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Vacuum bomb: how it explodes. The history of the creation of a vacuum bomb

The Russian army is armed with one of the most powerful non-nuclear weapons in the world - a vacuum bomb. According to the specialists of the Russian General Staff, new bomb in terms of its capabilities and effectiveness, it is comparable to nuclear weapons. At the same time, experts emphasize that this species does not pollute at all. environment. In addition, this bomb is quite cheap to manufacture and has high striking properties. This domestic development does not violate any of the international treaties, the Ministry of Defense emphasizes.

Prior to this, the United States had the most powerful vacuum bomb in the world. Its tests were completed in 2003, then this superweapon was dubbed the "mother of all bombs." Russian developers, without hesitation, did not look for other analogies and called their development "the father of all bombs." At the same time, our aerial bomb significantly surpasses its American counterpart in all respects. The mass of explosive in the Russian bomb is less, but at the same time it turned out to be 4 times more powerful. The temperature at the epicenter of its explosion is 2 times higher, and the total area of damage exceeds its American counterpart by almost 20 times.

volumetric explosion effect

The action of a vacuum bomb is based on the effect of a volumetric explosion. We encounter a similar phenomenon almost every day: for example, when we start our car, a microexplosion of the fuel mixture occurs in the cylinders of an internal combustion engine. In a more ominous form, this manifests itself in underground explosions in coal mines with an explosion of coal dust or methane, such incidents have catastrophic consequences. Even a cloud of dust, powdered sugar or small sawdust. The reason for this is that the combustible substance in the form of a mixture has a very large area of contact with air (oxidizer), which provokes an explosion.

This effect was used by military engineers. Technically, the bomb works quite simply. The explosive charge, most often non-contact, destroys the body of the bomb, after which fuel is sprayed into the air, which forms an aerosol cloud. As it forms, this cloud penetrates into shelters, trenches and other places inaccessible to traditional types ammunition, the action of which is based on the defeat of the shock wave and shrapnel. Further, special warheads are fired from the body of the bomb, which ignite the cloud, and already as the aerosol mixture burns, a zone of relative vacuum is created - low pressure, into which air and all surrounding objects are then rapidly sucked in. As a result, even without the creation of a supersonic shock wave that occurs when nuclear warheads are detonated, this type of weapon is capable of very effectively hitting enemy infantry.

BOV - volumetric explosion ammunition is 5-8 times stronger than conventional explosives in terms of the strength of its shock wave. In the United States, combustible mixtures were created on the basis of napalm. After the use of such bombs, the soil at the site of the explosion began to resemble lunar soil, but neither radioactive nor chemical contamination of the area occurred. In America, ethylene oxide, methane, propyl nitrate, propylene oxide, MAPP (a mixture of acetylene, methyl, propadiene and propane) have been tested and found suitable for use as explosives for CWA.

Until recently, Russia used the same traditional fillers for this type of bomb. However, now the composition of the explosive of the new Russian vacuum bomb is kept secret, there is information that it was created using nanotechnology. That is why the Russian bomb is several times larger than the American one. If we turn this comparison into numbers, we get the following. The mass of explosive in the BOV of the USA and Russia is 8200 and 7100 kg. respectively, the TNT equivalent is 11 and 44 tons, the radius of guaranteed damage is 140 and 300 meters, in addition, the temperature at the epicenter of the explosion of the Russian vacuum bomb is 2 times higher.

America was first

The United States was the first to use BOV during the Vietnam War in the summer of 1969. Initially, these ammunition was used to clear the jungle, the effect of their use exceeded all expectations. The Iroquois helicopter could take on board up to 2-3 of these bombs, which were located right in the cockpit. The explosion of just one bomb created a platform in the jungle acceptable for a helicopter landing. However, the Americans soon discovered other properties of this type of weapon and began to use it to combat leaky Viet Cong fortifications. The resulting cloud of atomized fuel, like gas, penetrated dugouts, underground shelters, and inside the premises. When this cloud was blown up, all the structures into which the aerosol penetrated literally flew up into the air.

On August 6, 1982, during the Lebanese-Israeli war, Israel also tested similar weapons on people. An Israeli Air Force plane dropped a BOV on an 8-storey residential building, the explosion occurred in the immediate vicinity of the house at the level of 1-2 floors. As a result of the explosion, the building was completely destroyed, about 300 people died, mostly not in the building, but in the vicinity of the explosion site.

