On April 13, the US Air Force used the GBU-43/B heavy-duty high-explosive bomb for the first time in a real operation. At one time, this ammunition caused a lot of noise in every sense and attracted the attention of the whole world. However, for many years the command was unable to find a suitable target for it. Immediately after the first use of the most powerful American conventional aerial bomb, experts and military enthusiasts remembered a similar development of Russian industry - a product known as AVBPM.
The heavy-duty aerial bombs of the two countries, like several years ago, have again become the topic of the most active discussions. Participants in the debate are trying to consider the available information about the two ammunition and draw certain conclusions. Let's join this interesting activity and also try to compare the most powerful non-atomic bombs in the world.
GBU-43/B MOAB
The immediate predecessor of the most powerful conventional ammunition in the United States is the BLU-82 aerial bomb, which received the unofficial nickname Daisy Cutter. During the Vietnam War, this munition, equipped with 5.7 tons of explosive, was used, among other things, to destroy trees in forests that served as cover for the enemy. Many years later, since November 2001, the US Air Force began to use this in Afghanistan against the targets of the Taliban terrorist organization (banned in Russia). In general, the bombs coped with their tasks, but the effect was lower than expected.
General view of the GBU-43/B MOAB bomb, the rudders are unfolded. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Taking into account the experience of using the existing bomb, a decision was made to create a similar weapon, characterized by higher power. The development of the new project started in 2002 and was carried out by specialists from the Air Force Research Laboratory under the leadership of Albert L. Wimorts. The goal of the work was to create a promising aviation munition that differs from the existing BLU-82 in increased explosion power and increased power.
The program was initially officially designated Massive Ordnance Air Blast, or MOAB for short. Due to the expected high power of the explosion, some wits began to decipher the abbreviation as Mother Of All Bombs. Everyone liked this name and soon became the unofficial nickname of the project. The product was subsequently put into service under the official designation GBU-43/B MOAB.
In accordance with customer requirements, the MOAB product had to differ from its predecessors in increased power and increased hit accuracy. Taking these requirements into account, the main features of its appearance were formed. It was proposed to use a large streamlined body, characterized by sufficient volume and containing the maximum possible amount of explosive. In addition, it was proposed to equip the bomb with a homing system and in-flight controls.
The result of the design work was the appearance of a heavy-duty ammunition with a distinctive appearance. The bomb received an aluminum casing of high elongation, equipped with several external units. A head fairing consisting of two conical surfaces is used. Most of The body has a cylindrical shape. The tail part of the body is made in the form of a truncated cone coupled with the main cylinder and a cylindrical element. On the sides of the main part of the hull there was a trapezoidal wing of low aspect ratio. Folding lattice rudders were provided at the tail section of the hull.
Bomb prototype during assembly. On the right is chief designer Al Whitmores. US Air Force Photo
The GBU-43/B product has a total length of 9.18 m and a maximum body diameter of 1030 mm. The wingspan is more than 2 m. The mass of the combat-ready bomb is 9.5 tons. The bomb has the ability to glide towards the target and some maneuvering during flight. Maximum speed and the range of independent flight to the target were not specified.
Almost all of the internal volumes of the body are given over to the placement of an explosive charge. The “Mother of All Bombs” was equipped with a charge weighing 18.7 thousand pounds (8.5 tons). The charge used is H6 composition, developed and produced by the Australian company St. Marys Munitions Factory. This explosive contains TNT, hexogen, nitrocellulose, powdered aluminum and a number of other components. By correctly combining components and selecting their optimal proportions, it was possible to obtain a noticeable increase in power. Composition H6 is 1.35 times more powerful than TNT.
The use of a foreign-developed explosive made it possible to obtain a very high detonation power. An 8.5-ton charge of composition H6 is equivalent to 11 tons of TNT. The blast wave damage radius is 140-150 m. Some buildings may be destroyed at ranges of up to 1-1.5 km. There are no high-explosive bombs with similar characteristics in the arsenals of the United States and other countries, which makes the MOAB product a unique representative of its class.
