Description: War Thunder is a next generation military MMO game dedicated to...
Ammunition of a volumetric explosion (volume-detonating ammunition, English - fuel-air explosives) - explosive device, the action of which is based on the detonation of an aerosol cloud of a combustible substance. Such a cloud can have a large volume and contain a lot of combustible matter, which provides a large explosion force for a mixture of fuel and air particles. At the same time, the ammunition itself must be compact, so its explosion is carried out in two stages. First, a small charge is triggered explosive(BB), whose task is to evenly disperse the fuel and create an aerosol cloud. After that, with a short delay (of the order of 0.1 s), the second charge is triggered, which causes the detonation of the aerosol cloud. If the second charge fires too soon, the cloud will not have time to form (there will not be enough oxygen in the aerosol). If it is too late, the cloud may have time to dissipate (especially when the wind is blowing).
Volumetric explosion ammunition is often shaped like a cylinder, the length of which is 2-3 times the diameter. The bursting charge, which should form a cloud, has a mass of several percent of the mass of the fuel and is located along the axis of the cylinder.
The press often uses another name for this type of ammunition - "vacuum bomb", which is explained by the fact that in the area of the explosion, after a sharp increase in pressure, a rarefaction occurs due to the fact that oxygen is consumed during the combustion of fuel. The statement is incorrect, because even though the volume of gases decreases during combustion (reduced to normal conditions), this is compensated by their thermal expansion. Another thing is that during the passage of a blast wave after a sharp increase in pressure, its sharp drop occurs - after all, this is a wave: it has "crests" and "troughs". For a volume explosion bomb, this effect is more pronounced than for "ordinary" bombs filled with, for example, TNT.
Various substances can play the role of fuel: ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, butyl nitrite and propyl nitrite, MAPP (a technical mixture of methyl acetylene, allene [propadiene] and propane). Powders of magnesium and aluminum and aluminum-magnesium alloy are also used. Ethylene or propylene oxides work well, but they are poisonous and unstable - not for warriors. As a result, the military uses mixtures different types fuel (for example, light gasolines) and aluminum-magnesium alloy powder in a ratio of 10:1.
And it all started with coal dust ... Which caused numerous explosions in mines, explosions that took a lot human lives. German engineers tried to reproduce this effect outdoors. But the mixture of air and coal dust, which detonates well in mines, lost this property in open space - the detonation faded. This is not surprising, since the enclosed space and strong walls favor detonation. Studies were carried out, but over time they were abandoned.
Coal dust is far from the only cause of a volumetric explosion in peaceful conditions. Wood and sugar dust explosions can also be devastating. Great damage can also be caused by explosions of natural gas in residential and industrial premises.
However, the idea of using this effect for military purposes was forgotten for a while. Only during the Vietnam War did the Americans begin to use volumetric explosions to fight partisans who were hiding in the tunnels. Instead of coal dust, practical Americans used acetylene, which was supplied from cylinders. The effect was good, but it did not help America win the war. But research on a volumetric explosion for military purposes resumed and, in the end, led to the creation of modern ammunition volumetric explosion.
In practice, such ammunition is nowhere near as effective as shown in films or written in the press. A volumetric explosion is dangerous, first of all, in a closed space - in buildings, catacombs, caves, etc. In an open field, it produces more optical effect: fragmentation ammunition with "regular" explosives can be much more deadly.
Often comes across another term "thermobaric ammunition", which is often used as a synonym for the term "explosive explosive ammunition". This is not entirely true: there are differences between them.
Thermobaric charges structurally consist of a central bursting charge (CRC), made of a conventional explosive with high speed detonation, around which there is a thermobaric mixture, which is a condensed explosive with a high content of metallic fuel.
The explosion consists of three stages:
1. Undermining the CRH, giving the initial detonation wave. (Duration - microseconds).
2. The detonation wave from the CRH initiates the detonation of the thermobaric mixture, which detonates at a lower rate (anaerobic stage, duration - hundreds of microseconds).
3. Expansion and combustion of the products of the explosion due to the oxygen in the air behind the front of the shock wave. In this case, the shock wave contributes to the mixing and combustion of detonation products due to the surrounding air (aerobic stage, duration - milliseconds or more).