In August 1999 Russian army used BOV during a counter-terrorist operation in Dagestan. A vacuum bomb was dropped on the Dagestan village of Tando, in which big number Chechen fighters. As a result, several hundred militants were killed, the village was completely wiped off the face of the earth. In the following days, the militants, noticing in the sky, even a single Russian Su-25 attack aircraft over any locality, in a panic fled from it. Thus, vacuum ammunition has not only a powerful destructive, but also a strong psychological effect. An explosion of such ammunition is similar to a nuclear one, accompanied by a strong flash, everything around is burning, and the ground is melting. All this plays a big role in the ongoing hostilities.

New BOV format

The high-power aviation vacuum bomb (AVBPM), which is now adopted by our army, has many times surpassed all similar ammunition available before. The bomb was tested on September 11, 2007. The AVBPM was dropped from a Tu-160 strategic bomber by parachute, reached the ground and successfully exploded. After that, a theoretical calculation of the zones of its defeat appeared in the open press, based on the well-known TNT equivalent bombs:

90 meters from the epicenter - the complete destruction of even the most fortified structures.

170 m from the epicenter - complete destruction of unfortified structures and almost complete destruction of reinforced concrete structures.

300 m from the epicenter - almost complete destruction of unfortified structures (residential buildings). Fortified structures are partially destroyed.

440 m from the epicenter - partial destruction of unfortified structures.

1120 m from the epicenter - the shock wave breaks the glass.

2290 m from the epicenter - the shock wave is capable of knocking a person down.

The West was very wary of Russian tests and the subsequent adoption of this bomb. English newspaper The Daily The Telegraph even dubbed these events “a gesture of militant defiance facing the West” and “new confirmation of the fact that the Russian army is regaining its position primarily in terms of technology. Another British newspaper, The Guardian, suggested that the bomb was a response to the US decision to deploy elements of a missile defense system in Europe.

deterrence factor

A number of experts believe that the AFBPM has many shortcomings, but at the same time it may well act as another deterrent to possible aggression, along with conventional nuclear weapons. As weaknesses BOV experts call the fact that this type of weapon has only one damaging factor- shock wave. This type of weapon does not have a fragmentation, cumulative effect on the target, in addition, oxygen and free volume are necessary for a volumetric explosion, which means that the bomb will not work in vacuum, soil or water. In addition, this type of ammunition is of great importance to the current weather. So at pouring rain or strong wind a fuel-air cloud cannot form or dissipates very quickly, and fight exclusively in good weather not very practical.

Despite this damaging effect of vacuum bombs, it is so strong and intimidating for the enemy that this type of ammunition is undoubtedly capable of acting as a good deterrent, especially in the fight against illegal gangs and terrorism.

On September 11, 2007, the most powerful non-nuclear weapon in the world was successfully tested in Russia. A strategic bomber dropped a bomb weighing 7.1 tons and with a capacity of about 40 tons of TNT, with a guaranteed radius of destruction of all living things - 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 response to the United States. Until that moment, the most powerful non-nuclear munition was considered precisely american bomb GBU-43B 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 . What is the basis of its principle of action? 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. Yet 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. For initiation powerful explosion under such conditions, even a small spark is sufficient.

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 is easily converted into 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 a volumetric blast munition is a small demolition charge, which consists 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, volume explosion ammunition has already generated a large number of myths.

As an explosive in bulk ammunition, various liquids are usually used (ethylene and propylene oxides, dimethylacetylene, propyl nitrite), as well as light metal powders (magnesium is most often used).

How it works

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 wave reduced pressure, which 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 great for undermining 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 is everything modern ammunition did not become voluminous?

The reason lies in the features of a volumetric explosion. Volumetric detonating ammunition has only one damaging factor - a shock wave. Neither cumulative nor shrapnel action they do not produce on purpose.

In addition, their ability to destroy an obstacle is extremely small, they flow around it, 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 volumetric small-caliber ammunition: aviation bombs weighing less than 100 kg and shells 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 Americans very 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 various types 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 in terms of compliance with the rules of bombing, they were highly dependent on weather conditions, they 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, with a weight of 9.5 tons and a length of 10 meters, 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 is 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.