To increase the likelihood of hitting a given target, the GBU-43/B bomb is equipped with a satellite homing system. Tracking navigation signals GPS systems, the automation determines the position of the bomb and its flight trajectory. Flight control is carried out using X-shaped lattice rudders in the rear part of the hull. According to various sources, the use of homing made it possible to increase the probable circular deviation to several meters.
Due to its large dimensions, the MOAB bomb cannot be used with existing bombers. The role of carrier of such weapons was given to specially equipped C-130 military transport aircraft and their modifications. The bomb is delivered to the target area using a special platform with a parachute system. Before the release, the carrier aircraft must open the tail ramp, after which the pilot chute is released. His task is to remove the platform with the bomb from the cargo compartment. After leaving the plane, the platform drops the bomb, after which it goes into free flight and hits the target. Detonation occurs upon impact with the surface of the earth or at a given height.
Experienced "Mother of all bombs" before testing. US DoD photo
The development of the new ammunition took only a few months. Already in the winter of 2002-2003, a project was prepared and the assembly of experimental ammunition began. On March 7, 2003, the first test drop of an experimental bomb with a weight simulator of the warhead was performed. On March 11, the first release of a product equipped with a warhead with a tritonal charge (a mixture of TNT and aluminum powder) took place. On November 21, the GBU-43/B bomb was tested in its standard configuration and the calculated detonation characteristics were obtained.
Soon a promising sample aviation weapons was adopted by the US Air Force and an order appeared for mass production of such products. The release of the first batch of 15 bombs was entrusted to the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant. The order was completed several years later, after which production stopped. The specific appearance of the new weapon and the limited scope of its application led to the absence of the need for long-term and mass production.
Having received the world's most powerful non-nuclear aircraft munition, the US Air Force for many years could not find a suitable target for it. Similar weapons were known to be sent to Iraq during the 2003 war, but the bombs subsequently returned to the United States and were returned to the arsenal. As a result, it was possible to use the GBU-43/B for the first time to hit a real target only in April 2017 - 13 years after it was put into service.
On April 13, 2017, the “Mother of All Bombs” was dropped on a tunnel complex located in the Nanhargarh province of Afghanistan. As reported after the strike, a single bomb destroyed the most important hideout of the terrorist organization "Islamic State" (banned in Russia), and also hit a number of tunnels. Over 90 terrorists were eliminated, including more than a dozen field commanders. Civilians no harm. In terms of its effect, dropping just one bomb could be compared to a massive air strike using a large number of small and medium caliber bombs.
The MOAB prototype moments before it crashed. US Air Force Photo
Whether such weapons will be used in the future, and what objects will become their targets, is still unknown. The first real operation of the MOAB product was a real surprise, and new facts about its combat use can hardly be predicted with acceptable accuracy.
AVBPM
In September 2007, it became known that the American GBU-43/B MOAB aerial bomb no longer holds the power record among non-nuclear ammunition of its class. Honorary title The most powerful aerial bomb went to a Russian product, known under the unofficial name AVBPM.
According to official reports from the Russian Ministry of Defense, on September 11, 2007, the first tests of a promising high-power aerial bomb took place. The product was dropped from the carrier aircraft and successfully hit the conditional target with a volumetric explosion. In addition, a video was published showing the progress of recent tests. It showed a new type of bomb falling and the process of explosion when hitting a target.
There is no information about the development of a promising domestic bomb. Almost ten years have passed since the tests, but the military still has not announced when the design work began, which organization carried it out, and at what enterprise it was built. prototype etc. Moreover, even the official name of the product remains unknown. In means mass media and at specialized sites the unofficial designation AVBPM - “Aviation vacuum bomb increased power." It should be noted that such a name is not only not official, but also not technically literate. However, due to the lack of official information, specialists and the public have to use the existing “substitute” name.
General view of the AVBPM bomb. Still from a report by TV channel "Channel One"
By analogy with the American super-powerful bomb, the Russian one also received the nickname “Daddy of all bombs.” As a result, foreign sources often use another unofficial name - FOAB (Father of All Bombs).
