OVERVIEW: The CBU-97/B Sensor Fuzed Weapon (SFW) is an unguided, air-delivered cluster bomb designed for anti-armor missions. It disperses autonomous submunitions that detect and engage multiple armored targets within a designated area.

DETAIL: The CBU-97/B consists of a SUU-66/B tactical dispenser containing 10 BLU-108/B submunitions, each equipped with 4 skeet-shaped Explosively Formed Penetrators (EFPs). Upon release, the submunitions descend via parachute and deploy their sensors to scan for armored vehicles using infrared and laser sensors. Once targets are detected, the skeets fire EFPs downward, capable of penetrating vehicle armor from above.

The SFW was developed to provide precision effects against armored formations without requiring direct hits, increasing effectiveness against dispersed or moving targets. It replaced older cluster munitions by offering increased lethality, improved submunition reliability, and reduced unexploded ordnance risk through built-in self-destruct and self-deactivation mechanisms.

Typically deployed by fighters such as the F-15E and F-16, the CBU-97 is released from medium altitudes, allowing the submunitions to descend and search over a wide area. It is used to suppress enemy armored concentrations, disrupt mechanized units, or delay armored breakthroughs.

NOTE:
IOC: 1996
Operators: United States Air Force
Platform: F-15E Strike Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, B-52H Stratofortress, B-1B Lancer, A-10C Thunderbolt II
Conflicts: Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom

SOURCE:
U.S. Air Force Armament Museum ; Jane’s Weapons: Air-Launched ; Department of Defense, Historical Munition Fact Sheets ; Federation of American Scientists (FAS): https://nuke.fas.org ; U.S. Navy Weapon Systems Explosive Ordnance Disposal publication