In the fall of 2007, Russian television showed footage of the most powerful non-nuclear Russian bomb being tested. The development is secret and has no official name, only the abbreviation AVBPM - high-power aviation vacuum bomb. The media immediately dubbed the novelty the “Dad of all bombs” - in defiance of the American GPU-43 / B MOAB, tested four years earlier and called the “Mom of all bombs”.
The Russian bomb turned out to be lighter and more compact than the American one, but much more effective. Due to the use of nanotechnology, AVBPM is four times more powerful than MOAB and is capable of hitting a 20 times larger area: 180 city blocks versus 9 for GPU-43. The Russian bomb has twice the radius of continuous destruction and the temperature at the epicenter. In terms of its power, the "Dad of all bombs" came close to tactical nuclear weapons, while the vacuum weapon does not leave chemical and radioactive contamination.
The Western press reacted excitedly to the Russian bomb tests. "A gesture of militant defiance against the West," called the AFBPM The Daily Telegraph. The tests are "new evidence of the fact that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have regained their positions in terms of technology," the publication stated. The Guardian journalists suggested that the test is Russia's response to the deployment of missile defense elements in Central Europe. And the BBC stated that FOAB (this is the official name the bomb received in NATO) really represents the most powerful non-nuclear weapon in the world.
Experts believe that Papa's tests are not carried out to scare the West or demonstrate the restoration of the Russian defense industry. The modified AVBPM can become the warhead of the most powerful ballistic missile of our time, the RS-28 Sarmat, whose flight tests will begin in 2017. In terms of the thrown weight, the bomb fits into the characteristics of the rocket, and the transfer of the Sarmat to a non-nuclear status relieves the rocket of many restrictions. Finally, the probability of using nuclear weapons in an armed conflict is millionths of a percent, but the use of missiles with a thermobaric warhead is quite likely.
The missiles of the Iskander operational-tactical complex have both nuclear and thermobaric warheads, but they are terrible not only for this. A missile launched by Iskander cannot be intercepted or shot down - it will fly where it is assigned and bring there what it is supposed to. And no missile defense can prevent it from doing so. The inevitability of punishment is what confuses potential opponents of Russia.
The OTRK rocket flies very fast (at a speed of almost 5,000 kilometers per hour) and either very high or very low, depending on the modification and combat mission. All protruding parts are dropped immediately after launch, the surface of the rocket is treated with scattering nanostructured coatings, which makes it invisible to enemy radars.
According to the rocket scientists, there is no need to completely suppress the means of enemy air defense and missile defense - it is enough to confuse them for a short period of time, which is necessary for the missile to overcome the defense zone. Given the speed of the Iskander, this interval is calculated in fractions of a second, and on approaching the target, the missile intensively jams enemy air defense and throws out decoys.
But the main advantage is not even in this. On the final section of the trajectory, the Iskader maneuvers unpredictably with overloads of 20-30 units. And if we assume that the enemy air defense still detected the missile, in order to destroy it, the interceptor missile must maneuver two to three times more energetically. But there are no such missiles and are not expected in the foreseeable future.
The world premiere of a heavy self-propelled flamethrower took place in 2000 during the assault on the village of Komsomolskoye. Personnel of working flamethrowers went around the whole world, and captured militants talked about the "fiery hell" arranged by their shells in the village. By that time, TOS had been in service with the Soviet and Russian armies for more than 15 years, having managed to fight in Afghanistan.
Thermobaric shells fly not far - a maximum of six kilometers - since most of the three-meter rocket is occupied not by the engine - like the Tornado and Smerch - but by the warhead. Above the target, the shell of the rocket is torn and an aerosol cloud is formed, which explodes at once.
Fortifications, trenches and folds of the terrain are not an obstacle to a volumetric explosion - explosive aerosol penetrates everywhere. The temperature in the explosion zone reaches two thousand degrees, all living things burn to the ground. Military equipment and buildings are subject to restoration. Flamethrowers are especially effective in mountainous areas, where shock waves, reflected from rocks, reinforce each other.
Those who managed to survive the explosion will face a painful death from damage to internal organs - a volumetric explosion burns out atmospheric oxygen and causes a sharp decrease in pressure. Therefore, thermobaric ammunition is also called vacuum.