The Russian army is armed with one of the most powerful non-nuclear weapons in the world - a vacuum bomb. According to specialists from the Russian General Staff, the new bomb is comparable in its capabilities and effectiveness to nuclear weapons. At the same time, experts emphasize that this species does not pollute the environment at all. In addition, this bomb is quite cheap to manufacture and has high damaging properties. This domestic development does not violate any of the international treaties, the Ministry of Defense emphasizes.

volumetric explosion effect

The action of a vacuum bomb is based on the effect of a volumetric explosion. We encounter a similar phenomenon almost every day: for example, when we start our car, a microexplosion of the fuel mixture occurs in the cylinders of an internal combustion engine. In a more ominous form, this manifests itself in underground explosions in coal mines with an explosion of coal dust or methane, such incidents have catastrophic consequences. Even a cloud of dust, powdered sugar or small sawdust can explode. The reason for this is that the combustible substance in the form of a mixture has a very large area of contact with air (oxidizer), which provokes an explosion.

This effect was used by military engineers. Technically, the bomb works quite simply. The explosive charge, most often non-contact, destroys the body of the bomb, after which fuel is sprayed into the air, which forms an aerosol cloud. As it forms, this cloud penetrates into shelters, trenches and other places inaccessible to traditional types of ammunition, the action of which is based on the defeat of the shock wave and shrapnel. Further, special warheads are fired from the bomb body, which ignite the cloud, and already as the aerosol mixture burns, a zone of relative vacuum is created - low pressure, into which air and all surrounding objects are then rapidly sucked in. As a result, even without the creation of a supersonic shock wave that occurs when nuclear warheads are detonated, this type of weapon is capable of very effectively hitting enemy infantry.

BOV - volumetric explosion ammunition is 5-8 times stronger than conventional explosives in terms of the strength of its shock wave. In the United States, combustible mixtures were created on the basis of napalm. After the use of such bombs, the soil at the site of the explosion began to resemble lunar soil, but neither radioactive nor chemical contamination of the area occurred. In America, ethylene oxide, methane, propyl nitrate, propylene oxide, MAPP (a mixture of acetylene, methyl, propadiene and propane) have been tested and found suitable for use as explosives for CWA.

America was first

In August 1999, the Russian army used BOV during a counter-terrorist operation in Dagestan. A vacuum bomb was dropped on the Dagestan village of Tando, in which a large number of Chechen fighters had accumulated. As a result, several hundred militants were killed, the village was completely wiped off the face of the earth. In the following days, the militants, noticing in the sky, even a single Russian Su-25 attack aircraft over any settlement, fled from it in a panic. Thus, vacuum ammunition has not only a powerful destructive, but also a strong psychological effect. An explosion of such ammunition is similar to a nuclear one, accompanied by a strong flash, everything around is burning, and the ground is melting. All this plays a big role in the ongoing hostilities.

New BOV format

90 meters from the epicenter - the complete destruction of even the most fortified structures.

170 m from the epicenter - complete destruction of unfortified structures and almost complete destruction of reinforced concrete structures.

300 m from the epicenter - almost complete destruction of unfortified structures (residential buildings). Fortified structures are partially destroyed.

440 m from the epicenter - partial destruction of unfortified structures.

1120 m from the epicenter - the shock wave breaks the glass.

2290 m from the epicenter - the shock wave is capable of knocking a person down.

The West was very wary of Russian tests and the subsequent adoption of this bomb. The British newspaper The Daily Telegraph even dubbed these events “a gesture of militant defiance facing the West” and “new confirmation of the fact that the Russian army is restoring its position primarily in terms of technology. Another British newspaper, The Guardian, suggested that the bomb was a response to the US decision to deploy elements of a missile defense system in Europe.

deterrence factor

A number of experts believe that the AFBPM has many shortcomings, but at the same time it may well act as another deterrent to possible aggression, along with conventional nuclear weapons. As weaknesses of the BOV, experts call the fact that this type of weapon has only one damaging factor - a shock wave. This type of weapon does not have a fragmentation, cumulative effect on the target, in addition, oxygen and free volume are necessary for a volumetric explosion, which means that the bomb will not work in vacuum, soil or water. In addition, current weather conditions are of great importance for this type of ammunition. So in heavy rain or strong wind, a fuel-air cloud cannot form or dissipates very quickly, and it is not very practical to fight only in good weather.