Unlike volumetric detonating charges, thermobaric ones are not limited by an effective mass equal to 20-30 kg, below which the volumetric detonating ammunition ceases to work effectively. This allows you to equip small units up to individual soldiers with thermobaric weapons. Thermobaric ammunition is not affected atmospheric phenomena(for example, the action of the wind), compared with volumetric detonating, because. for the implementation of the explosion does not require time for the formation of a cloud. In addition, the shock wave from the explosion of a thermobaric charge is also capable of flowing into shelters, causing defeat. However, the effectiveness of thermobaric munitions in open areas is relatively low, only in closed and semi-open spaces they show high efficiency due to the intense afterburning of metal particles on reflected shock waves.
In particular, a reactive infantry flamethrower (RPO) "Bumblebee" and a heavy flamethrower system (TOS) "Pinocchio" were developed.
RPO-A Shmel uses the same principle - CRH and a liquid thermobaric mixture based on volatile nitroesters with 40-50% aluminum powder. The mass of CRZ (TG 40/60) is only 10% relative to the mixture.
Alexander Grek
Flour mills, sugar refineries, carpentry shops, coal mines and Russia's most powerful conventional bomb - what do they have in common? Volume explosion. It is thanks to him that they can all fly into the air. However, there is no need to go so far - an explosion of household gas in an apartment is also from this row. A volumetric explosion is perhaps one of the first that mankind met, and one of the last that mankind tamed.
The principle of a volumetric explosion is not at all complicated: it is necessary to create a mixture of fuel with atmospheric air and give a spark to this cloud. Moreover, the fuel consumption will be several times less than that of a high explosive for an explosion of the same power: a volumetric explosion “takes” oxygen from the air, and the explosive “contains” it in its molecules.
household bombs
Like many other types of weapons, volumetric detonating ammunition owes its birth to the gloomy German engineering genius. Looking for the most effective ways German gunsmiths drew attention to the explosions of coal dust in mines and tried to simulate the conditions of an explosion in the open air. Coal dust was sprayed with a charge of gunpowder and then undermined. But the very strong walls of the mines favored the development of detonation, and in the open air it died out.
Volumetric detonating charges were also used in the construction of heliports. Clearing the jungle for the landing of just one Iroquois helicopter required from 10 to 26 hours of work for an engineering platoon, while often in battle everything was decided in the first 1-2 hours. The use of a conventional charge did not solve the problem - it felled trees, but it also formed a huge funnel. But a volumetric detonating bomb (ODAB) does not form a funnel, but simply scatters trees within a radius of 20-30 meters, creating an almost ideal landing site. For the first time, volumetric explosion bombs were used in Vietnam in the summer of 1969 precisely for clearing the jungle. The effect exceeded all expectations. "Iroquois" right in the cockpit could carry 2-3 of these bombs, and the explosion of one in any jungle created a completely suitable landing site. Gradually, the technology was perfected, eventually resulting in the most famous volumetric detonating bomb - the American BLU-82 Daisy Cutter "Daisy Cutter". And it has already been used not only for helipads, dropping it on anything.
After the war, the development went to the allies, but at first they did not arouse interest. The Americans were the first to turn to them again, having encountered in the 1960s in Vietnam with an extensive network of tunnels in which the Viet Cong were hiding. But the tunnels are almost the same mines! True, the Americans did not bother with coal dust, but began to use the most common acetylene. This gas is remarkable for the wide range of concentrations at which detonation is possible. Acetylene from ordinary industrial cylinders was pumped into the tunnels and then a grenade was thrown. The effect, they say, was amazing.
We'll go the other way
The Americans equipped volumetric bombs with ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, methane, propyl nitrate and MAPP (a mixture of methyl acetylene, propadiene and propane). Even then it was found that when a bomb containing 10 gallons (32-33 l) of ethylene oxide was triggered, a cloud of an air-fuel mixture with a radius of 7.5-8.5 m and a height of up to 3 m was formed. After 125 ms, the cloud was blown up by several detonators. The resulting shock wave had an overpressure of 2.1 MPa along the front. For comparison: to create such a pressure at a distance of 8 m from the TNT charge, it takes about 200-250 kg of TNT. At a distance of 3–4 radii (22.5–34 m), the pressure in the shock wave rapidly decreases and is already about 100 kPa. For destruction by the shock wave of an aircraft, a pressure of 70–90 kPa is required. Consequently, such a bomb during an explosion is capable of completely incapacitating an aircraft or helicopter in the parking lot within a radius of 30–40 m from the site of the explosion. This was written in special literature, which was also read in the USSR, where they also began experiments in this area.
A shock wave from a traditional explosive, such as TNT, has a steep front, rapid decay, and a subsequent gentle wave of rarefaction.
