The most powerful in the world was tested in Russia vacuum bomb. Channel One reported this. As Alexander Rukshin, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, said on September 11, “the test results of the created aircraft munition showed that it is comparable in its effectiveness and capabilities to nuclear weapons.”
The military man especially emphasized that “the effect of this ammunition does not pollute at all environment compared to nuclear weapons."
Meanwhile, the place and time of the tests are kept strictly secret.
The operating principle of a vacuum bomb is as follows: a cloud of sprayed flammable material explodes in the air. The main damage is caused by supersonic air shock wave and incredible heat. Because of this, the soil after the explosion is more similar to lunar soil, but there is neither chemical nor radioactive contamination.
The Ministry of Defense emphasizes in every possible way: this military development does not violate a single international treaty. Thus, Russia is not starting a new arms race.
Previously the most powerful in the world vacuum bomb was in service with the US Air Force. Footage of its tests carried out in 2003 was shown by all television companies in the world, at the same time the superweapon was dubbed the “mother of all bombs.” By analogy, Russian developers nicknamed their new ammunition “the father of all bombs.” This aerial bomb does not yet have official name, just a secret code. It is known that the explosive contained in it is significantly more powerful than TNT. This was achieved through the use of nanotechnology.
The new vacuum bomb will replace whole line previously created low-power nuclear weapons.
Vacuum bomb. Reference
On September 11, 2007, the Russian military tested a new vacuum bomb that the military claims has the power of only nuclear warheads and could replace a range of previously developed low-yield nuclear weapons.
Until now, the world's most powerful vacuum bomb, the GBU-43/B MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Burst), was in service with the American Air Force. It was tested in 2003.
Vacuum bomb- the old name ODAB (volume-detonating aircraft bombs or FAE - fuel air explosive) - was created based on the effect of a volumetric explosion of dust, gas and dust-air clouds.
The operating principle is as follows: when an air bomb is dropped, a cloud of atomized flammable substance explodes in the air. An explosive projectile scatters an aerosol mixture and explosive elements over a certain distance. The main damage is caused by a supersonic air shock wave and incredibly high temperature. As the main charge in vacuum bombs high-calorie foods are used liquid fuels(ethylene oxide).
When such ammunition encounters an obstacle, the explosion of a small charge destroys the bomb body and sprays the 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 hits enemy personnel, freely penetrating into areas inaccessible to fragmentation ammunition. During the formation period, the cloud flows into trenches and shelters, thereby increasing its destructive ability.
The aerial bomb that was tested in Russia does not yet have an official name, only a secret code. Russian developers received relatively cheap ammunition with high destructive properties. It is known that, thanks to the use of nanotechnology, the explosive contained in it is significantly more powerful than TNT. The soil after the explosion is more similar to lunar soil, but there is no chemical or radioactive contamination. Compared to nuclear weapons, the effect of the new military development absolutely does not pollute the environment; military experts claim that it does not violate a single international treaty.
The emergence 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 “miracle weapon.” This usually happens due to the tendency of journalists to sensationalize against the background of the paucity of information about the product.
The same situation arose with the new volumetric 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 non-nuclear one. “Experts” from the media gave it the mysterious name “high-power aviation vacuum bomb.”
Operating principle
The incorrect term “vacuum” arose due to the short-term (hundredths of a second) “burnout” of oxygen. In reality, the pressure drop does not exceed 0.5 atmospheres, which is safe for humans. The resulting rarefaction zone is instantly filled with combustion products. A damaging factor is not “vacuum suction”, but a shock wave.
The very principle of a volumetric explosion consists in the detonation of a flammable substance dispersed in a certain volume of air. The contact area of all aerosol particles with air is much larger than the substances in in the usual form. And the air contains oxygen, an oxidizing agent necessary for an explosion. This “mixing” of a flammable substance with an oxidizer greatly increases the power of the explosion.
Thanks to this principle, the new weapon was called volumetric explosion ammunition (BOV).
