Cluster Munition

Facts for Prelims

Cluster Munition

News: United States (US) has made the decision to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine as part of a new military aid package worth up to USD 800 million.

What is Cluster Munition?
• A cluster munition is a form of explosive weapon that releases or ejects smaller submunitions, also known as bomblets, over a wide area. Commonly, this is a cluster bomb that ejects bomblets that are designed to kill personnel and destroy vehicles. Other cluster munitions are designed to destroy runways, power lines, or landmines.
• Cluster munitions can be air-dropped or ground-launched from various platforms such as aircraft, missiles, rockets, or artillery.
• Cluster munitions are prohibited by the Convention on Cluster Munitions, an international treaty that was adopted in 2008 and entered into force in 2010. The treaty bans the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of cluster munitions and requires the destruction of existing stockpiles and the clearance of contaminated areas.
• As of February 2022, 123 states have joined the treaty, while some major producers and users of cluster munitions such as China, Russia, and the United States have not.