From: "Rich Gauszka" 


"Robert G Lewis"  wrote in message
news:44e726df$1{at}w3.nls.net...
>
> "Rich Gauszka"  wrote in message
> news:44e71fc8$1{at}w3.nls.net...
>>
>> "Robert G Lewis"  wrote in message
>> news:44e71ddd$1{at}w3.nls.net...
>>>
>>> "Adam"
<""4thwormcastfromthemolehill\"{at}the field.near the
bridge"> wrote
>>> in message news:44e6d36f$1{at}w3.nls.net...
>>>> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5263616.stm
>>>>
>>>> It should be pointed out that they come in all shapes
& sizes &
>>>> colours.
>>>> The "it's coloured bright yellow" only applies
to a subset.
>>>>
>>>> Adam
>>>
>>> Interesting, Do you know of any sites that talk about the colors ? So
>>> far everything I've found indicates that are brightly colored ( which
>>> was the valid complaint about being the same color as food drops in
>>> Afghanistan). I wish that picture has something colored in it so I could
>>> readily determine if the picture is bw or color.
>>>
>>> Bob Lewis
>>>
>>
>> I wonder if the high failure rate of artillery bomblets is something
>> designed in?
>>
>> http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_4206520
>>
>> The bombs are especially dangerous because of their high failure rates,
>> leaving hundreds of the small bombs unexploded on the ground, said Marc
>> Garlasco, senior military analyst at Human Rights Watch. The artillery
>> shells used by the Israeli military in Lebanon delivered 88 bomblets per
>> shell, and have an official failure rate of up to 14 percent, though
>> mine-cleanup groups operating in southern Lebanon say the failure rate
>> can reach up to 40 percent.
>>
>
> I wonder as well, but looking at the performance of other government
> contracts that could be a very low failure rate .
>
> I wonder if any studies on the failure rate are available.
>
>
>

http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/files/Cluster%20Munitions%20-%20A%20Danger%
20to%20Life.pdf
( page 12 )

Sometimes "Duds" are intended

"Unexploded duds are also used deliberately just to spread insecurity.
You can't move around freely here (in Kosovo) as you don't know what state
the bombs are in. Will they go off or won't they? If you drive too close to
where unexploded duds are lying, it's possible that the vibrations of the
vehicle will set the bomb off. You can't know for sure. A certain number of
duds is desirable."

Kosovo: 1st July 1999.
Josef Dirschka, Captain of the German Armed Forces speaking to Report
Mainz, 17.11.2003. Why do submunitions fail?


---------------------------
the Brits have 15 years of data on failure rates but claim no 'taget' for
current bomblets

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmhansrd/vo030616/text/30616w
15.htm
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what recent
independent evidence has been gathered by his Department on failure rates
of cluster munitions; [116812]


  (2) what target his Department has set for a failure rate in cluster
munitions. [116817]


Mr. Ingram [holding answer 5 June 2003]: Weapons containing cluster
munitions are currently in service with the Army and Royal Air Force. The
Army systems consist of Shell 155mm HE Extended Range Bomblet Shell (ERBS)
and Multiple Launch Rocket System.

Acceptance tests for the latest purchase of Shell 155mm HE ERBS have
confirmed a maximum failure rate of 2 per cent., which is consistent with
the results of Director Royal Artillery tests of 1994. The target
reliability rate for ERBS is not less than 95 per cent.

For the MLRS, US Government test reports, based on 15 years worth of data,
indicate a failure rate of between 5 and 10 per cent., dependent on ground
conditions and range. Although there is no target failure rate for the
current MLRS system, its replacement (the future GMLRS Area Effects
Munition (AEM)) due in service in 2007, has a target failure rate of less
than 1 per cent. for bomblet sub-munitions.


16 Jun 2003 : Column 53W


The RAF system consists of the BL755 cluster bomb, routine surveillance of
a representative sample of weapons is carried out by the Design Authority
(Insys Ltd.) on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. Recent statistics show
an overall failure rate of 6 per cent. which is in line with expectations.

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