Congressional Report Says U.S. Cluster Bombs Are Failing “10% to 30%” Of The Time In Ukraine
American cluster munitions
Business Insider: The US says the cluster bombs it’s giving Ukraine fail less than 3% of the time. Experience suggests the real number is far higher.
* The United States is providing Ukraine with cluster bombs it says have a failure rate of 2.35%.
* But past use suggests “failure rates of 10% to 30%,” according to a report prepared for Congress.
* Cluster bombs that fail to explode can pose a risk to civilians for decades to come.
The US claim that the cluster bombs it’s sending to Ukraine have a failure rate of less than 3% is unlikely to hold up under real-world conditions, with past use of the widely-banned weapon suggesting as many as 3 in 10 fail to explode.
At a press conference on Friday announcing the transfer, Colin Kahl, US undersecretary of defense for policy, said that the “dud” rate for US-provided 155-millimeter DPICMs, or dual-purpose improved conventional munitions, is just 2.35%. He compared it to the alleged failure rate for Russian cluster munitions of 30-40%.
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WNU Editor: This US Congressional report may be critical of US cluster bombs, but this Ukrainian officer is happy to have them …. Cluster munitions proving exceptionally effective in battle — Ukrainian officer (The New Voice of Ukraine).
Update: According to Newsweek Russia is improving their cluster bonbs …. Russia’s Modified Cluster Bombs Could Change the Course of War (Newsweek).