In September 2007, some features of the promising domestic project were announced. In particular, both the bomb itself and its three-dimensional model were demonstrated. The main and largest element of the product is the cylindrical body large diameter. Apparently, it is this that holds the main charge. There are some protruding elements on the nose cover of the case. The tail section is equipped with a cylindrical body with X-shaped stabilizers. Inside its central element is a pilot/drogue chute container. The lower part of the body provides for the installation of four supports for proper transportation of the bomb on the ground and in the carrier.
According to available data, the total mass of the AVBPM product exceeds 7.5-8 tons. Inside the main part of the body there is a liquid explosive responsible for a volumetric explosion. The total mass of the charge is 7.1 tons. According to published information, such a charge produces an explosion with a power equivalent to 44 tons of TNT. Guaranteed destruction of targets occurs within a radius of 300 m. At distances of up to 1-1.5 km, the shock wave retains the possibility of causing damage to buildings and manpower.
There is no information about guidance means. At the same time, officials argued that the high charge power makes it possible to reduce the requirements for hit accuracy. A variety of conclusions can be drawn from this, including the complete absence of a homing head.
Details of the proposed method of using the “Daddy of All Bombs” were not disclosed. In the published video, this weapon was demonstrated together with the Tu-160 strategic bomber, but there is reason to doubt that this aircraft was actually used in testing. Footage of the bomb being dropped shows that it used a pilot chute to disengage from the carrier. This suggests that during the tests the role of the bomber was given to a military transport aircraft. In addition, the dimensions of the Tu-160 cargo compartment may be insufficient to transport such large ammunition.
The "daddy of all bombs" descends from the carrier, the parachute lines are visible. Still from a report by TV channel "Channel One"
If these assumptions are true, then the tests of the heavy-duty Russian aerial bomb looked the same as the tests of the MOAB product. She was delivered to the drop site by a transport aircraft, after which she was extracted from its cargo compartment by a pilot chute. It is noteworthy that Russian weapons do without an additional platform. Then the bomb independently fell on the target and attacked the target. Using a special small-sized charge, 7100 kg of special liquid was sprayed, after which it ignited.
The official video showed the results of the AVBPM bomb detonation: destroyed brick buildings, blocked trenches, broken equipment, etc. In addition, on the surface of the soil formed big number holes of small diameter. It is important that no traces of chemical or, especially, radiation contamination remain at the site of the conditional target.
It was argued that the new volumetric explosion munition, characterized by its uniquely high power, could in some situations replace tactical-class nuclear warheads. This expands the range of problems solved air force, and also accordingly increases the overall potential of the armed forces to combat the enemy.
It should be noted that in 2007, the Russian military department spoke about promising weapons in the first and second last time. In the future, no further information about the continuation of development, testing or adoption was announced. Whether the FOAB product replenished the arsenals of the Russian Air Force or the project was closed due to lack of prospects is unknown. Various features of the weapon make it possible to consider both scenarios realistic.
"Mom" versus "Dad"
By announcing information about a new super-powerful aerial bomb, the Russian military provoked a wave of relevant questions. The question from the “who won whom?” category became quite expected. It hardly needs reminding that such questions are rather rhetorical, but the two bombs from the USA and Russia can still be considered together and compared.
AVBPM during free flight. Still from a report by TV channel "Channel One"
The GBU-43/B MOAB and AVBPM products have a number of common features. They differ large sizes, weight and power. In addition, such weapons are designed to solve similar problems: destroying large and well-protected enemy targets, including in difficult conditions. Also, presumably, both bombs - due to their excessive dimensions - cannot be used by existing bombers and therefore require carriers of other classes. This is where the similarity between the samples ends.
Samples similar in purpose differ in their operating principle. Developing existing ideas, American designers decided to use a solid high explosive charge. It was proposed to increase the charge power to the maximum possible limits by choosing the right composition and increasing the mass. Russian industry used a different version of the warhead, which made it possible to obtain more powerful explosion. A liquid explosive is placed inside the existing housing and sprayed near the target before detonation. As tests have shown, due to this, with a smaller charge mass, the Russian bomb shows four times more power.