Compared to an explosive such as TNT, BOV has 5-8 times more power. However, due to the low density of the sprayed substance, the explosion speed of the CWA is lower. For BOV 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 volumetric explosion occurs in the form of accidents in enterprises. High concentration flammable dust or vapor in the air creates the preconditions 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 flammable (explosive) substance to a target and sprays it there. After 100–150 ms, the aerosol cloud detonates. It is important that at this moment the explosive cloud fills the largest space, maintaining the required concentration.
The following flammable substances are used: ethylene or propylene oxide, metal powders, MAPP mixture. The latter includes methyl acetylene, allene (propadiene) and propane. Ethylene or propylene oxides are effective but poisonous and difficult to handle. For military purposes, it is easier to use easily evaporating gasoline with the addition of aluminum-magnesium powder.
Advantages of BOV:
- greater explosion power than that of a high explosive;
- the ability of an aerosol cloud to penetrate shelters;
- with a power comparable to tactical nuclear weapons, they do not lead to radioactive contamination.
Disadvantages include:
- instability of the aerosol cloud in adverse weather conditions;
- the presence of a single damaging factor - a shock wave;
- low efficiency against fortifications;
- explosive mass limitation. For the required ammunition effectiveness, it must be at least 20 kg.
These features will not allow BOV to replace traditional ammunition.
Its use is advisable against enemy personnel in fortifications, natural shelters or urban conditions.
Thermobaric ammunition
Along with BOV, thermobaric ammunition (TBM) is widely known. With the same effect of oxidation of explosives in the air, the principle of operation of such ammunition differs from BOV.
Due to the detonation of the central explosive charge, the thermobaric mixture detonates. The resulting blast wave ensures 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% hexogen, 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 fire weapons to arm individual military personnel;
- insensitivity to atmospheric phenomena.
Several types of weapons have been developed under the TBB. The most common ones are:
- rocket infantry flamethrower "Bumblebee";
- shots for RPG-7;
- grenades for an underbarrel grenade launcher.
At the same time, work continues on the creation of high-power thermobaric ammunition.
History of creation and application
The first attempt to use the volumetric explosion effect was the Black Fog project. In 1944 engineers Nazi Germany intended to create a BOV in the interests of air defense. It was planned to form an aerosol cloud in the path 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. The project could not be implemented until the end of the war.
The idea of a volumetric explosion was further developed in the USA. 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 BOWs were represented by the 500-pound BLU-95 and BLU-96 2000-pound caliber.
The latter was capable of causing 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 problems:
- clearing places for helicopter landings;
- destroying the enemy in shelters;
- making passages in minefields.
Similar developments were carried out in the USSR. As a result, the ODAB-500P aerial bomb was created. In Afghanistan, it was an effective remedy against spooks hiding in the mountains. To reduce the dispersion of the aerosol cloud, they were used together with smoke bombs in a 3:1 ratio.
In 1999, a volumetric explosion bomb was used against Chechen militants who took refuge in the Dagestan village of Tando. In addition to heavy losses, the enemy suffered enormous psychological damage.
Our response to “partners”
Tested in the USA in 2003 super-powerful air bomb GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB). The power of its explosion was 11 tons of TNT. At that time, it had no equal in terms of non-nuclear ammunition. 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, hexogen and aluminum powder. It should be noted that the “mother of all bombs” turned out to be not a volumetric explosion, but a high-explosive one.
An “asymmetrical” 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. Exact information about the new bomb is not available.
The estimated effect ranges 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. Journalists rightly dubbed the Russian aerial bomb “the father of all bombs.”
Tactical and technical data of the most powerful aerial bombs
| Air bomb | GBU-43/B | (AVBPM) |
|---|---|---|
| Affiliation | USA | Russia |
| A year of testing | 2003 | 2007 |
| Length, m | 10 | n.d. |
| Diameter, m | 1 | n.d. |
| Weight, t – general – explosive | 9,5 8,4 | 7 n.d. |
| TNT equivalent, t | 11 | 44 |
| Radius of guaranteed destruction, 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 thermobaric explosives.
