Profile
- Type
- Air-delivered submunition dispenser
- Conflict side
- Yemeni government and coalition forces
- Origin
- United States
- Service note
- Cold War design documented in Yemen conflict use after 2015
Munitions
SUU-30H/B dispenser
The 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.
- Conflict side
- Yemeni government and coalition forces
- Built in
- United States
Service History
- In service
- SUU-30 series U.S. service from the 1970s to 1990s; legacy cluster bomb remnants documented in Yemen in 2015-2016
- Used by
- Saudi/UAE-led coalition forces
- Wars
- Yemen Civil War
Production History
- Designed
- 1960s SUU-30 series development
- Built in
- United States
- Produced
- 1970s production documented on Yemen CBU-52B/B remnant lot marking
- Variants
- CBU-52B/B with BLU-61A/B submunitions, CBU-58A/B with BLU-63A/B submunitions, CBU-71/B with BLU-86/B submunitions
Specifications
- Dispenser type
- Bomb-shaped, fin-stabilized, two-part aerial submunition dispenser
- Compatible cluster bomb units
- CBU-52B/B, CBU-58/B or CBU-58A/B, and CBU-71/B series configurations
- Representative payloads
- 217 BLU-61A/B submunitions in CBU-52B/B; 650 BLU-63/B or BLU-63A/B submunitions in CBU-58 series; 650 BLU-86/B or BLU-86A/B submunitions in CBU-71 series
- Guidance
- Unguided air-to-surface munition dispenser
- SUU-30B/B dimensions
- About 2.1 m long and 41.1 cm diameter for the related SUU-30B/B variant
- CBU-58A/B explosive fill
- OSMP notes 163 lb (about 74 kg) total COMP B explosive in BLU-63A/B submunitions for a documented Yemen CBU-58A/B remnant
Conflict Usage
- Yemen Civil War
- Side: Yemeni government and coalition forcesRole: Air-delivered area attack cluster munition
Documented in Saudi/UAE-led coalition airstrikes in Hajjah governorate in 2015-2016, where remnants were identified as SUU-30H/B dispensers from CBU-52B/B and CBU-58A/B cluster bomb units.
SUU-30H/B dispenser Images
Related Weapon Systems
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.
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.
122 mm Katyusha rocketUnguided 122 mm artillery rocketThe 122 mm Katyusha rocket is the common Grad-style unguided artillery rocket family associated with BM-21 and improvised launchers. In Yemen, open-source investigations document pro-Houthi use of 122 mm unguided rockets in Aden, where their area-effect, low-accuracy fire made them especially dangerous in populated neighborhoods.
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.
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.Sources
OSMP 1555 CBU-52B/B SUU-30H/B Yemen EntryPublisher: Open Source Munitions Portal | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War direct conflict use: SUU-30H/B dispenser remnants from a CBU-52B/B were used by Saudi/UAE-led coalition jets in Hajjah governorate on 2 February 2016. | Accessed: 2026-06-20OSMP 1545 CBU-58A/B SUU-30H/B Yemen EntryPublisher: Open Source Munitions Portal | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War direct conflict use: a CBU-58A/B using an SUU-30H/B dispenser was used by the Saudi/UAE-led coalition in a 15 August 2015 Hajjah governorate attack. | Accessed: 2026-06-20OSMP 1554 SUU-30H/B Yemen EntryPublisher: Open Source Munitions Portal | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War direct conflict use: SUU-30H/B dispenser remnants were used by Saudi/UAE-led coalition jets in a likely CBU-58 cluster bomb attack in Hajjah governorate on 12 November 2015. | Accessed: 2026-06-20METIS SUU-30H/B Munition RecordPublisher: Fenix Insight METIS | Note: Supports background and specifications for the SUU-30H/B as a U.S.-manufactured dispenser used with CBU-52B/B, CBU-58/B, and CBU-71/B cluster bomb configurations. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Designation-Systems SUU-30 Series ListingPublisher: Designation-Systems.Net | Note: Supports SUU-30 series background, retired U.S. service context, variant relationships, and dimensional data for related SUU-30 variants. | Accessed: 2026-06-20MCWP 3-16 Cluster Bomb Reference DataPublisher: United States Marine Corps | Note: Supports official reference data that CBU-52 and CBU-58 cluster bombs used SUU-30 dispensers with BLU-61 and BLU-63 submunitions. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Commons CBU-58 ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY-SA 4.0 licensing for the primary CBU-58 gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20GetArchive CBU-58 Pylon ImagePublisher: NARA and DVIDS Public Domain Archive / GetArchive | Note: Supports public-domain image provenance for CBU-58 cluster bombs mounted on a U.S. Air Force aircraft pylon. | Accessed: 2026-06-20