Another major difference between the two bombs is their guidance systems. The American "Mother of All Bombs" is equipped with a satellite homing device, while the Russian "Daddy of All Bombs" appears to have no controls and is a free-falling munition. Obviously, the presence of homing allows you to get the maximum effect from the less powerful GBU-43/B charge, however, the explosion of an AFPM with increased damage characteristics can to a certain extent compensate for the miss.
Bombs should also differ in their effect on the target. When an American high-explosive bomb explodes, it creates a shock wave that spreads in all directions and destroys various objects. In the case of Russian ammunition, the explosion occurs simultaneously in a large volume, after which the wave generated by it disperses throughout the surrounding space. Different operating principles, as well as multiple differences in the power of the explosion, lead to corresponding differences in power and impact on the target.
Detonation of a liquid explosive. Still from a report by TV channel "Channel One"
Since 2007, there have been no new reports about the AVBPM product. The adoption of such weapons by the Russian Air Force has not been reported. It is known that the American GBU-43/B bomb entered service back in 2003. For almost a decade and a half, 15 bombs lay in US arsenals with no clear prospects; only a few days ago these weapons were finally used outside the test site. What's it like current state Russian project is unknown. It cannot be ruled out that the bomb has already been put into service, but the military has not yet been able to find a suitable target for it. For example, during the current operation in Syria, attack aircraft successfully accomplish their tasks using bombs with a caliber of no more than 500-1000 kg.
Two projects of super-powerful aerial bombs are of great interest, at least because of the record-breaking characteristics of such weapons. However, it is the outstanding power that prevents the normal use of such products. It is not advisable to destroy every enemy object using a MOAB or FOAB, and a suitable target may simply not be found. This is especially evident in low-intensity conflicts, the participants of which often do not have a developed military infrastructure.
Experience in operation and combat use of the American product GBU-43/B MOAB, as well as a specific situation with information about Russian project AVBPM clearly demonstrate the ambiguity of weapons of this class. Both samples indeed have uniquely high characteristics, but not in all situations such advantages can be fully realized. As a consequence, superpower bombs should not be produced in large quantities and cannot be used in significant quantities. They turn out to be a special tool for solving specific problems within the framework of a few individual operations. Therefore, we can hardly expect that a new super-powerful explosion of Russian or American bomb will happen soon.
Based on materials from sites:
http://ria.ru/
http://lenta.ru/
http://globalsecurity.org/
http://armyrecognition.com/
http://army.armor.kiev.ua/
http://vpk-news.ru/
http://airwar.ru/
April 14th, 2017
I read in the news that the United States dropped the “mother of all bombs” or scientifically GBU-43 on Afghanistan. This is the most destructive thing nuclear weapon in the US arsenal. At the same time, it is reported that at least 36 militants were killed, and given that the MOAB bomb costs $16 million, then for each militant there were about 400 thousand “evergreens”.
However, let's not forget that there is also a "daddy of all bombs." This ammunition is an aircraft vacuum bomb of increased power (AVPBM).
Thus, the AVBPM is lighter than its American counterpart, while the ammunition capacity is approximately 40 tons in TNT equivalent, which is approximately four times more than that of the GBU-43. In addition, in terms of the radius of guaranteed destruction, the Russian “dad” is twice as large as the American “mama”.
Here are some details:
It all started with "Black Fog"
In 1944, the Third Reich was steadily approaching its death, Germany clutched at any, even illusory, hope of changing the course of the war, trying to implement the most impossible and fantastic projects. One of these projects was the project called “Shvartsenebel” (Black Fog).
The initiator and main developer of this project was an inconspicuous railway employee named Johann Engelke, who had only four classes of a city school under his belt, but had deft resourcefulness and adventurism. He approached the German Ministry of Armaments with the idea of allegedly effective system Air defense.
In his project, he proposed using the effect of one known phenomenon, which nowadays is called the volumetric explosion effect.
