• snakesandcoffee@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    3% is miniscule compared to the 40% reported for the Russian munitions. Given the quantity of DPICMs and their far lower dud rate, it’s basically just an accounting error at that point.

    It’s also a false equivalence to compare DPICM vs no DPICM – the longer the war drags on, the more low-grade munitions will be used from deeper stockpiles which will inevitably have a substantially higher dud rate.

    • SpaceBar@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I have no problem with Ukraine using the cluster munitions, I’m just pointing out that 5 shells will lay an area with 15 duds turned into landmines. Ukraine will be careful where they use them.

      They also can and will use some for drone bombs.

    • str00pwafel@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      This is specifically about the DPICM rounds:

      https://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app4/mlrs.html

      “The original M77 has a relatively high dud rate (about 5%), and the M85 is a derivative with a self-destruct fuze to lower this rate significantly (< 1%).”

      We consider 5% to be a high, unacceptable dud rate. These submunitions were reworked to improve that to less than 1%. For each rocket dispensing 544 submunitions, less than 6 would be duds on average. I think cluster munitions have gotten a bad rep overall (not that it hasn’t been deserved) but you’re right, this is apples to oranges.