New munitions to replace phased-out cluster bombs move ahead

By Rachel Cohen / June 9, 2017 at 9:50 AM
The Air Force is designing a new munition, designated the BLU-136/B next-generation area-attack weapon increment II, to replace its older cluster bombs in the next three years following a 2008 Pentagon policy to do away with more than 111,000 area-attack weapons by the end of 2018. Service staff at Eglin Air Force Base, FL, are working with Orbital ATK, General Dynamics, Dynetics and an ARA-Faxon Firearms team to boost the munition's lethality to be greater than that of any other...

Not a subscriber? Sign up for 30 days free access to exclusive, behind-the-scenes reporting on defense policy and procurement.

Log in to access this content.