A lighter version with 24 rounds versus 30 is called the .
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 weapons. But unlike the latter, they do not have a factor of radiation contamination of the area 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. An even greater danger is 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 passes into a gaseous state even at 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 effect 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 to produce 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 US troops made extensive use of 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.
The combat use of voluminous ammunition also turned out to be very effective, they had a strong 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, and 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.
Due to the large weight of the bomb, only an aircraft can be a means of delivering 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.
The appearance of a fundamentally new type of weapon or military equipment often gives rise to a lot of rumors. And most of them are associated with an exaggerated assessment of the capabilities of the "wonder weapon". This is usually due to the tendency of journalists to sensationalize against the background of the scarcity of information about the product.
The same situation arose with the new volume explosion ammunition. A sample of this weapon was successfully tested on September 11, 2007. The bomb dropped from the Tu-160 turned out to be the most powerful of the non-nuclear ones. The "experts" from the media have given it the mysterious name "High Yield Aircraft Vacuum Bomb".
Operating principle
The incorrect term "vacuum" arose due to the short-term (hundredths of a second) "burnout" of oxygen. In fact, the pressure drop does not exceed 0.5 atmospheres, which is safe for humans. The resulting rarefaction zone is instantly filled with combustion products. And the striking factor is not “suction by a vacuum”, but a shock wave.
The very principle of a volumetric explosion is the detonation of a combustible substance sprayed in a certain volume of air. The area of contact with air of all aerosol particles is much larger than that of a substance in its usual form. And the composition of the air includes oxygen - an oxidizing agent necessary for the explosion. Such "mixing" of a combustible substance with an oxidizing agent greatly increases the power of the explosion.
Thanks to this principle, the new weapon was named volumetric explosion ammunition (BOV).
In comparison with an explosive (XV) such as TNT, CWA has 5-8 times more power. However, due to the low density of the atomized substance, the CWA explosion rate is less. For CWA it is 1500–2000 m/s versus 6950 m/s for TNT. Because of this, its ability to crush obstacles (blasting effect) is lower.
In everyday life, a volumetric explosion occurs in the form of accidents at enterprises. A high concentration of combustible dust or vapors in the air creates the prerequisites for an explosion. Such completely peaceful substances include wood, coal, sugar dust or gasoline vapors.
The implementation of this idea for military purposes is as follows. A projectile or bomb delivers a combustible (explosive) substance to the target and sprays it there. After 100–150 ms, the aerosol cloud is detonated. It is important that at this moment the explosive cloud fills the largest space, maintaining the desired concentration.
As a sprayed combustible substance, ethylene or propylene oxide, metal powders, a mixture of MAPP are used. The latter includes methylacetylene, allene (propadiene) and propane. Ethylene or propylene oxides are effective but poisonous and difficult to handle. For military purposes, it is easier to use volatile gasoline with the addition of aluminum-magnesium powder.
Benefits of BOV:
- greater than that of a blasting explosive, the power of the explosion;
- the ability of an aerosol cloud to penetrate shelters;
- with a power comparable to tactical nuclear weapons, do not lead to radioactive contamination.
The disadvantages include:
- instability of the aerosol cloud in adverse weather conditions;
- the presence of the only damaging factor - the shock wave;
- low effectiveness against fortifications;
- explosive weight limit. For the required effectiveness of the ammunition, it must be at least 20 kg.
These features will not allow BOV to replace traditional ammunition.
Its use is expedient against enemy manpower in fortifications, natural shelters or urban conditions.
Thermobaric ammunition
Along with BOV, thermobaric ammunition (TBB) is widely known. With the same effect of explosive oxidation in the air, the principle of operation of such ammunition differs from the BOV.
Due to the detonation of the central bursting charge, the thermobaric mixture is detonated. The resulting blast wave provides rapid mixing with air and combustion of the thermobaric composition. TBB uses a mixture based on nitroesters and aluminum powder.
The solid version of the mixture is A-3 (65% RDX, 5% wax and 30% aluminum powder).
Advantages of TBB over volumetric detonating:
- no restrictions on the mass of explosives. This made it possible to create firepower for arming individual servicemen;
- insensitivity to atmospheric phenomena.