Since ancient times, people have paid attention to one sad circumstance - often the most peaceful industries: carpentry workshops, coal warehouses, granaries, empty oil and kerosene tanks, and even confectionery factories - were shattered into pieces by explosions, the force of which far exceeded the force of ordinary explosives. The cause of these explosions, as it turned out, was the ignition of a mixture of air and flammable gas or a suspension of dust of flammable substances. The combustion process is very a short time immediately covered a very large volume of substance, and flour, sawdust or powdered sugar exploded, smashing everything into splinters.
The essence of Engelke’s idea was that, following the course of groups of enemy bombers, which usually flew in a dense “battal box” formation, he proposed using the Yu-88 to disperse fine coal dust and set it on fire with missiles fired from the same Yu-88 at the moment of entry enemy aircraft into a coal cloud.
The command of the Third Reich considered this idea feasible and gave the go-ahead for work on the project.
Engelke “successfully” worked on this project until April 1945. Although, as the work progressed, it became clear that in order to create the required concentration of a coal cloud, it was necessary to lift at least twice as many aircraft into the air as were supposed to be destroyed.
After the surrender of Germany, Engelke was arrested by the Allies, to whom he, posing as a physicist doctor and presenting his ID as an employee of the Ministry of Armaments, offered his services.
It was sent to the leadership of the national nuclear program, since in the German Ministry he worked in the division involved in the production of “heavy water”. Here the “inventor” was quickly exposed, and he was expelled from service in disgrace. The idea of using the volumetric explosion effect for military purposes was forgotten for almost two decades later.
The Americans were the first to present a super-powerful air bomb, who in 2003 conducted a series of tests and showed the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB) ammunition itself. It was an 11-ton bomb of TNT, which was immediately nicknamed “the mother of all bombs” for its destructive power. The development of the aerial bomb was carried out by designers from the famous Boeing company; Albert Wimorts is considered its developer. The American bomb is 10 meters long and 1 meter in diameter. The total mass is 9.5 tons, of which 8.4 tons are explosives. The explosive used is H-6 explosive - a mixture of TNT, hexogen and aluminum powder, which is 1.35 times more powerful than TNT. In TNT equivalent, the explosion power of the GBU-43/B is 11 tons. This is enough to ensure a guaranteed damage radius of approximately 140 meters, while partial destruction of objects and buildings is observed at a distance of up to 1.5 kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion.
It is worth noting that the GBU-43/B is a guided high-explosive bomb. The MOAB was equipped with the KMU-593/B guidance system, which includes satellite and inertial navigation systems. To control the flight of a bomb, for the first time in the history of American weapons, S. M. Belotserkovsky’s lattice stabilizers were used, used in the production of Russian ammunition. The first tests of the bomb were carried out in 2003; two explosions were carried out at a test site in Florida. One copy of the bomb was sent to Iraq as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, but the bomb was never used; by the time the bomb was delivered, active hostilities had ended.
For all its advantages, the bomb also has a significant disadvantage. During the tests, the bomb was dropped from a Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. Inside the plane, the bomb was located on a special platform, which, together with the bomb itself, was pulled out through the hatch using a parachute. After which the MOAB quickly, in order not to lose speed, detached itself from the platform and parachute, beginning its independent fall towards the target. This release option is only possible if the enemy does not have an air defense system or at that time it is already completely suppressed.
The Russian response to the “mother of all bombs” followed in 2007. Then Channel One television showed a news story about a Tu-160 supersonic bomber dropping a bomb, a bomb falling with a parachute and the explosion itself. The plot also shows the consequences of the explosion: the ruins of a multi-story building, fragments of military equipment, the scorched surface of the earth, reminiscent of the lunar surface. It is worth noting that due to secrecy reasons, today we do not know not only the real designation of the tested ammunition, but also its developers and manufacturers. In fact, all the information about the bomb is a video from Channel One, which was assembled from different pieces. For example, the actual moment of the bomb being dropped from the Tu-160 is not on video. So on this moment the only proof of the existence of superpower aerial bomb volumetric explosion is this video, which can be viewed online.