Soviet specialists initially tried to portray the German version with coal dust, but gradually switched to metal powders: aluminum, magnesium and their alloys. In experiments with aluminum, it was found that it does not give a special high-explosive effect, but it does give a wonderful incendiary.
Various oxides (ethylene oxide and propylene oxide) were also used up, but they were toxic and quite dangerous during storage due to their volatility: a slight etching of the oxide was enough for any spark to raise the arsenal into the air. As a result, we settled on a compromise option: a mixture of different types of fuel (analogues of light gasoline) and aluminum-magnesium alloy powder in a ratio of 10:1. However, experiments have shown that with chic external effects, the damaging effect of volumetric detonating charges left much to be desired. The idea of an atmospheric explosion to destroy aircraft was the first to fail - the effect turned out to be negligible, except that the turbines “failed”, which immediately restarted again, since they did not even have time to stop. This did not work at all against armored vehicles, even the engine did not stall there. Experiments have shown that ODAB are specialized ammunition for hitting targets that are not resistant to shock waves, primarily unfortified buildings, and manpower. And that's it.
A volumetric detonating explosion has a flatter front of the shock wave with a more extended high-pressure zone in time.
However, the flywheel of the miracle weapon was untwisted, and downright legendary feats were attributed to the ODABs. The case of descent by such bombs is especially well known. snow avalanches in Afghanistan. It rained down awards, including the highest. The reports on the operation mentioned the mass of the avalanche (20,000 tons) and it was written that the explosion of a volumetric detonating charge was equivalent to a nuclear charge. Neither more nor less. Although any mine rescuer lowers exactly the same avalanches with simple TNT checkers.
A very exotic application of technology was going to be found in a relatively recent times, having developed, as part of the conversion programs, a volumetric detonating system based on gasoline for the demolition of Khrushchev. It worked out quickly and cheaply. There was only one "but": the demolished Khrushchevs were located not in an open field, but in populated cities. And the plates during such an explosion scattered about a hundred meters.
The explosion of a thermobaric munition has a strongly blurred shock wave front, which is not primary damaging factor.
"Vacuum" myths
The myth-making around the ODAB, thanks to some poorly educated journalists from headquarters, smoothly migrated to the pages of newspapers and magazines, and the bomb itself was called "vacuum". Say, during an explosion in a cloud, all oxygen is burned out and a deep vacuum is formed, almost like in space, and this same vacuum begins to spread outward. That is, instead of a high-pressure front, as in a conventional explosion, there is a front reduced pressure. The term "reverse blast wave" was even coined. What is the press! In the early 1980s, at the military department of my physics department, almost under a non-disclosure agreement, some colonel from the General Staff spoke about new types of weapons used by the United States in Lebanon. Not without a “vacuum” bomb, which allegedly turns it into dust when it enters the building (gas penetrates into the smallest cracks), and low rarefaction neatly places this dust at the epicenter. O! Isn't this clear head going to demolish the Khrushchevs in the same way ?!
If these people had studied chemistry at least a little at school, they would have guessed that oxygen does not disappear anywhere - it simply passes during the reaction, for example, into carbon dioxide with the same volume. And if in some fantastic way it simply disappeared (and it is only about 20% in the atmosphere), then the lack of volume would be compensated by other gases that expanded when heated. And even if all the gas disappeared from the explosion zone and a vacuum formed, then a pressure drop of one atmosphere could hardly destroy even a cardboard tank - such an assumption would simply cause laughter for any military man.
And from a school physics course, one could learn that any shock wave (compression zone) is followed by a rarefaction zone without fail - according to the law of mass conservation. It's just that the explosion of a high explosive (HE) can be considered a point one, and a volumetric detonating charge, due to its large volume, forms a longer shock wave. That is why he does not dig funnels, but he brings down trees. But there is practically no blasting (crushing) action at all.
The storyboard clearly shows the firing of the primary detonator to form the cloud and the final explosion of the air-fuel mixture.
Modern volume explosion ammunition most often consists of a cylinder, the length of which is 2–3 times the diameter, filled with fuel and equipped with a conventional explosive charge. This charge, the mass of which is 1-2% of the weight of the fuel, is located on the axis of the warhead, and undermining it destroys the hull and sprays the fuel, forming an air-fuel mixture. The mixture should be ignited after reaching the size of the cloud for optimal combustion, and not immediately at the beginning of spraying, because at the beginning there is not enough oxygen in the cloud. When the cloud expands to the desired degree, it is undermined by four secondary charges ejected from the tail of the bomb. The delay of their operation is 150 ms or more. The longer the delay, the more likely the cloud will blow away; the smaller, the higher the risk of an incomplete explosion of the mixture due to a lack of oxygen. In addition to explosive, other methods of cloud initiation can be used, for example, chemical: bromine or chlorine trifluoride is sprayed into the cloud, spontaneously igniting upon contact with fuel.
