Military showcases principles of action of western cluster munitions

5 August, 2023 The use of cluster munitions against the Russian position. August 2023. Ukraine.

Frame from the video of the National Guard special unit "Omega" The Ukrainian Defense Forces have shown what effect several American cluster munitions have. The footage of the cluster shells being used was recorded by the drone of the National Guard "Omega" special unit.

Several 155mm artillery-delivered cluster shells were fired against the position of the Russian military, after which it is seen that the submunitions form a circle of explosions. Western M864 and M483A1 cluster munitions, which are in service with Ukrainian artillery, have submunitions.

72 bomblets of the M864 are placed in the projectile. These are 48 small M42 HEAT-Frag bomblets and 24 larger M46s. During detonation, the elements of both types scatter debris within a radius of several meters.

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M864 and M483A1 of the Ukrainian military. Summer 2023.

Ukraine. Photo credits: War Noir

In turn, the M483A1 has M42 submunitions in the amount of 64 units and M46 in the amount of 24 units. Each of the ?42/?46 submunitions has a zone of continuous destruction of 10 square meters.

But the debris action is effective within a radius of 50 meters from the place of rupture of the submunition. When the submunitions disperse in a circle and explode, they create a zone of continuous destruction. Therefore, the impact zone of the projectile looks in the form of a circle.

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M42 submunition

At the same time, if the rupture of the submunition falls on armored vehicles, then it is able to neutralize it. Thus, the explosion of a cluster projectile on the ground covers between 900 and 1,000 square meters of a continuous zone of damage by fragments (10 squares per 88 of ammunition), and a much larger area - a zone of partial (shrapnel) damage.

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Red shading is the zone of continuous damage, orange shading is the approximate zone of fragmented damage

The efficiency depends on a variety of factors - the height of detonation of the cluster munition, the presence of shelters and means of individual armor protection at the enemy and so on.

Cluster shells are extremely effective against enemy infantry that do not have defenses or conduct a foot offensive.