Conclusion
Volumetric explosion ammunition did not become a “miracle weapon.” They did not provide their owners with decisive superiority over the enemy. At the same time, their features made it possible to occupy a corresponding niche in military affairs.
BOWs are not capable of destroying multi-meter walls of a concrete bunker or rock. But they will strike everyone who took refuge there. BOVs are quite effective when it is necessary to make passages in minefields. Successfully used to clear sites in wooded area.
It is possible that in the future, BOV will successfully replace tactical nuclear weapon.
Video
A vacuum or thermobaric bomb is almost as powerful as nuclear weapons. But unlike the latter, its use does not threaten radiation and global environmental disaster.
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 suggested by accidents in flour mills and mines, where volumetric explosions often occur. That is why ordinary coal dust was used as an explosive. The fact is that by this time fascist Germany There was already a serious shortage of explosives, primarily TNT. However, this idea was not brought to actual production.
In fact, the term “vacuum bomb” is not technically correct. In reality, this is a classic thermobaric weapon in which fire spreads under high pressure. Like most explosives, it is a fuel-oxidizer 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 a massive explosion occurred in an empty storage facility at an oil terminal in Hertfordshire (England) on December 11, 2005, people woke up 150 km from the epicenter to the sound of glass rattling in their windows.
Vietnam experience
Thermobaric weapons were first used in Vietnam to clear jungles, primarily for helipads. The effect was stunning. It was enough to drop three or four of these volumetric explosive devices, and the Iroquois helicopter could land in the most unexpected places for the partisans.
Essentially, these were 50-liter high-pressure cylinders with a braking parachute that opened at a height of thirty meters. About five meters from the ground, the squib destroyed the shell, and a gas cloud formed under pressure, which exploded. At the same time, the substances and mixtures used in air-fuel bombs were not anything special. These were ordinary methane, propane, acetylene, ethylene oxide and propylene.
It soon became clear experimentally that thermobaric weapons have enormous destructive force in confined spaces such as tunnels, caves, and bunkers, but not suitable in windy conditions, underwater or on high altitude. There have been attempts to use Vietnam War large-caliber thermobaric shells, but they turned out to be ineffective.
Thermobaric death
On February 1, 2000, immediately after the next test of a thermobaric bomb, Human Rights Watch, a CIA expert, described its effect as follows: “The direction of the volumetric explosion is unique and extremely life-threatening. First, people in the affected area are affected by high pressure burning mixture, and then - a vacuum, actually a vacuum, tearing the lungs. All this is accompanied by severe burns, including internal ones, since many manage to inhale the fuel-oxidative premix.”
However, with light hand journalists called this weapon a vacuum bomb. Interestingly, in the 90s of the last century, some experts believed that people who died from a “vacuum bomb” seemed to be in space. They say that as a result of the explosion, oxygen instantly burned out, and for some time an absolute vacuum was formed. Thus, military expert Terry Garder from Jane's magazine reported on the use Russian troops“vacuum bomb” against Chechen militants in the area of the village of Semashko. His report said that those killed had no external injuries and died from ruptured lungs.
Second after the atomic bomb
Just seven years later, on September 11, 2007, the thermobaric bomb was talked about as the most powerful non-nuclear weapon. “The test results of the created aviation munition showed that it is comparable in its effectiveness and capabilities to nuclear munitions,” he said former boss GOU, Colonel General Alexander Rukshin. We were talking about the most destructive innovative thermobaric weapon in the world.
New Russian aviation ammunition turned out to be four times more powerful than the largest American vacuum bomb. Pentagon experts immediately stated that the Russian data was exaggerated by at least twofold. And the press secretary of US President George W. Bush, Dana Perino, at a briefing on September 18, 2007, when asked how the Americans would respond to the Russian attack, said that this was the first time she had heard about it.
