Worldwide investments in CLUSTER MUNITIONS

Textron argues that the weapon contains self-destruct and self-neutralisation features and that this “nearly
eliminates risk of unexploded submunitions.” 86 The company believes that the SFW is not a cluster
munition as defined in the Convention on Cluster Munitions. 87
However, Textron’s claims of strike accuracy and the reliability of the self-destruct mechanisms with less
than 1% unexploded ordnance (UXO) have been contested. 88 States Parties to the CCM have never concurred
with Textron’s view that the SFW would not fall under the prohibition of the Convention on Cluster
Munitions. The Legal Commentary to the Convention on Cluster Munitions published by Oxford University
Press also explicitly contests this. 89
The SFW has been sold primarily to the US Air Force, under various contracts. In March 2006, Textron Systems
announced that it had been awarded a US$108 million contract by the US Air Force for its Fiscal Year 2006
procurement of the SFW. The three-year contract was part of an on-going long-term pricing agreement (LTPA).
Overall, Textron Systems would deliver approximately 6,500 SFWs to the US Air Force by the end of 2013. 90
The most recent US Air Force contract with Textron Systems for SFW deliveries that we could find is a
“$92,938,707 firm-fixed-price contract modification” dated 31 January 2007 which “provides for 291 Sensor
Fuzed Weapons (SFW) Full Rate Production, Lot 12 option exercise.” 91 This same contract was modified in
February 2009 for an additional US$9,527,490 of SFWs. According to the US Department of Defense, “this
action will provide 30 additional Sensor Fuzed Weapons, Full Rate Production Lot 12. At this time, the entire
amount has been obligated. 683rd ARSS/SYKA, Eglin Air Force Base is the contracting activity.” 92
Since July 2004, Textron has sold SFWs also to other countries, mostly under US Air Force Foreign Military
Sales (FMS) contracts. The US ban on export licenses for cluster bombs that was signed into law in March
2009 excludes cluster bombs with an UXO rate of less than 1%. As Textron claims an UXO rate of less than
1% for the CBU-105, it is still allowed to export this product.
In its 2014 Fact Book, the company states that it has supplied over 7,900 SFW to its customers, including the
US Air Force and via FMS contracts. 93 It further specifies that “the CBU-105 SFW has been integrated onto a
variety of U.S. manufactured airframes including the F-16, F-15, B-52, B-1 and others.” 94
Contracts or contract announcements via FMS include e.g.:
• Turkey: Textron Systems announced in November 2006 that it had received an FMS contract from the
United States Air Force to sell the SFW to the Turkish Air Force (TuAF); Turkey has since been mentioned
as SFW customer by Textron. 95
• Oman: Textron has delivered an unknown number of SFWs to Oman since 2006. 96
• United Arab Emirates (UAE): The UAE signed a contract with Textron in November 2007. As a result
of this contract, Textron delivered an unknown number of CBU-105 SFWs, valued at US$57 million,
to the UAE in June 2010. 97
• South Korea: In April 2010, it was announced that South Korea had selected Textron’s SFW for
integration with Korea Aerospace Industries’ developmental F/A-50 light attack aircraft. Through a
FMS contract led by the Eglin Air Force Base Air Armament Center and the Defense Acquisition Program
Administration of South Korea, Textron at the time expected to begin providing “inert integration
rounds” starting in 2010. 98 In June 2012, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress
of the possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of the Republic of Korea of 367 CBU-105D/B
WCMD SFWs and associated parts, equipment, logistical support and training for an estimated cost
of US$325 million. 99 In May 2014, Textron Defense Systems was eventually awarded a US$190 million
contract for 361 SFWs, seven trainers and eighteen wind corrected munitions dispenser tail kits for
delivery to South Korea. Work is expected to be completed by 31 December 2016. 100 The sale of another
two CBU-105 SFWs as part of the KF-16 Upgrade Program was requested in July 2015. 101
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