Cluster munition

Cluster 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.

Libyan Civil War (2014-2020)Libyan National Army Yemeni Civil WarYemeni government and coalition forces

Conflict side: Libyan National ArmyYemeni government and coalition forces
Built by: Multiple manufacturers
Built in: Multiple countries

Cluster munition, Area-effect bomb or rocket payload, Munitions

Image source: M77 cluster munition image

Profile

Type: Area-effect bomb or rocket payload
Origin: Multiple countries
Service note: 20th century-present

air-delivered strikearea effect

Service History

In service: Used across air-delivered and ground-delivered munition families by multiple states and forces.
Used by: Multiple armed forces
Wars: Libyan Civil War (2014-2020), Yemeni Civil War

Production History

Designer: Multiple designers
Designed: 1920s-present
Built by: Multiple manufacturers
Built in: Multiple countries
Unit cost: Varies widely by carrier and submunition type
Produced: 20th century-present
Number built: Not publicly consolidated
Variants: Air-dropped bombs, Artillery shells, Rocket warheads

Specifications

Payload: Contains multiple submunitions or bomblets rather than a single warhead
Delivery: Delivered by aircraft, rockets, artillery, or missiles depending on the model
Effect: Wide-area fragmentation or anti-armor attack with post-strike unexploded-ordnance risk

Conflict Usage

Libyan Civil War (2014-2020): Side: Libyan National ArmyRole: Area-denial air-delivered strike munitionstrike
In the Libyan Civil War (2014-2020), Human Rights Watch documented banned cluster munitions used by the Libyan National Army and affiliated foreign forces in Tripoli's southern suburbs in 2019-2020.
Yemeni Civil War: Side: Yemeni government and coalition forcesRole: Air-delivered strike munitionstrike close air support
In the Yemeni Civil War, Human Rights Watch documented cluster bombs used by the Saudi-led coalition, including strikes in Sanaa and other areas during 2015.

Cluster munition Images

Cluster munition, Area-effect bomb or rocket payload, Munitions - view 1 — Source: M77 cluster munition image

Cluster munition, Area-effect bomb or rocket payload, Munitions - view 2 — Source: Cluster munition in Krasnohorivka image 01

Cluster munition, Area-effect bomb or rocket payload, Munitions - view 3 — Source: Cluster munition in Krasnohorivka image 02

Related Weapon Systems

CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon, Cluster munition, Munitions

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.

Air-dropped bombs, Aircraft-delivered general-purpose bomb class, Munitions

MunitionsAir-dropped bombsAircraft-delivered general-purpose bomb classAir-dropped bombs are a broad munition category documented in Philippine Air Force strike missions during the Battle of Marawi and in Colombian air operations against FARC dissidents in Arauca. Reporting often identifies only a bomb or bombing run rather than a specific model, so this entry treats them as a sourced conflict-use class rather than a single Mk-series weapon.

CBU-58A/B cluster bomb, Air-delivered cluster bomb, Munitions

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.

GBU-16 Paveway II, 1,000-pound laser-guided bomb, Munitions

MunitionsGBU-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.

GBU-43/B MOAB, GPS/INS-guided massive ordnance air blast bomb, Munitions

MunitionsGBU-43/B MOABGPS/INS-guided massive ordnance air blast bombThe GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, widely known as MOAB, is a very large U.S. GPS/INS-guided conventional bomb developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory with Dynetics support. Its only documented combat use was a 2017 U.S. strike on an ISIS-K tunnel complex in Afghanistan, where its blast effect was selected to collapse defenses and reduce risk to Afghan and U.S. clearing forces.

Mk 82 fitted with a Paveway- or Lizard-series guidance kit, 500-pound guided air-delivered bomb, Aircraft & UAVs

Aircraft & UAVsMk 82 fitted with a Paveway- or Lizard-series guidance kit500-pound guided air-delivered bombA Mk 82 500-pound bomb fitted with a Paveway- or Lizard-series guidance kit becomes a laser-guided precision bomb. In the Israel-Hamas War, open-source reporting documented Gaza remnants marked for use on Mk82, tying this configuration to Israeli airstrikes.

Sources

Convention on Cluster Munitions textPublisher: Convention on Cluster Munitions | Note: Supports the definition and legal framing of cluster munitions as weapons that disperse submunitions and are prohibited by the convention. | Accessed: 2026-06-22 Human Rights Watch cluster munitions topicPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Supports the humanitarian background and the wide-area effects and unexploded-remnant risk associated with cluster munitions. | Accessed: 2026-06-22 HRW Libya Tripoli cluster munitions reportPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Supports Libyan Civil War (2014-2020) direct use by the Libyan National Army and affiliated foreign forces in Tripoli. | Accessed: 2026-06-22 HRW Yemen cluster munitions reportPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Supports Yemeni Civil War direct use by the Saudi-led coalition, including cluster munition attacks documented in 2015. | Accessed: 2026-06-22 M77 cluster munition imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the replacement cluster-munition primary image. | Accessed: 2026-06-22 Cluster munition in Krasnohorivka image 01Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a replacement cluster-munition gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-22 Cluster munition in Krasnohorivka image 02Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a replacement cluster-munition gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-22