It can be seen from the cinematograms that the explosion of the primary charge located on the axis forms a toroidal cloud of fuel, which means that the ODAB provides the maximum effect with a vertical fall on the target - then the shock wave “spreads” along the ground. The greater the deviation from the vertical, the greater the energy of the wave goes to the useless "shaking" of the air above the targets.
The descent of a powerful volumetric detonating ammunition resembles a landing spaceship"Union". Only the ground stage differs.
Giant photo flash
But let us return to the post-war years, to experiments with aluminum and magnesium powders. It was found that if the bursting charge is not completely drowned in the mixture, but left open at the ends, then the cloud is practically guaranteed to be ignited from the very beginning of its dispersion. From the point of view of the explosion, this is a marriage, instead of a detonation in a cloud, we get only a zilch - however, a high-temperature one. A shock wave is also formed during such explosive combustion, but much weaker than during detonation. This process is called "thermobaric".
The military used a similar effect long before the appearance of the term itself. During World War II, air reconnaissance successfully used the so-called FOTABs - photographic air bombs stuffed with a crushed aluminum and magnesium alloy. The photo mixture is scattered by the detonator, ignites and burns using atmospheric oxygen. Yes, it doesn’t just burn out - a hundred-kilogram FOTAB-100 creates a flash with a light intensity of more than 2.2 billion candelas with a duration of about 0.15 s! The light is so bright that for a quarter of an hour it blinds not only enemy anti-aircraft gunners - our consultant on super-powerful charges looked at the triggered FOTAB during the day, after which he saw bunnies in his eyes for another three hours. By the way, the technology of photographing is also simplified - the bomb is dropped, the camera shutter is opened, and after a while the whole world is illuminated by a superflash. The quality of the pictures, they say, was no worse than in clear sunny weather.
Heavy-duty ODAB resemble huge barrels with appropriate aerodynamics. In addition, their weight and dimensions make them suitable for bombing only from military transport aircraft that do not have bomb sights. Only the GBU-43 / B, equipped with lattice rudders and a GPS-based guidance system, can hit the target more or less accurately.
But back to the almost useless thermobaric effect. He would have been considered malicious if the question of protection against saboteurs had not arisen. An idea was put forward to surround the protected objects with mines based on thermobaric mixtures, which would burn out all life, but the object would not be damaged. In the early 1980s, the entire military leadership of the country saw the action of thermobaric charges, and almost all branches of the military were eager to have such weapons. For the infantry, development began jet flamethrowers"Bumblebee" and "Lynx", the Main Rocket and Artillery Directorate made an order for the design of thermobaric warheads for jet systems salvo fire, well, the troops of radiation, chemical and biological protection (RHBZ) decided to acquire their own heavy flamethrower system(TOS) Pinocchio.
The mother and father of all bombs
Until recently, the most powerful non-nuclear bomb was considered the American Massive Ordnance Air Blast, or more officially, the GBU-43 / B. But MOAB has another, unofficial, transcript - Mother Of All Bombs ("Mother of all bombs"). The bomb makes a huge impression: its length is 10 m, its diameter is 1 m. Such a bulky ammunition is even supposed to be dropped not from a bomber, but from a transport aircraft, for example, from a C-130 or C-17. Of the 9.5 tons of the mass of this bomb, 8.5 tons is a powerful Australian-made H6 explosive, which includes aluminum powder (1.3 times more powerful than TNT). The radius of guaranteed destruction is about 150 m, although partial destruction is observed at a distance of more than 1.5 km from the epicenter. GBU-43/B cannot be named precision weapons, but it is induced, as expected modern weapons, using GPS. By the way, this is the first American bomb to use lattice rudders, widely used in Russian ammunition. MOAB was conceived as a successor to the famous BLU-82 Daisy Cutter and was first tested in March 2003 at a test site in Florida. Military application such ammunition, according to the Americans themselves, is rather limited - they can only clear large territories from forest plantations. As an anti-personnel or anti-tank weapons they are not very effective compared to, say, cluster bombs.