Meanwhile John Pike from think tank GlobalSecurity, I agree with the declared capacity that Alexander Rukshin spoke about. He wrote: “Russian military and scientists were pioneers in the development and use of thermobaric weapons. This new story weapons." If nuclear weapons are 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 “hot heads” of generals from different countries.
Inhumane killer
In 1976, the UN adopted a resolution calling explosive weapons “an inhumane means of warfare that causes excessive human suffering.” However, this document is not mandatory and does not directly prohibit the use thermobaric bombs. This is why from time to time there are reports in the media about “vacuum bombings”. So on August 6, 1982, an Israeli plane attacked Libyan troops with American-made thermobaric ammunition. And most recently, the Telegraph reported that the Syrian military used a high-explosive fuel-air bomb in the city of Raqqa, which killed 14 people. And although this attack was not carried out chemical weapons, international community requires a ban on use thermobaric weapons in cities.
A vacuum or thermobaric bomb is almost as powerful as nuclear weapons. But unlike the latter, its use does not threaten radiation and global environmental disaster.
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 suggested by accidents in flour mills and 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, this idea was not brought to actual production.
In fact, the term “vacuum bomb” is not technically correct. In reality, this is a classic thermobaric weapon in which fire spreads under high pressure. Like most explosives, it is a fuel-oxidizer 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 a massive explosion occurred in an empty storage facility at an oil terminal in Hertfordshire (England) on December 11, 2005, people woke up 150 km from the epicenter to the sound of glass rattling in their windows.
Vietnam experience
Thermobaric weapons were first used in Vietnam to clear jungles, primarily for helipads. The effect was stunning. It was enough to drop three or four of these volumetric explosive devices, and the Iroquois helicopter could land in the most unexpected places for the partisans.
Essentially, these were 50-liter high-pressure cylinders with a braking parachute that opened at a height of thirty meters. About five meters from the ground, the squib destroyed the shell, and a gas cloud formed under pressure, which exploded. At the same time, the substances and mixtures used in air-fuel bombs were not anything special. These were ordinary methane, propane, acetylene, ethylene oxide and propylene.
It soon became clear experimentally that thermobaric weapons have enormous 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 shells in the Vietnam War, but they were not effective.
Thermobaric death
On February 1, 2000, immediately after the next test of a thermobaric bomb, Human Rights Watch, a CIA expert, described its effect as follows: “The direction of the volumetric explosion is unique and extremely life-threatening. First, people in the affected area are affected by high pressure of the burning mixture, and then by a vacuum, actually a vacuum, tearing the lungs. All this is accompanied by severe burns, including internal ones, since many manage to inhale the fuel-oxidative 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 a “vacuum bomb” seemed to be in space. They say that as a result of the explosion, oxygen instantly burned out, and for some time an absolute vacuum was formed. Thus, military expert Terry Garder from Jane magazine reported on the use of a “vacuum bomb” by Russian troops against Chechen militants in the area of the village of Semashko. His report said that those killed had no external injuries and died from ruptured lungs.
Second after the atomic bomb
Just seven years later, on September 11, 2007, the thermobaric bomb was talked about as the most powerful non-nuclear weapon. “The test results of the created aviation munition showed that its effectiveness and capabilities are comparable to nuclear weapons,” said the former head of the GOU, Colonel General Alexander Rukshin. We were talking about the most destructive innovative thermobaric weapon in the world.
The new Russian aircraft munition turned out to be four times more powerful than the largest American vacuum bomb. Pentagon experts immediately stated that the Russian data was exaggerated by at least twofold. And the press secretary of US President George W. Bush, Dana Perino, at a briefing on September 18, 2007, when asked how the Americans would respond to the Russian attack, said that this was the first time she had heard about it.
Meanwhile, John Pike from the GlobalSecurity analytical center agrees with the declared capacity that Alexander Rukshin spoke about. He wrote: “Russian military and scientists were pioneers in the development and use of thermobaric weapons. This is a new history of weapons." If nuclear weapons are 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 “hot heads” of generals from different countries.