In the same video, the tests were commented on by the then Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Alexander Rukshin. According to him, the test results of the created bomb showed that its capabilities and effectiveness are comparable to nuclear weapons. At the same time, Alexander Rukshin emphasized that the effect of the bomb does not pollute at all environment unlike all types of nuclear weapons. According to him, the new aircraft ammunition will allow our country to ensure its security and will contribute to confrontation international terrorism in any region of the world. He also clarified that the created aerial bomb is able to replace whole line previously developed low-yield nuclear weapons (tactical ammunition with a power of up to 5 kt).
According to available open access According to information, the Russian aerial bomb weighs more than 7 tons, but the power of its explosion reaches 44 tons in TNT equivalent. With a smaller explosive mass, the power of Russian ammunition is 4 times more powerful than the American “Mother of all bombs”. In terms of the mass of the charge, the power of the explosive used in the Russian bomb exceeds the power of trinitrotoluene by more than 6 times.
Theoretical calculation of affected areas (based on the power of ammunition in TNT equivalent):
90 meters from the epicenter of the explosion - complete destruction of even fortified structures;
170 meters from the epicenter of the explosion - almost complete destruction of reinforced concrete structures, complete destruction of unreinforced structures;
300 meters from the epicenter of the explosion - almost complete destruction of unfortified structures (residential buildings), as well as partial destruction of fortified structures;
440 meters from the epicenter of the explosion - partial destruction of unfortified structures;
1120 meters from the epicenter of the explosion - the shock wave is able to break glass structures;
2290 meters from the epicenter of the explosion - the force of the shock wave is enough to knock a person off his feet.
An effective cleaner
The paradox is that the effect of a volumetric explosion was known centuries before the direct invention of volumetric detonating ammunition, which in the press is often mistakenly called “vacuum bombs.” Humanity encountered this before the process of understanding the volumetric explosion itself took place. Then, for reasons unknown to people, explosions occurred in mines, sugar factories, mills, and sawmills flew into the air. What is a volumetric explosion? A mixture of an aerosol cloud of natural gases and some hydrocarbons: coal dust, sugar, flour, sawdust with oxygen - was a ready-to-use bomb. It was only necessary to bring a detonator in the form of a random spark or torch and an explosion would occur.
The name, which has become firmly established in the media, arose from the ability of volumetric detonating weapons to create a very powerful blast wave and burn oxygen over a large area to a state that is close to a vacuum. At the same time, UN experts recognized such bombs as an inhumane means of warfare that could cause excessive suffering. A person who finds himself in the zone of such an explosion receives monstrous injuries. However, another paradox of the situation is that this weapon was practically not used against enemy soldiers.
Clickable 3500 px,The last 15,000-pound BLU-82 bomb donates after being dropped from an MC-130E aircraft by the 711th Special Operations Squadron at the Utah Test and Training Range on July 15, 2008. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Patrick Nichols)
BLU-82/B (English bomb live unit 82/B; nickname “Daisy Cutter”, from English Daisy Cutter - daisy mower) is an American aerial bomb. Before its introduction, the GBU-43 was the most powerful non-nuclear weapon in the world.
Contrary to some media reports, the BLU-82 is not a munition. volumetric explosion. The bomb is designed to be dropped from an MC-130 aircraft at an altitude of at least 1800 m. The bomb weighed up to 6800 kg. and was intended to instantly create a landing pad for landing helicopters in the jungle. Since its design feature was that during the explosion it did not leave a crater, but only “blown away” the jungle from the surface of the earth, clearing about a hectare of virgin forest.
However, the military still used volumetric detonating ammunition. For example, Soviet pilots in Afghanistan dropped ODAB-500P volumetric detonating bombs, weighing 500 kg, on dushmans. Bombs were dropped from Su-25 attack aircraft and were mainly used in valleys. In mountainous areas, where the aerosol cloud from such bombs quickly dissipated, they were used together with ordinary smoke bombs. According to the pilots' recollections, the thick smoke from the smoke bombs did not allow the aerosol to quickly dissipate. When bombing the mountains, the following combination was used: for every 6 volumetric detonating bombs there were two smoke bombs. The effect of using this ammunition was terrible.
