The morning of day 17 of the war against the Iranian regime began with ten impact sites from shrapnel and cluster munitions in central Israel, causing significant damage.
The use of cluster munitions has raised questions among the public regarding the interception capability of air defense systems. These missiles carry dozens of small submunitions, which disperse over a wide area once the warhead opens. However, even in cases of interception, the fragmentation is not always prevented.
What are cluster munitions?
Cluster munitions are a type of weapon in which a single munition contains a large number of small bombs, known as submunitions.
When the missile reaches the target area, the warhead breaks open and disperses the submunitions over a wide area.
The submunitions typically weigh around one to one-and-a-half kilograms each, and each is designed to strike a different target. Some explode just before hitting the ground, others detonate upon impact, and some function as mines, exploding only when stepped on.
The operational advantage of cluster munitions is their ability to cause damage across a much larger area compared to a conventional bomb or warhead.
The three interception scenarios
When air defense systems attempt to intercept a cluster missile, several scenarios are possible.
In the first scenario, the missile is not intercepted at all. At some point during its flight, the warhead opens, releasing the submunitions into the air. This can sometimes be seen as many points of light in the sky. The bombs disperse over a wide area and strike the ground at multiple locations.
In the second scenario, the interceptor strikes the body of the missile but does not hit the warhead containing the submunitions. In this case, the missile’s body may be damaged or diverted from its course, but the warhead continues moving through the air. As a result, it can still open and release the cluster submunitions.
In the third scenario, the interceptor strikes the entire missile before the warhead opens. In this case, the missile is completely destroyed before the fragmentation stage, and the submunitions are not released into the air.
Why are submunitions sometimes still visible in the air?
Air defense systems attempt to strike the missile as early as possible to prevent the warhead from opening.
However, if the hit is incomplete or the missile is already close to the fragmentation stage, the warhead may still open and disperse the bombs.
This is why, in some cases, even after an interception, it is possible to see many points of light splitting in the sky; the result of submunitions dispersing from the warhead.