Several types of weapons have been developed under the TBB. The most common ones are:
- jet infantry flamethrower "Bumblebee";
- shots for RPG-7;
- grenades for underbarrel grenade launcher.
At the same time, work continues on the creation of high-capacity thermobaric munitions.
History of creation and application
The first attempt to use the volumetric explosion effect was the Black Fog project. In 1944, the engineers of Nazi Germany intended to create a BOV in the interests of air defense. It was planned to form an aerosol cloud on the way of enemy aircraft. Its setting and detonation were to be carried out by Junkers Ju-88 aircraft. However, this would require many more machines than were to be destroyed. Until the end of the war, the project could not be implemented.
The idea of a volumetric explosion was further developed in the United States. In the early 70s, the first generation BOV was developed - the 500-pound cluster bomb CBU-55. This ammunition was used from a multi-purpose helicopter.
The second generation BOVs were the 500lb BLU-95 and the 2000lb BLU-96.
The latter was capable of inflicting serious damage to the ship within a radius of up to 130 m.
Such aerial bombs were used during the Vietnam War. With their help, American aviation solved the following tasks:
- clearing places for landing helicopters;
- destruction of the enemy in shelters;
- making passages in minefields.
Similar developments were carried out in the USSR. As a result, the ODAB-500P air bomb was created. In Afghanistan, this was an effective remedy against the dushmans who were hiding in the mountains. To reduce the dispersion of the aerosol cloud, they were used together with smoke bombs in a ratio of 3:1.
In 1999, an aerial bomb of a volumetric explosion was used against Chechen fighters who had taken refuge in the Dagestan village of Tando. In addition to heavy losses, the enemy received huge psychological damage.
Our response to "partners"
In 2003, the GBU-43 / B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB) was tested in the USA. The power of its explosion was 11 tons of TNT. Of the non-nuclear munitions at that time, it had no equal. Thanks to this, she received the nickname "mother of all bombs" (MOAB - Mother Of All Bombs).
The bomb used BBH-6 - a mixture of TNT, RDX and aluminum powder. It should be noted that the “mother of all bombs” turned out to be ammunition not of a volumetric explosion, but of a high-explosive one.
An "asymmetric" response to the Americans was presented in 2007 in the form of a 7-ton thermobaric bomb.
The TNT equivalent of its power is four times higher than the American figure. Precise details about the new bomb are not available.
The calculated effect is from the complete destruction of fortifications within a radius of up to 100 m to the destruction of buildings at a distance of up to 450 m.
Tactical and technical data of the most powerful air bombs
| aerial bomb | GBU-43/B | (AVBPM) |
|---|---|---|
| Affiliation | USA | Russia |
| Year of testing | 2003 | 2007 |
| Length, m | 10 | n.a. |
| Diameter, m | 1 | n.a. |
| Weight, t – general - explosive | 9,5 8,4 | 7 n.a. |
| TNT equivalent, t | 11 | 44 |
| Radius of guaranteed damage, m | 140 | 400 |
The table shows a fourfold superiority in power with a quarter less total weight.
Obviously, this could be achieved through the use of a thermobaric explosive.
Conclusion
Volumetric explosion ammunition did not become a "wonder weapon". They did not provide their owners with a decisive superiority over the enemy. At the same time, their features made it possible to occupy a corresponding niche in military affairs.
BOVs are not capable of destroying the multi-meter walls of a concrete bunker or a rock. But they will hit everyone who has taken refuge there. BOVs are quite effective if necessary to make passages in minefields. Successfully used for clearing areas in a wooded area.
It is not excluded that in the future BWA will successfully replace tactical nuclear weapons.