Inhumane killer
In 1976, the UN adopted a resolution calling explosive weapons “an inhumane means of warfare that causes excessive human suffering.” However, this document is not mandatory and does not directly prohibit the use of thermobaric bombs. This is why from time to time there are reports in the media about “vacuum bombings”. So on August 6, 1982, an Israeli plane attacked Libyan troops with American-made thermobaric ammunition. And most recently, the Telegraph reported that the Syrian military used a high-explosive fuel-air bomb in the city of Raqqa, which killed 14 people. And although this attack was not carried out by chemical weapons, the international community is demanding a ban on the use of thermobaric weapons in cities.
On September 11, 2007, Russia successfully tested the world's most powerful non-nuclear weapon. Strategic bomber The Tu-160 dropped a bomb weighing 7.1 tons and a power 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 Father of All Bombs.” It belonged to the class of volumetric explosion ammunition.
The development and testing of a munition called the “Daddy of All Bombs” is the Russian response to the United States. Until this moment, the most powerful non-nuclear weapon was considered American bomb GBU-43В MOAB, which the developers themselves called the “Mother of all bombs”. The Russian “father” surpassed “mom” in all respects. Is it true, American ammunition does not belong to the class of vacuum ammunition - it is a very ordinary landmine.
Today, volumetric explosion weapons are the second most powerful after nuclear weapons. What is its operating principle based on? What explosive makes vacuum bombs equal in strength to thermonuclear monsters?
The principle of operation of volumetric explosion ammunition
Vacuum bombs or volumetric explosion ammunition (or volumetric detonating ammunition) are a type of ammunition that works on the principle of creating a volumetric 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 the factor of radiation contamination of the area and do not fall under any of the international conventions regarding weapons of mass destruction.
Man became acquainted with the phenomenon of volumetric explosion a long time ago. Similar explosions occurred quite often at flour mills, where tiny flour dust accumulated in the air, or at sugar factories. More great danger are similar explosions in coal mines. Volumetric explosions are one of the most terrible dangers that await miners underground. Coal dust and methane gas accumulate in poorly ventilated faces. For initiation powerful explosion In such conditions, even a small spark is enough.
A typical example of a volumetric explosion is the explosion of domestic gas in a room.
The physical principle of operation by which a vacuum bomb works is quite simple. It usually uses an explosive with a low boiling point, which easily transforms into gaseous state even with low temperatures(for example, acetylene oxide). To create an artificial volumetric explosion, you simply need to create a cloud from a mixture of air and flammable 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 explosion munition is a small demolition charge consisting of a conventional explosive (HE). Its functions include spraying the main charge, which quickly turns into a gas or aerosol and reacts with oxygen in the air. It is the latter that plays the role of an oxidizer, which is why a vacuum bomb is several times more powerful than a conventional bomb of the same mass.
The task of the demolition charge is to uniformly distribute the flammable gas or aerosol in space. Then a second charge comes into play, causing the cloud to detonate. Sometimes several charges are used. The delay between the activation of two charges is less than one second (150 ms).
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 given rise to a large number of myths.
Various liquids (ethylene and propylene oxides, dimethylacetylene, propyl nitrite), as well as light metal powders (most often magnesium), are usually used as explosives in bulk ammunition.
How does this weapon work?
When a volumetric explosion munition is detonated, a shock wave is generated, but it is much weaker than the explosion of a conventional explosive such as TNT. However, the shock wave from a volumetric explosion lasts much longer than from the detonation of conventional ammunition.
If we compare the effect of a conventional charge with a pedestrian being hit by a truck, then the effect of a shock wave during a volumetric explosion is a roller that will not only slowly pass over the victim, but will also stand on it.
However, the most mysterious damaging factor of bulk ammunition is the wave low blood pressure, which follows the shock front. There are a large number of conflicting opinions about its action. There is evidence that it is the low pressure zone that has the most destructive effect. However, this seems unlikely since the pressure drop is only 0.15 atmospheres.
