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain status for the CBU-58 cluster bomb display photograph. | Accessed: 2026-06-20