A US Defense Department official says cluster bombs supplied to Ukraine have lower levels of unexploded submunitions after the military tested cluster munitions that US President Joe Biden’s administration plans to send to Kyiv, reports CNN.

Thus, the US military has tested the ammunition it will supply to Ukraine to ensure that it has a “failure rate” of 2.35% or less.

The failure rate of such weapons refers to how often submunitions that bombs scatter over a large area fail to explode, posing a long-term risk to civilians after a war, similar to land mines.

This is part of what has made the gun so controversial and banned in over 100 countries.

A Defense Department official told CNN that the munitions tests were conducted with real bombs, not simulated or virtual tests, and the most recent test was conducted in 2020 at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona by members of the Joint Munitions Command.

“During the tests, one set of samples is taken from each batch in the test group, and the number of unexploded submunitions is evaluated and recorded,” the official said. “This data is then compiled to develop a report that includes failure rates.”

The official said the types of cluster munitions the U.S. plans to send, the M864 and M483A1 models, were last tested in 2020 and 2017, respectively.

He also explained that the ammunition was checked in several ways and from several distances of 15 to 30 kilometers.

Counting of unexploded submunitions was carried out by photo monitoring systems, acoustic systems and manual observation.

The Biden administration has tried to emphasize that the cluster munitions it will supply to Ukraine pose less of a risk to civilians than the cluster munitions currently in use by Russia, which can have a miss rate of up to 40 percent, Homeland Security Assistant Jake said. Sullivan on Friday.

The USA officially announced that it is sending cluster bombs to Ukraine / Why this type of ammunition causes controversy

The Ukrainians promise to keep strict records of the spheres in which they will be used

To silence EU voices criticizing the US for sending cluster bombs to Ukraineundertakes to observe five principles of using these ammunitions, including not to use them in the cities and on the territory of Russia, as well as to monitor the affected areas.

“Regarding cluster munitions, we have 5 key principles that we will adhere to and that we have clearly communicated to all our partners, including the US. We personally informed our American partners about these five principles in writing a long time ago,” Reznikov wrote on Twitter.

• The first principle provides that Ukraine will use these munitions only to liberate its internationally recognized territories.
• These munitions will not be used on the officially recognized territory of Russia.
• The armed forces undertake not to use cluster munitions in cities.
• Cluster munitions will be used only in those areas where the Russian army is concentrated, to break through the lines of Russian defense.
• Ukraine will keep strict records of the use of these weapons and the local territories where they will be used. Based on these records, these areas will be prioritized for demining after our territories are liberated and we are victorious. Ukraine will report to its partners on the use and effectiveness of these munitions.

Cluster bombs banned by more than 100 countries

Cluster bombs are banned in more than 100 countries. They usually drop large numbers of smaller bombs that can kill over a large area, and those that don’t explode remain dangerous decades after the conflict ends.

“Ukraine has given written assurances that it will use them very carefully” to minimize risks to civilians, Sullivan said.

Human rights groups oppose Washington’s decision, but the munitions could give impetus to Ukraine’s counteroffensive to retake territory captured by Russian forces after their February 2022 invasion.

Cluster bombs (BASMs) consist of a shell-like container containing smaller explosive projectiles called submunitions. With very low accuracy, they can hit many civilians.

Their use and transfer is prohibited by the Oslo Convention of 2008, signed by a large part of Western countries.

The Americans recognize the danger of these bombs

A 2009 law bans the export of U.S. cluster munitions with explosive rejections greater than 1%, covering virtually all U.S. military stockpiles. Biden could lift the ban on these munitions, as US President Donald Trump did in January 2021, to allow the export of cluster munition technology to South Korea.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, some cluster munitions fail to explode 40% of the time.

“It was a very difficult decision for me. And, by the way, we discussed this with our allies,” said President Joe Biden in an interview with CNN, adding: “The Ukrainians are running out of ammunition.”

“We recognize that cluster munitions pose a risk of harm to civilians from unexploded ordnance,” said Biden administration national security adviser Jake Sullivan. “So I put off the decision as long as I could.”