But a couple of years ago, then Defense Minister Igor Ivanov voiced our answer: a ten-ton "daddy of all bombs" created using nanotechnology. The technology itself was labeled a military secret, but the whole world was witty about this vacuum nanobomb. Like, during the explosion, thousands and thousands of nano-vacuum cleaners are sprayed, which are in the affected area and suck out all the air to a vacuum. But where is the real nanotechnology in this bomb? As we wrote above, the mixture of modern ODAB includes aluminum. And technologies for the production of aluminum powder for military applications make it possible to obtain powder with a particle size of up to 100 nm. There are nanometers, so there are nanotechnologies.
Volumetric modeling
AT recent times, with the massive introduction of high-precision bombs, interest in volumetric detonating charges has awakened again, but at a qualitatively new level. Modern guided and corrected air bombs are capable of reaching the target from the desired direction and along a given trajectory. And if fuel is sprayed by an intelligent system capable of changing the density and configuration of the fuel cloud in a given direction, and undermining it at certain points, then we will get a high-explosive charge of directed action of unprecedented power. Grandfather of all bombs.
On September 11, 2007, the most powerful non-nuclear weapon in the world was successfully tested in Russia. The Tu-160 strategic bomber dropped a bomb weighing 7.1 tons and with a capacity of about 40 tons in TNT equivalent with a guaranteed radius of destruction of all living things of more than three hundred meters. In Russia, this ammunition was nicknamed "The Pope of all bombs." It belonged to the class of explosive munitions.
The development and testing of a munition called "The Pope of All Bombs" is Russia's answer to the United States. Until that moment, the most powerful non-nuclear munition was considered the American bomb GBU-43В MOAB, which the developers themselves called the "Mother of all bombs". The Russian "dad" surpassed the "mother" in all respects. True, American ammunition does not belong to the class of vacuum ammunition - it is the most common land mine.
Today, volumetric explosion weapons are the second most powerful after nuclear weapons. What is its principle of action based on? What explosive substance makes vacuum bombs equal in strength to thermonuclear monsters?
The principle of operation of ammunition volumetric explosion
Vacuum bombs or volume explosion munitions (or volumetric detonating munitions) are a type of ammunition that works on the principle of creating a volume explosion, known to mankind for many hundreds of years.
In terms of their power, such ammunition is comparable to nuclear charges. But unlike the latter, they do not have a factor radiation contamination terrain and do not fall under any of the international conventions regarding weapons of mass destruction.
Man has long been acquainted with the phenomenon of a volumetric explosion. Such explosions quite often happened in flour mills, where the smallest flour dust accumulated in the air, or in sugar factories. More great danger are similar explosions in coal mines. Volumetric explosions are one of the most terrible dangers that lie in wait for miners underground. Coal dust and methane gas accumulate in poorly ventilated faces. Even a small spark is enough to initiate a powerful explosion under such conditions.
A typical example of a volumetric explosion is the explosion of household gas in a room.
The physical principle of operation, according to which a vacuum bomb works, is quite simple. It usually uses an explosive with a low boiling point, which easily turns into a gaseous state even when low temperatures(for example, acetylene oxide). To create an artificial volumetric explosion, you just need to create a cloud from a mixture of air and combustible material and set it on fire. But this is just in theory - in practice, this process is quite complicated.
At the center of the volumetric blast munition is a small demolition charge consisting of a conventional explosive (HE). Its function is to spray the main charge, which quickly turns into a gas or aerosol and reacts with atmospheric oxygen. It is the latter that plays the role of an oxidizing agent, so a vacuum bomb is several times more powerful than a conventional one with the same mass.
The task of the explosive charge is the uniform distribution of combustible gas or aerosol in space. Then the second charge comes into play, which causes the detonation of this cloud. Sometimes multiple charges are used. The delay between the firing of two charges is less than one second (150 msec).
The name "vacuum bomb" does not accurately reflect the principle of operation of this weapon. Yes, after the detonation of such a bomb, there really is a decrease in pressure, but we are not talking about any kind of vacuum. In general, volumetric explosion ammunition has already generated a large number of myths.
As an explosive in bulk ammunition, various liquids (ethylene and propylene oxides, dimethylacetylene, propyl nitrite), as well as powders of light metals (most often magnesium) are usually used.
How does this weapon work?
When a volumetric explosion ammunition is detonated, a shock wave occurs, but it is much weaker than in the explosion of a conventional explosive such as TNT. However, the shock wave during a volumetric explosion is much longer than when conventional ammunition is detonated.