Video
MOSCOW, September 11 - RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots. Ten years ago, on September 11, 2007, the "daddy of all bombs" was tested in Russia for the first time - this is how journalists called a new high-powered aviation vacuum munition with a light hand. This bomb remains the most formidable non-nuclear airborne weapon to date. One such ammunition is capable of destroying all life within a radius of 300 meters. In combat conditions, this weapon has not yet been used, however, volumetric detonating projectiles, operating on a similar principle, have long been successfully used by the Russian army. According to many military experts, our country remains the world leader in this area. What are the dangers of "vacuum", or thermobaric, ammunition - in the material of RIA Novosti.
forty four tons
Thermobaric munitions in terms of their destructive effect are significantly different from, say, high-explosive ones. A volumetric detonating bomb, upon contact with a target, does not just explode, but sprays an aerosol cloud of a combustible substance, which, a fraction of a second later, is set on fire by a special charge. As a result of the explosion, a fireball is formed, creating a high-pressure zone at the epicenter. Even in the absence of a supersonic shock wave, such an explosion effectively destroys the enemy's manpower, freely penetrating into areas inaccessible to fragmentation ammunition. It "flows" into any fold of the terrain, behind any obstacle. It is almost impossible to hide from the explosion of a thermobaric bomb or projectile.
Footage of the explosion of the "dad of all bombs" at one of the training grounds of the 30th Central Research Institute of the Russian Ministry of Defense went around all the world's media. A Tu-160 strategic bomber, which is by far the most "long-range" aircraft of the Aerospace Forces, dropped ammunition on a training target. Little is known about the performance characteristics of the new bomb: the explosive mass is about seven tons, and the explosion power is approximately 44 tons of TNT. The weapons were assessed immediately after the tests by the highest military leadership.
“The test results of the created aviation munition showed that it is commensurate with nuclear weapons in terms of its effectiveness and capabilities,” the acting director told reporters. Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Colonel-General Alexander Rukshin. - At the same time, I want to emphasize this, the effect of this bomb does not pollute the environment at all compared to a nuclear weapon.
Combat use
According to Russian generals, the high area of destruction allows to reduce the cost of ammunition by reducing the requirements for hit accuracy. However, as General of the Army Anatoly Kornukov stated, for the time being, only aircraft can be used from the ammunition delivery vehicles. Missiles capable of carrying a charge of comparable power do not yet exist. Nevertheless, there are other types of volumetric detonating weapons in Russia.
“In Russia, a wide range of such ammunition is in service,” Viktor Murakhovsky, editor-in-chief of Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine, told RIA Novosti. - From aerial bombs to small-sized weapons. By the latter, I mean, for example, the Bumblebee rocket-propelled infantry flamethrower or TPG-7V shots for the RPG-7 anti-tank grenade launcher. In addition, thermobaric ammunition is standard for heavy flamethrower systems TOS-1 "Pinocchio" and TOS-1A "Solntsepek". This weapon has been widely used in recent local conflicts. In particular, in Syria, TOS-1A showed high efficiency in destroying fortified positions of terrorists.
According to the expert, volumetric detonating ammunition is ideal for destroying engineering structures: dugouts, bunkers, long-term firing points. At the same time, they demonstrate high destructive power in open areas. There are drone footage on the web demonstrating the combat operation of the Solntsepekov battery in Syria. In half a minute, several installations literally sowed with explosions the gorge through which IS militants (a terrorist organization banned in Russia. - Ed.) drove caravans with weapons. However, the scope of such ammunition is quite wide and is not limited to the fight against irregular armed formations.
© Ministry of Defense of the Russian FederationFire strike from the "Solntsepeka": a heavy multiple rocket launcher in action
© Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
- Volumetric detonating air bombs are mainly designed to strike at the targets of the enemy army in the tactical and operational-tactical depth of its battle formations, - Viktor Murakhovsky explained. - These are control points, communication centers, launching positions for ballistic missiles, and so on. Ammunition of this type works well on unarmored targets. A pair of such bombs can completely destroy a military airfield - in an open area, an explosion additionally causes a strong thermal effect. Roughly speaking, everything that can burn in the affected area burns.
Viktor Murakhovsky emphasized that volumetric detonating ammunition also has disadvantages. In particular, they include indiscriminate action and dependence on adverse weather conditions. In strong wind, rain or snowfall, the aerosol cloud is sprayed much less. Accordingly, the effect of the explosion is much weaker.
And how are they?
Thermobaric ammunition is also used in the West. The US Marine Corps, in particular, has 40-mm MGL drum grenade launchers with XM1060 thermobaric ammunition. In addition, during the Iraq War, the Marines actively used a volumetric detonating shot for the SMAW anti-tank grenade launcher. According to Western press reports, with the help of one shot from this weapon, the reconnaissance group of the American military managed to completely destroy the stone one-story building, along with the enemy soldiers hiding inside.