Flaws
But, despite their high combat effectiveness, BOVs also have a number of significant disadvantages. For example, they have only one damaging factor - a shock wave. They do not and cannot have cumulative or fragmentation effects.
The blasting effect - the ability to destroy a barrier - is quite low for thermobaric ammunition. Even well sealed field fortifications can become quite good protection against a bomb explosion.
Modern hermetically sealed armored vehicles and tanks can also easily withstand such an explosion, even being at its epicenter. That is why the BOV has to be equipped with a small shaped charge.
At medium altitudes, where there is little free oxygen, the phenomenon of a volumetric explosion is difficult, and at high altitudes, where there is even less oxygen, it is impossible at all (which practically excludes the scope of air defense). In heavy rain or strong wind the cloud either disperses greatly or does not form at all.
This led to the fact that, for example, in Afghanistan, targets for ODAB had to be chosen only in the valleys - in the rarefied and oxygen-poor air of the highlands, they lost their strength. To at least partially compensate for these shortcomings, the military often had to use a trick, using a kind of “cocktail” - a combination of ODAB with smoke bombs, the thick smoke of which did not allow the aerosol to dissipate.
It is thanks to the above circumstances that the use of thermobaric ammunition in combat operations at sea is practically excluded.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, in none of the conflicts where they were used, these means of warfare did not bring either a strategic or even a significant tactical gain. Neither in Vietnam, nor in Afghanistan (both the USSR and the USA), nor during both Iraqi campaigns did the American army manage to win a single more or less major operation with their help, and in Chechnya the effect was purely secondary. During the 2006 conflict in Lebanon, their use against Hezbollah did not save Israel from defeat.
We must also take into account the fact that warheads to some extent stand out from the modern Western doctrine of “fifth generation wars”, being quite far from the widely advertised high-precision weapons, but too close to WMD.
Therefore, recently one can hear the voices of various international humanitarian organizations, insisting that these weapons share the fate of cluster bombs and anti-personnel mines, recognized by many states as inhumane means of warfare.
“Mother of all bombs” - an unofficial abbreviation for the name of the ammunition high explosive GBU-43/B (MOAB), created and first tested by the US military at the beginning of the third millennium. At the time of development, this product was considered the most powerful non-nuclear weapon in human history.
Prerequisites for creation
The novelty took the crown from the BLU-82 bomb with the romantic name “daisy mower”, weighing 6.8 tons. By that time, the predecessor had an impressive track record, which included:
- War in South Vietnam(to clear the jungle under and eliminate enemy personnel, 1970),
- Conflict related to the capture of the Mayaguez by Cambodian Khmers (1975),
- Iraq Desert Storm Mission (1991)
- Afghan campaign (2001).
Despite its military merits, the BLU-82 had significant drawbacks - insufficient aerodynamic properties and the lack of a guidance system. Specialists from the military-industrial company Northrop-Grumman and developers from the Lockheed Martin corporation volunteered to rectify the situation.
"Mother of All Bombs"
The design of a heavy high-explosive aerial bomb (English abbreviation MOAB) proposed by the designers was approved by the top leadership of the US Air Force. By the beginning of 2003, the new GBU-43 product was ready for testing.
In combat gear, the aerial bomb weighed 9.84 tons (1.4 times more than the BLU-82). The projectile, which had a length of 917 cm and a diameter of about a meter, quickly received an alternative abbreviation - Mother Of All Bombs. The photo gives an idea of the comparative simplicity of the product’s design - inside the metal casing there are 8.4 tons of H-6 explosive, which is more than 11 tons of TNT equivalent (the addition of hexogen and aluminum powder to the TNT mass increases its effectiveness by more than a third). At the same time, this type of explosive is highly stable, which makes it possible to safely store and transport huge ammunition.