If we compare the action of a conventional charge with a hit by a pedestrian with a truck, then the effect of a shock wave during a volumetric explosion is a skating rink that not only slowly passes over the victim, but also stands on it.
However, the most mysterious damaging factor of bulk ammunition is the low pressure wave that follows the shock front. There are a large number of the most controversial opinions about its action. There is evidence that it is the zone of low pressure that has the most destructive effect. However, this seems unlikely, as the pressure drop is only 0.15 atmospheres.
Divers in the water experience a short-term pressure drop of up to 0.5 atmospheres, and this does not lead to rupture of the lungs or prolapse of the eyes from the sockets.
Volumetric explosion ammunition is more effective and dangerous for the enemy due to another feature. The blast wave after the explosion of such ammunition does not go around obstacles and is not reflected from them, but “flows” into every crack and shelter. Therefore, hiding in a trench or dugout, if an aviation vacuum bomb is dropped on you, will definitely not work.
The shock wave travels along the surface of the soil, so it is excellent for detonating anti-personnel and anti-tank mines.
Why didn't all ammunition become vacuum
The effectiveness of volumetric explosion ammunition became apparent almost immediately after the start of their use. The detonation of ten gallons (32 liters) of sprayed acetylene produced an effect equal to the explosion of 250 kg of TNT. Why didn't all modern ammunition become voluminous?
The reason lies in the features of a volumetric explosion. Volumetric detonating ammunition has only one damaging factor - a shock wave. They do not produce either a cumulative or fragmentation effect on the target.
In addition, their ability to destroy the barrier is extremely small, since their explosion is of the “burning” type. However, in most cases, a "detonation" type explosion is needed, which destroys obstacles in its path or throws them away.
An explosion of bulk ammunition is possible only in the air, it cannot be produced in water or soil, since oxygen is needed to create a combustible cloud.
For the successful use of volumetric detonating ammunition, weather conditions are important, which determine the success of the formation of a gas cloud. It makes no sense to create bulky small-caliber ammunition: aerial bombs weighing less than 100 kg and projectiles with a caliber of less than 220 mm.
In addition, for bulk ammunition, the trajectory of hitting the target is very important. They are most effective when hitting an object vertically. On slow-motion shots of the explosion of a bulky ammunition, it can be seen that the shock wave forms a toroidal cloud, best of all when it "spreads" along the ground.
History of creation and application
Volumetric explosion ammunition (like many other weapons) owes its birth to the unkind German weapons genius. During the last world war, the Germans paid attention to the power of explosions that occur in coal mines. They tried to use the same physical principles for the production of a new type of ammunition.
Nothing real came out of them, and after the defeat of Germany, these developments came to the Allies. They were forgotten for decades. The Americans were the first to remember volumetric explosions during the Vietnam War.
In Vietnam, the shtatovtsy widely used combat helicopters with which they supplied their troops and evacuated the wounded. A rather serious problem was the construction of landing sites in the jungle. Clearing the site for the landing and takeoff of only one helicopter required the hard work of an entire sapper platoon for 12-24 hours. It was not possible to clear the sites with the help of conventional explosions, because they left behind huge funnels. It was then that they remembered about the ammunition of a volumetric explosion.
A combat helicopter could carry several such ammunition on board, the explosion of each of them created a platform quite suitable for landing.
It also proved to be very effective combat use voluminous ammunition, they had the strongest psychological effect on the Vietnamese. It was very problematic to hide from such an explosion even in a reliable dugout or bunker. The Americans successfully used volumetric explosion bombs to destroy partisans in the tunnels. At the same time, the development of such ammunition was also taken up in the USSR.
The Americans equipped their first bombs with various types of hydrocarbons: ethylene, acetylene, propane, propylene and others. In the USSR, they experimented with a variety of metal powders.
However, the first generation volumetric explosion ammunition was quite demanding on the accuracy of bombing, highly dependent on weather conditions, did not work well at low temperatures.
To develop second-generation ammunition, the Americans used a computer on which they simulated a volumetric explosion. At the end of the 70s of the last century, the UN adopted a convention banning these weapons, but this did not stop its development in the USA and the USSR.
Today, third-generation volume explosion munitions have already been developed. Work in this direction is being actively carried out in the USA, Germany, Israel, China, Japan and Russia.
"The Daddy of All Bombs"
It should be noted that Russia is among the states that have the most advanced developments in the field of creating weapons of a volumetric explosion. The high-power vacuum bomb tested in 2007 is a vivid confirmation of this fact.
Until that time, the American aerial bomb GBU-43 / B, weighing 9.5 tons and 10 meters long, was considered the most powerful non-nuclear munition. The Americans themselves considered this guided bomb not very effective. Against tanks and infantry, in their opinion, it is better to use cluster munitions. It should also be noted that the GBU-43 / B does not apply to bulk ammunition, it contains conventional explosives.
In 2007, after testing, Russia adopted a high-yield vacuum bomb. This development is kept secret, neither the abbreviation assigned to the ammunition, nor the exact number of bombs that are in service with the Russian Armed Forces are known. It was stated that the power of this superbomb is 40-44 tons of TNT.
because of heavy weight bombs, only an aircraft can be the means of delivery of such ammunition. The leadership of the Russian armed forces said that nanotechnology was used in the development of the ammunition.
If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.
Vacuum or thermobaric bombs are practically as powerful as ultra-small tactical nuclear weapons. But unlike the latter, its use does not threaten radiation and global environmental catastrophe.
coal dust
The first test of a vacuum charge was carried out in 1943 by a group of German chemists led by Mario Zippermayr. The principle of operation of the device was prompted by accidents at flour mills and in mines, where volumetric explosions often occur. That is why ordinary coal dust was used as an explosive. The fact is that by this time Nazi Germany already had a serious shortage of explosives, primarily TNT. However, it was not possible to bring this idea to real production.
In fact, the term "vacuum bomb" from a technical point of view is not correct. In fact, this is a classic thermobaric weapon in which fire spreads under high pressure. Like most explosives, it is a fuel-oxidant premix. The difference is that in the first case, the explosion comes from a point source, and in the second, the flame front covers a significant volume. All this is accompanied by a powerful shock wave. For example, when December 11, 2005 in an empty storage oil terminal in Hertfordshire (England) there was a volumetric explosion, then 150 km from the epicenter, people woke up from the fact that glass rattled in the windows.
Vietnamese experience
For the first time, thermobaric weapons were used in Vietnam to clear the jungle, primarily for helipads. The effect was stunning. It was enough to drop three or four such volumetric explosive devices, and the Iroquois helicopter could land in the most unexpected places for the partisans.
In fact, these were 50-liter high-pressure cylinders, with a brake parachute that opened at a thirty-meter height. Approximately five meters from the ground, the squib destroyed the shell, and under pressure a gas cloud formed, which exploded. At the same time, the substances and mixtures used in air-fuel bombs were not something special. These were ordinary methane, propane, acetylene, ethylene and propylene oxides.
It soon became clear experimentally that thermobaric weapons have tremendous destructive power in confined spaces, such as tunnels, caves, and bunkers, but are not suitable in windy weather, under water and at high altitudes. There were attempts to use large-caliber thermobaric projectiles in the Vietnam War, but they were not effective.
thermobaric death
On February 1, 2000, immediately after another test of a thermobaric bomb, Human Rights Watch, a CIA expert, described its action as follows: “The direction of a volumetric explosion is unique and extremely life-threatening. First, people who are in the affected area are affected by high pressure burning mixture, and then - a vacuum, in fact, a vacuum tearing the lungs. All this is accompanied by severe burns, including internal ones, as many people manage to inhale the fuel-oxidant premix.”
However, with light hand journalists, this weapon was called a vacuum bomb. Interestingly, in the 90s of the last century, some experts believed that people who died from the “vacuum bomb” seemed to be in space. Like, as a result of the explosion, oxygen instantly burned out, and for some time an absolute vacuum was formed. So, military expert Terry Garder from Jane's magazine, reported on the use Russian troops"vacuum bomb" against Chechen fighters near the village of Semashko. His report says that the dead had no external injuries, and died from ruptured lungs.
Second after atomic bomb
Seven years later, on September 11, 2007, they started talking about the thermobaric bomb as the most powerful non-nuclear weapon. “The test results of the created aviation munition showed that it is commensurate in its effectiveness and capabilities with a nuclear munition,” said the former head of the GOU, Colonel General Alexander Rukshin. It was about the most destructive innovative thermobaric weapon in the world.
The new Russian aviation ammunition turned out to be four times more powerful than the largest American vacuum bomb. Pentagon experts immediately declared that the Russian data was exaggerated, at least twice. And the press secretary of US President George W. Bush, Dana Perino, at a briefing on September 18, 2007, in response to a caustic question about how the Americans would respond to the Russian attack, said that she had heard about it for the first time.