Vacuum or thermobaric bombs are practically as powerful as 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 point is that by this time Nazi Germany there was already 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" with technical point 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 on December 11, 2005, a volumetric explosion took place in the empty storage of an oil terminal in Hertfordshire (England), people woke up 150 km from the epicenter 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 cylinders high pressure, 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 a huge destructive force in confined spaces such as tunnels, caves, and bunkers, but not suitable for windy weather, underwater or on high altitude. There have been attempts to use Vietnam War thermobaric shells large caliber however, 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, the high pressure of the burning mixture acts on people who are in the affected area, and then a rarefaction, in fact, a vacuum that breaks the lungs. All this is accompanied by severe burns, including internal ones, as many people manage to inhale the fuel-oxidant premix.”

However, with the light hand of 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 the atomic bomb

Seven years later, on September 11, 2007, they started talking about the thermobaric bomb as the most powerful non-nuclear weapons. “The test results of the created aviation munition showed that it is commensurate with nuclear munitions in terms of its effectiveness and capabilities,” 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. This new story weapons." If 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 generals from 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. So on August 6, 1982, an Israeli plane attacked Libyan troops with American-made thermobaric ammunition. More recently, the Telegraph reported on the use of a high-explosive air-fuel bomb by the Syrian military in the city of Raqqa, as a result of which 14 people were killed. Although this attack was not carried out chemical weapons, the international community demands a ban on the use of thermobaric weapons in cities.

The most powerful in the world tested in Russia vacuum bomb. This was reported by Channel One. As stated on September 11 by Deputy Chief General Staff Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Alexander Rukshin, "the test results of the created aviation munition showed that it is commensurate with nuclear weapons in terms of its effectiveness and capabilities."

The military emphasized that "the action of this munition absolutely does not pollute the environment in comparison with a nuclear munition."

Meanwhile, the place and time of the tests are kept in strict confidence.

The principle of operation of a vacuum bomb is as follows: a cloud of atomized combustible material explodes in the air. The main destruction is produced by a supersonic air shock wave and incredibly heat. Because of this, the soil after the explosion looks more like lunar soil, but there is no chemical or radioactive contamination.

The Ministry of Defense emphasizes in every possible way: this military development does not violate any international treaty. Thus, Russia is not unleashing a new arms race.

Prior to this, the most powerful vacuum bomb in the world was in service with the US Air Force. The footage of her tests, conducted in 2003, was shown by all the television companies of the world, at the same time the superweapon was dubbed the "mother of all bombs." By analogy, Russian developers also called their new ammunition "the dad of all bombs." This air bomb does not yet have official name, only secret cipher. It is known that the explosive contained in it is much more powerful than TNT. This has been achieved through the use of nanotechnology.

The new vacuum aerial bomb will make it possible to replace a number of previously created low-yield nuclear weapons.

vacuum bomb. reference

On September 11, 2007, the Russian armed forces tested a new vacuum bomb, the power of which, according to the military, can only be compared with nuclear warheads, and which can replace a number of previously created low-yield nuclear weapons.

Until now, the world's most powerful vacuum bomb GBU-43 / B MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Burst) was in service with the US Air Force. She was tested in 2003.

vacuum bomb- the old name ODAB (volumetric detonating aerial bombs or FAE - fuel air explosive) - was created on the basis of the effect of a volumetric explosion of dust-gas and dust-air clouds.

The principle of operation is as follows: when an aerial bomb is dropped, a cloud of atomized combustible substance explodes in the air. An explosive projectile scatters an aerosol mixture and undermining elements over a certain distance. The main destruction is produced by a supersonic air shock wave and an incredibly high temperature. As the main charge in vacuum bombs high-calorie liquid fuels(ethylene oxide).

When such ammunition meets an obstacle, the explosion of a small charge destroys the body of the bomb and sprays fuel, which, turning into a gaseous state, forms an aerosol cloud in the air. As soon as the cloud reaches a certain size, it is undermined by special grenades fired from the bottom of the bomb. The resulting high-pressure zone, even in the absence of a supersonic shock wave, effectively strikes the enemy's manpower, freely penetrating into zones inaccessible to fragmentation munitions. During the period of formation, the cloud flows into trenches, shelters, thereby increasing the damaging ability.

The bomb that was tested in Russia does not yet have an official name, only a secret cipher. Russian developers received relatively cheap ammunition with high damaging properties. It is known that, thanks to the use of nanotechnology, the explosive contained in it is much more powerful than TNT. The soil after the explosion is more like the lunar soil, but there is no chemical or radioactive contamination. Compared with a nuclear weapon, the effect of the new military development absolutely does not pollute the environment; military experts claim that it does not violate any international treaty.

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