“Many countries have experimented and are experimenting with thermobaric ammunition,” Viktor Murakhovsky said. “However, only our country has managed to achieve serious progress in this area. We have the widest range of thermobaric weapons. In addition, we are at the forefront in improving the mixtures of volumetric detonating action. This weapon is not absolute and universal. But a potential adversary will definitely have him in mind and consider him a serious threat to his soldiers.
vacuum bomb- These are volumetric explosion or thermobaric ammunition.
“The principle of operation of this terrible weapon, approaching the power of a nuclear bomb, is based on a kind of explosion in reverse. When this bomb explodes, oxygen is instantly burned, a deep vacuum is formed, deeper than in outer space. All surrounding objects, people, cars, animals, trees are instantly drawn into the epicenter of the explosion and, colliding, turn into powder.
What is the principle of operation of these miracle bombs based on? We are all well acquainted with the phenomenon of a volumetric explosion and even encounter it every day. For example, when we start a car (micro-explosion of the fuel mixture in the cylinders of an internal combustion engine). Catastrophes. Methane or coal dust explosions that occur in mining mines are also examples of this phenomenon. The most amazing thing: even a cloud of flour, powdered sugar or small sawdust can explode. The whole secret is that the substance in the form of a suspension has a very large area of contact with air (oxidizing agent), which makes it behave like a real ammunition.
The military quickly realized that this effect is good to use in the killing of their own kind. The principle of operation of a typical volumetric explosion munition (hereinafter referred to as BEV) is as follows: first, the pyro cartridge destroys the wall of the bomb and at the same time turns the combustible substance inside into a large cloud of aerosols (usually a liquid, but it can also be a powder such as aluminum powder). As soon as the cloud appears (a few miles of seconds after spraying) it is undermined by detonators. A cloud of a mixture of combustible substance and air burns out very quickly at very high temperatures in the entire volume that the cloud occupied. Hence the name: volumetric explosion. The explosion front has a huge pressure of 2,100,000 Pa. But far from the explosion, this pressure difference is already much smaller: at a distance of 3-4 explosion radii, the pressure in the shock wave is already about 100,000 Pa. But this is enough to destroy an airplane or helicopter. The most interesting thing is that you don’t need much substance for spraying (compared to conventional ammunition).
For example, the first BOVs (they were developed by the US military in 1960) contained only 10 gallons (approximately 32-33 liters) of ethylene oxide. This was enough to create a cloud of fuel-air mixture with a radius of 7.5-8.5 m, up to 3 m high. After 125 miles of seconds, this cloud was blown up by several detonators. The radius of destruction was at the same time 30-40 meters. For comparison, to create such pressure at a distance of 8 meters from a TNT charge, about 200-250 kg of TNT is required.
Ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, methane, propyl nitrate, MAPP (a mixture of methyl, acetylene, propadiene and propane) have been tested and found suitable for use as explosives for volumetric bombs.
The Americans began to actively use BOV in Vietnam. In order to clear landing sites for helicopters in the jungle as soon as possible. The fact is that the Viet Cong very quickly noticed the high degree of dependence of the regular units of the US Army on the supply of ammunition, food and other materiel. As the Americans deepened into the jungle, it was enough to disrupt their supply and evacuation lines (which, in general, is not so difficult to do) to gain the upper hand. The use of helicopters for the delivery of materiel in the jungle was very difficult, and often completely impossible due to the lack of open places suitable for landing. Clearing the jungle to land just one Iroquois helicopter required 10 to 26 hours of engineering platoon work.
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" could carry 2-3 of these bombs (they were carried right in the cockpit). The explosion of even one bomb in any jungle created a perfectly usable landing site.
Empirically, the Americans found that the BOV is great for dealing with leaky Viet Cong fortifications. The fact is that the resulting cloud of atomized fuel, like ordinary gas, flows into rooms, dugouts, and various underground shelters. When the BOV cloud is blown up, the entire structure literally takes off into the air.