Meanwhile, John Pike from the GlobalSecurity think-tank agrees with the declared capacity mentioned by Alexander Rukshin. He wrote: “The Russian military and scientists were pioneers in the development and use of thermobaric weapons. it new story weapons." If a nuclear weapon is a priori a deterrent due to the possibility of radioactive contamination, then super-powerful thermobaric bombs, according to him, will most likely be used by the "hot heads" of the generals different countries.
Inhuman killer
In 1976, the United Nations adopted a resolution in which it called volumetric weapons "an inhumane means of warfare that causes undue suffering to people." However, this document is not mandatory and does not explicitly prohibit the use of thermobaric bombs. That is why from time to time there are reports of "vacuum bombing" in the media.
The media proudly reported that Russia had successfully tested the most powerful non-nuclear bomb. The bomber dropped more than seven tons of ammunition. The power of the bomb was a little less than forty tons. The Ministry of Defense guaranteed the destruction ...
The media proudly reported that Russia had successfully tested the most powerful non-nuclear bomb. The bomber dropped more than seven tons of ammunition. The power of the bomb was a little less than forty tons.
The Ministry of Defense guaranteed the destruction of all living beings within a radius of 300 meters. Even the flies will die. The bomb received a proper name - "Dad of all bombs."
Such an uncomplicated arms race. The Americans called their non-nuclear bomb "The Mother of All Bombs". So the answer is correct. But "Papa" thoroughly dug "Mom". The American "Mom" has nothing to do with the vacuum bomb. This is an ordinary landmine of great power.
Vacuum ammunition is a bomb that works on the principles of a volumetric explosion, known for a long time. The absence of radiation damage removed the bomb from the convention on weapons of mass destruction.
But the population is familiar with the vacuum explosion. An ordinary flour mill, with an accumulation of microscopic dust that is not visible to the armed eye, is our good example. These accumulations can explode so much that it doesn’t seem enough. The destructive power is huge.
Coal mines are a potential hazard. No matter how exhaust ventilation works, dust accumulates all the same. There is also methane in the mines. The initiation of an explosion is the slightest spark.
The explosion itself is quite simple. An explosive substance (BB) is used, which easily turns into a gas. Acetylene oxide is suitable. We create an air cloud, add combustible material, set it on fire... Theory is always easier than practice.
It's hard to do this. You will have to put an explosive substance (BB) into the bomb, spraying the main charge. BB, having reacted with air (oxygen), turns a vacuum bomb into an explosive monster.
It is more powerful than any other bomb. "Vacuum bomb" ... - it's not correct somehow. Only the pressure is decreasing. The shock wave is weak. But it has a lasting effect. Imagine that a car hit a pedestrian. So a vacuum bomb is a skating rink that will drive over a pedestrian and stand on it.
blast wave vacuum ammunition does not destroy the obstacle, but flows around it. It turns out an explosion according to the type of combustion. And during the battle, you need a destructive striking force. Therefore, vacuum-type bombs are not used everywhere.
But it is impossible to escape from it. The wave flows into all the cracks. The dugout, the wall of the house ... Nothing saves. But the bomb is an excellent sapper. The blast wave does not go into the ground. Moving on the surface, it explodes any mines, clearing the area.
The shock wave of the bomb is the only factor in defeat. In addition, for the explosion, she needs oxygen, which is in the air. This means that bombs must be carried by helicopters or planes. There are many barriers to use.
Application history
The Germans tried to use the explosions that occur in coal mines as a new weapon. But until the end, due to the circumstances of the offensive Soviet army, did not finish the project.
Americans are meticulous guys. While fighting in Vietnam, they realized that they needed numerous landing sites for helicopters. Construction required the presence of manpower in the jungle. Fuck? The Pentagon quickly sorted through the documents of the Nazis, and found the right option.
The helicopter carried shells. If necessary, a bomb was dropped and the explosion built a new helipad. In addition, it is impossible to hide from the explosion of a vacuum bomb. The psychological effect was very strong.
So the Americans smoked the Vietnamese rebels out of the tunnels. The first generation of vacuum bombs was capricious. Required special conditions for bombing, weather, temperature.
The UN decided to ban such weapons, but the US and the USSR wanted to spit on the UN. Today, weapons are being developed by several other countries that do not recognize the UN ban.
"The Daddy of All Bombs"
The test of 2007 confirmed that Russia is ahead of the rest. The bomb was adopted by the troops. But since the weapon is classified as secret, nothing is known about it.
The only thing reported by the Ministry of Defense is the capacity of 40-44 tons of TNT. And the fact that nanotechnology was used in the development.
