Slater Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 The future is notoriously hard to predict. I wonder if some new form of CBU will make an appearance in time?: http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/08/31/last-remaining-u-s-maker-of-cluster-bombs-stops-production/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upnorth Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 (edited) The future is notoriously hard to predict. I wonder if some new form of CBU will make an appearance in time?: http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/08/31/last-remaining-u-s-maker-of-cluster-bombs-stops-production/ I doubt very much that you'll see new CBU type weapons coming out of America. After the Convention on Cluster Munitions came into effect in 2008, the market for such weapons among American allies dried up substantially. A number of the countries who were signatories to the convention are on good terms with America or full allies through NATO. Those potential markets for CBU weapons are now gone. It is also notable that both France and the UK, countries that have produced CBU weapons in the past, are signatories to the convention. It's a weapon of growing unpopularity. Edited September 2, 2016 by upnorth 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 not a big surprise, if you think the policies shifted to "as little collateral damage as possible" a few years ago. Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Fleming Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 The US Navy and USMC still have the AGM -145 I'd expect to see some form of multi-target PGM make an appearance in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 The future is notoriously hard to predict. I wonder if some new form of CBU will make an appearance in time?: http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/08/31/last-remaining-u-s-maker-of-cluster-bombs-stops-production/ I'd hope so. Now that fusing has become more reliable, there's really no reason not to field (& employ) new ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg B Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 Unfortunately, the likely main opposition sees no such value in following. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slater Posted September 12, 2016 Author Share Posted September 12, 2016 Was the BL755 series the UK's only Cold War CBU? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Bradley Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 But you can't un-invent something. I'm sure they'd be put back into production should the need arise. They wouldn't advertise the fact, of course, to keep it a surprise to the likely main opposition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 Well, from the military point of view, I don't see them of much use anymore anyway. As the armies are getting smaller on both sides, there are not so many opportunities left where you can use them (like large areas with many soft-skin-vehicles). A SDB or a small GBU will do the job as good as a CBU. Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 Alex, check out the use of CBU & ICM in the Ukraine. Any system that can eviscerate two mechanised battalions in under five minutes still has a place. A SDB/GBU/LGB/PGM isn't as effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Bradley Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 While many armies are getting smaller, some armies have giant excess vehicle parks just waiting for a chance to be re-activated. And as many air forces are also getting smaller, when the need arises for the large-scale destruction of vehicles each asset will need to have a large potential destructive capability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slater Posted September 12, 2016 Author Share Posted September 12, 2016 The most effective US CBU against targets such as troop concentrations and thin-skinned or lightly protected vehicles is the CBU-87/-103 series (the "Combined Effects Munition"). I believe this particular weapon will phase out in the next few years, though, and evidently will not be replaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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