The CBU-94 “Blackout Bomb” cluster bomb is equipped with 202 BLU-114/B submunitions, specifically designed to attack electrical power infrastructure; they are also known as “graphite bombs.” Guided aerial cassettes, particularly the newest AGM-154D JSOW, are also equipped with them.
BLU-114/B Mechanism of Action
The BLU-114/B submunition is a 200 x 70 mm cylinder, equipped with spools of conductive threads made from a carbon-based composite material, an ejection charge, and a parachute. Delivered to the target in SUU-66/B cluster dispensers, BLU-114/B submunitions disperse over the switching and distribution facilities of power supply systems.
After the ejection charges activate, they release spools from which conductive threads unravel. Numerous fragments of these threads, upon contact with current-carrying elements of power supply facilities, cause multiple short circuits in the network.
If such facilities include high-voltage devices, the short circuits can lead to the formation of electrical arcs, causing significant equipment damage and fires. Fires can also start due to the overheating of equipment or conductors. After using such bombs, special area cleanup is required, as wind gusts can lift the fibers from the ground and redeposit them onto power facilities.
Operational History
The first deployment of such weapons occurred in 1991 in Iraq, equipping the cluster warheads of BGM-109 “Tomahawk” cruise missiles. Missiles filled with submunitions containing small spools of carbon fiber deprived Iraq of 85% of its electrical power.
At that time, Iraqis employed a protective measure, temporarily disconnecting electricity sources from the power supply system for the duration of the threat of such missile use.
BLU-114/B submunitions were first employed by the F-117A Nighthawk fighter on the night of May 2, 1999, during Operation “ALLIED FORCE” against Serbia. As a result of the attack, over 70% of the country was left without lighting.
This ordnance was later used on the night of May 7, 1999, to impede the restoration efforts in Serbia following the damage from the initial attack.
In 2003, they were used again in Afghanistan. Several CBU-94s were additionally dropped on the power plant in Kabul, which had been damaged by a “Tomahawk” cruise missile. Their fine fibers, settling on power lines and transformers, continued to cause short circuits for a long time when attempts were made to apply voltage through backup networks.
Evolution and Upgrades
Currently, the CBU-94 cluster bomb is being equipped with the WCMD kit. A further development of this cluster munition is the CBU-102 cluster bomb, which is almost entirely analogous to the CBU-94, with the exception of the inclusion of the Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD) flight correction system.