Are cluster bombs illegal? When did cluster bombs become illegal?

Cluster bombs are forms of air-dropped or ground-launched explosive weapon that releases or ejects dozens or even hundreds of submunitions (“bomblets”) over a wide area upon detonation.

Cluster bombs eject explosive bomblets that are designed to kill personnel, destroy vehicles, destroy runways, electric power transmission lines, or scatter land mines. Some release chemical or biological weapons.

The use of cluster bombs can pose risks to individuals during attacks and afterwards long after a conflict has ended. Unexploded bomblets are waste resources in an attempt to locate and remove them following unuse.

Cluster bombs, German SD-2 (Sprengbombe Dickwandig 2 kg), best known as the Butterfly Bomb were first significantly used in World War II to attack both civilian and military targets. Over the early years, cluster bombs have been produced by 34 countries and launched in at least 23.

However, with the dawning of a new age, cluster bombs are prohibited for nations that ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The convention bans the stockpiling, use and transfer of virtually all existing cluster bombs and provides for the clearing up of unexploded munitions.

The Convention on Cluster Munitions has 110 states parties and 13 signatories as of 10 February 2022. However, the world’s major military powers including the United States, Russia, Brazil and China are not part.

Are cluster bombs illegal?

Yes, cluster bombs are illegal under the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), an international treaty prohibiting all use, transfer, production, and stockpiling of cluster bombs.

When did cluster bombs become illegal?

Cluster bombs became illegal under the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), on 1 August 2010