After being dropped at a relatively low altitude (30-50 m), a braking parachute was deployed, which ensured the stabilization of the bomb and a low rate of descent (this is required for the normal operation of the bomb). A cable 5-7 m long with a weight at the end was lowered from the nose of the bomb. When the weight touched the ground and the tension of the cable decreased, the whole chain of events described above was launched (opening the shell of the bomb with a pyro cartridge, creating a cloud and its subsequent undermining).
For artillery, the technology was poorly suited: even large-caliber projectiles could carry a relatively small amount of liquid explosive, and most of the weight of the projectile fell on the thick walls of the projectile body. But BOV was well suited for multiple rocket launchers (the projectile is heavier and the walls are thinner).
The development of volumetric explosion munitions was influenced by the 1976 UN resolution that CWAs are "an inhumane means of warfare that causes undue human suffering." Although, of course, work on them continued after the adoption of the resolution.
Volumetric explosion ammunition was repeatedly used in various wars in the 1980-90s. So on August 6, 1982, during the war in Lebanon, an Israeli plane dropped such a bomb (American-made) on an eight-story residential building. The explosion occurred in the immediate vicinity of the building at the level of 1-2 floors. The building was completely destroyed. About 300 people died (mostly not in the building, but in the vicinity of the explosion site).
BOV, or a vacuum bomb, has not only a powerful destructive effect, but also a psychological one (an explosion is similar to a nuclear one, accompanied by a powerful flash, everything around is on fire, leaving melted soil), which is no less important in military operations.
Volumetric detonating bomb ODAB-500PMV (Fuel-Air Explosion Aircraft Bomb ODAB-500PMV).
Diameter 50 cm, length 238 cm, stabilizer span 68.5 cm, weight 525 kg, charge weight 193 kg. Explosive compound ZhVV-14. It is used from airplanes and helicopters.
Application conditions:
for aircraft altitude 200-12000m. at a speed of 500-1500 km / h.
for helicopters, the height is not less than 1200m. at speeds over 50 km/h.
It is easy to guess that the removal of the helicopter from the bomb at the time of its explosion is less than 1200 meters is deadly.
Why hasn't the military abandoned conventional explosives so far? The fact is that the scope of applicability of vacuum bombs is quite narrow.
Firstly, BOVs have only one damaging factor - a shock wave. They do not and cannot have a fragmentation, cumulative effect on the target.
Secondly, the brisance (ability to destroy the barrier) of the fuel-air mixture cloud is low, because there is a process of rapid burnout (burning), and not detonation. Vacuum bombs cannot break concrete walls of fortifications or armored plates of military equipment. Moreover, despite the seemingly terrible picture of the consequences of the action of the BOV, even inside the explosion zone, a tank or other hermetic shelter can easily survive, with little or no damage.
Thirdly, a volumetric explosion requires a large free volume and free oxygen, which is not required for the explosion of conventional explosives (it is contained in the explosive itself in a bound form). A vacuum bomb will not work in vacuum, in water, in soil.
Fourthly, the operation of the volume explosion ammunition is greatly influenced by weather conditions. With a strong wind, heavy rain, the fuel-air cloud either does not form at all, or is strongly dissipated. This is a significant drawback, because it is not always possible to wage war only in good weather.
Fifthly, CWA carriers must be large. It is impossible to create small-caliber volume explosion ammunition (less than 100-kg bombs and less than 220-mm shells).
Despite the described shortcomings, the appearance of super-powerful non-nuclear bombs (it doesn’t even matter in principle what technology they will work on) fundamentally changes the picture of the war of the future. For a nuclear bomb is more of a deterrent weapon. Even "hotheads" understand that the thoughtless use of nuclear weapons, even in a serious war, is more like suicide: the consequences of enemy chain retaliation will be much worse than the outcome of the most destructive conventional war. And no one is going to use it. Therefore, paradoxically, a vacuum bomb is much more suitable for the role of a super-bomb than a nuclear weapon.
On September 11, 2007, the most powerful non-nuclear bomb was tested in Russia, which surpassed the American "Mother of all bombs" in power. The power of the explosion in TNT equivalent was 44 tons (with a bomb mass of 7100 kg), the guaranteed destruction radius was 300 meters.
Video of testing the most powerful vacuum bomb in Russia: