The CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon is a 1,000-pound (450 kg) class freefall Cluster Bomb Unit used by the United States Air Force. Developed by Textron Defense Systems, it offers precision strike capabilities when combined with the Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser guidance tail kit, designated as CBU-105.

Key Characteristics:

• Consists of an SUU-66/B tactical munition dispenser holding 10 BLU-108 submunitions.
• Each submunition contains four sensor-fused projectiles (Skeets) designed to detect and target vehicles.
• Skeets scan an area of 1,500 by 500 feet using infrared and laser sensors for target detection.
• If a target is found, a Skeet fires an explosively-formed penetrator (EFP) to destroy it.
• Unexploded-ordnance rate is less than 1% to minimize civilian casualties.
• Deployed from altitudes of 200 to 20,000 feet at speeds of 250 to 650 knots.

History:

The CBU-97 has been in production since 1992 and was first deployed during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It has been used in various conflicts and exported to countries like India and Saudi Arabia. In 2016, production ceased due to low demand and international concerns over cluster munitions.