Jumpers experience a short-term pressure drop of up to 0.5 atmospheres, and this does not lead to lung rupture or eyes falling out of their sockets.
Another feature makes volumetric explosion ammunition more effective and dangerous for the enemy. The blast wave after detonating such ammunition does not go around obstacles and is not reflected from them, but “flows” into every crack and shelter. Therefore, you definitely won’t be able to hide in a trench or dugout if an aircraft vacuum bomb is dropped on you.
The shock wave travels along the surface of the soil, making it ideal for detonating anti-personnel and anti-tank mines.
Why didn't all ammunition become vacuum-sealed?
The effectiveness of volumetric explosion ammunition became obvious almost immediately after the start of their use. The detonation of ten gallons (32 liters) of atomized acetylene had the same effect as an explosion of 250 kg of TNT. Why haven't all modern ammunition become bulky?
The reason lies in the features of a volumetric explosion. Volumetric detonating ammunition has only one damaging factor - a shock wave. They produce neither cumulative nor fragmentation effects on the target.
In addition, their ability to destroy a barrier is extremely low, since their explosion is of the “burning” type. However, in most cases, an explosion of the “detonation” type is required, which destroys obstacles in its path or throws them away.
An explosion of bulk ammunition is possible only in the air; it cannot be carried out in water or soil, since oxygen is needed to create a flammable cloud.
For the successful use of volumetric detonating ammunition, weather conditions are important, which determine the success of the formation of a gas cloud. There is no point in creating bulky small-caliber ammunition: aerial 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. Slow-motion footage of the explosion of a bulk munition shows that the shock wave forms a toroidal cloud, best when it “spreads” along the ground.
History of creation and application
Volumetric explosion ammunition (like many other weapons) owes its birth to the evil 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 of it, and after the defeat of Germany, these developments went to the allies. They were forgotten for many decades. The Americans were the first to remember about volumetric explosions during the Vietnam War.
In Vietnam, the US soldiers widely used combat helicopters, with which they supplied their troops and evacuated the wounded. The construction of landing sites in the jungle became a rather serious problem. Clearing an area for just one helicopter to land and take off required the hard work of an entire sapper platoon for 12-24 hours. It was not possible to clear the sites using conventional explosions, because they left behind huge craters. That’s when they remembered about volumetric explosion ammunition.
A combat helicopter could carry several similar ammunition on board, the explosion of each of them creating a platform quite suitable for landing.
It also turned out to be very effective combat use bulk ammunition, they had a strong psychological effect on the Vietnamese. It was very difficult to hide from such an explosion even in a reliable dugout or bunker. The Americans successfully used volumetric explosion bombs to destroy partisans in tunnels. At the same time, the USSR began developing similar ammunition.
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 bombing accuracy and was highly dependent on weather conditions, did not work well at subzero 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 their development in the USA and the USSR.
Today, third-generation volumetric explosion ammunition has already been developed. Work in this direction is 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 volumetric explosion weapons. The high-power vacuum bomb tested in 2007 is a clear confirmation of this fact.
Until this time, the most powerful non-nuclear weapon was considered to be the American one. aerial bomb GBU-43/B, weighing 9.5 tons and 10 meters long. The Americans themselves considered this guided bomb not very effective. In their opinion, it is better to use against tanks and infantry cluster munitions. It should also be noted that GBU-43/B does not apply to bulk ammunition, it contains ordinary explosives.
In 2007, after testing, Russia adopted a high-power vacuum bomb. This development is kept secret; neither the abbreviation assigned to the ammunition nor the exact number of bombs in service with the Russian Armed Forces are known. It was stated that the power of this superbomb is 40-44 tons of TNT equivalent.
Due to the large weight of the bomb, only an aircraft can be used to deliver such ammunition. The leadership of the Russian armed forces stated that nanotechnology was used in the development of the ammunition.
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