Cluster munitions: What weapons will the US give Ukraine

Last week, US President Joe Biden announced the decision to transfer cluster munitions to Ukraine, calling it "a difficult but correct decision." The corresponding weapons have already been included in the assistance package, which will soon receive the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

It is worth noting that cassette: aviation bombs, tactical missiles, as well as shells for rocket and cannon artillery are not some kind of know-how. Started to apply similar weapon back in the 30s.

For example, the Red Army in the Soviet-Finnish war used a cluster bomb, which the enemy called "Molotov's bread basket." The latter was a container with 60 small bombs, which were dispersed by rotation after a release caused by angled stabilizers.

Then the aforementioned bomb was also used during the Great Patriotic War against the Wehrmacht. At the same time, the Luftwaffe also had its own AB-23 cluster bomb, which the Americans copied after the war, starting to develop and modernize this type of weapon.

One of the most massive uses of cluster bombs was in the Vietnam War, when the US Army dropped millions of such munitions on Laos and Cambodia. Unexploded submunitions still kill civilians in this country to this day.

Regarding the bombs that Washington wants to transfer to the Armed Forces, we are talking about 155-mm DPICM shells. This type of weapon under the index M483 began to be produced in the United States in the 70s of the last century.

In the process, the ammunition was repeatedly upgraded. In particular, in 1975, a version of the M483A1 appeared with 88 dual-use submunitions (cumulative and anti-personnel), similar to M42 / M46 grenades.

Then, in 1987, the M864 cluster projectile appeared, which was distinguished by an increased range.

Finally, in 2003, the US budget included a program for the next modernization of cluster munitions. Submunitions were to be equipped with a self-destruct fuse.

It is worth noting that during the Cold War, the Americans purchased and moved a huge number of such shells to military warehouses. Today their number may be hundreds of thousands.

At the same time, the Pentagon is looking for an alternative to DPICM. The development of new ammunition is already underway by Lockheed Martin and Alliant Techsystems.

At the same time, the disposal of old cluster munitions is a very expensive procedure. This is probably why the US decided to send them to Ukraine.

Comments

[Leshak]

At the same time, the disposal of old cluster munitions is a very expensive procedure. This is probably why the US decided to send them to Ukraine.

That's right, the United States kills two birds with one stone - they provide "invaluable" assistance to the ukrovermacht and dispose of old, problematic ammunition. Well, the Americans never worried about the problems of the inhabitants of Ukraine. And how long they will take their lives after the end of hostilities, they, like the current authorities of the outskirts, are not interested.

[PavelT]

Many thanks to the author for not hiding and recognizing the priority of Soviet gunsmiths who first created, tested and used a cluster bomb in the war! Usually in our media our priority in the case of cluster aircraft munitions is hidden. They think that in this way it is possible to "correct" the history of our country. Naturally, this impoverishes our history for the dubious purposes of stupid propaganda like "they are bad, evil, but we are kind and humane!"

Rotational dispersive aerial bomb (RSAB) - in three types at once: m: RRAB-1 (1000 kg), RRAB-2 (500 kg), RRAB-3 (250 kg) was created by Soviet specialists and used in the Soviet-Finnish war 1939-40s. The Finns found several unexploded/unexploded bombs and handed them over to the Germans for study, which they used in their developments on the subject of cluster munitions. https://russian7.ru/post/khlebnaya-korzina-molotova-chem-sovet/
https://topwar.ru/14371-sovetskaya-aviabomba-s-deystviem-kassetnogo-tipa-rrab.html

This strange manner of hiding (or denying) our achievements for the sake of dubious "improvement" of our history or for the sake of dubious "humanism" just amazes me.

Try to imagine an American who will hide or deny that the US first created nuclear weapons. It has been tested and applied.

There are no such Americans! They do not need it, they understand that their country needs that invention for the sake of defense, attack, domination in the world, and therefore it is ridiculous and absurd to deny or hush up all this nuclear history of theirs.

And in our country such a "purification" of history, silence, denial of one's achievements is becoming the norm. Strange symptom, not healthy...

[V. Salama]

Quote: PavelT

Many thanks to the author for not hiding and recognizing the priority of Soviet gunsmiths who first created, tested and used a cluster bomb in the war!

So this is about the Soviet gunsmiths, they followed the precepts of Lenin, who argued that we should have the same weapons as the enemy and even better. Now we do not have Lenin, but liberal values ​​are held in high esteem. As far as I remember, Zelya's entourage always dreamed of the American MK-20 and M30A1. Well, what really will give, time will tell.

[Red Hunter]

Similar opinion. Why do we always present ourselves as humanists, if it only incurs costs? Russians have been considered barbarians in the West for many centuries, so I would not disappoint our "friends") Better to be than to be known !!!
To destroy the enemy, you can and should use all the achievements of technological progress, including cassettes, incendiary ammunition and weapons of mass destruction. Amers do just that, so they are afraid to get involved with them. Why should we lay down our guys, trying to save the life of the enemy? It's high time for Leopold the cat to drink Ozverin

[atakan]

Cluster weapons have always been used in the LDNR. APU.

This has been happening since the age of 14.