The bomb is not equipped with a parachute - thanks to lattice rudders and aerodynamic load-bearing surfaces, it is capable of gliding, which, together with a satellite guidance system, guarantees high accuracy in hitting the target. The radius of complete destruction of enemy armored vehicles and manpower is 140 meters, the shock wave is noticeable at a distance of more than 1.5 km from the epicenter.
First tests
“The Mother of All Bombs” is a very unique and specific weapon in the sense that not every military transport aircraft is capable of delivering it to the place of combat work. In the US Air Force, only aircrafts two models - the C-130 HERCULES transport aircraft and the B-2 SPIRIT strategic bomber. A special parachute system is used to pull out the cargo platform with the MOAB attached. Having left the plane, the “mother of all bombs” is freed from auxiliary devices and begins an independent flight.
In March 2003, the first drop of an inert projectile was carried out (instead of an explosive - rubber or concrete to maintain weight characteristics), and four days later, after checking the aerodynamic qualities, a fully equipped MOAB was dropped (Eglin Base, Florida). The tests carried out and the results obtained impressed military experts, and manufacturers received an order for three similar products.
Weapons of mass intimidation
A total of 15 GBU-43 combat units were produced. The cost of each sample is about $16 million. According to experts, the explosion of the “mother of all bombs” is characterized not only by its impressive destructive force, but mainly intended to show the enemy the strength and power of the United States and to have a demoralizing effect on enemy combat units.
The premiere demonstration of the formidable weapon was to take place in Iraq at the end of 2003. An air bomb was even delivered to the territory Arab state, but for a number of reasons it was not used for its intended purpose.
From a cannon to sparrows
For about 15 years, the United States' most formidable conventional weapon has not found a worthy target.
Finally, on April 13, 2017, in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, the “mother of all bombs” was dropped on an underground communications network. According to White House Press Secretary S. Spicer, caves and tunnels facilitated the free and uncontrolled movement of terrorists, which posed a real threat to government troops Afghanistan and the lives of American military advisers.
Specialists carefully prepared the operation for several months. From the United States, the “mother of all bombs” was delivered to Afghanistan to the place of combat work by an MC-130 aircraft. The official authorities of the United States have not yet provided specific information about the results of the bombing, but President D. Trump approved the actions of the military, calling the mission “very successful.” News agencies(for example, France-Presse), based on information from own sources, claim that the airstrike could have injured between 40 and 90 extremists.
Representatives of ISIS completely deny such information, stating that no damage was caused to underground infrastructure or manpower.
Many experts consider the operation to be a successful demonstration campaign, warning other countries against conflicts with the United States, but completely devoid of any military-tactical meaning.
Dad can...
Today, the GBU-43 is not the most powerful weapon. The rating of the most destructive non-nuclear munitions is headed by the Russian high-power aviation vacuum bomb, named by analogy with the American MOAB, the “daddy of all bombs.” Its power is four times greater than the overseas model, and the affected surface area is 20 times! At the same time, a vacuum bomb has significantly less weight (mass of explosives - 7.1 tons). The bomb was first dropped from a Tu-160 strategic bomber and successfully tested in September 2007. Based on the results obtained, a table of probable affected areas was compiled.
A clear plus Russian development is that bombing can be carried out in any weather conditions from altitudes from 200 to 1000 meters at speeds from 500 to 1100 km/h.
The GBU-43 aircraft bomb, also known by the acronym MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Blast), and colloquially referred to as the Mother of All Bombs, was used in a combat zone for the first time in 15 years after it was created . Analysts say that previously there was simply no suitable target for the most powerful non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal, since it is a highly specialized weapon.
According to the commander of American troops in Afghanistan, General John W. Nicholson, the Afghan group of the Daesh organization banned in Russia used a network of underground bunkers and tunnels, and the GBU-43 turned out to be the optimal means to destroy these structures.
Wired Magazine recalls that the "Mother of All Bombs" was developed by the US Air Force Research Laboratory in 2002 for possible use during combat operations in Iraq. True, the military ultimately ordered only about a dozen of these superbombs. Such a small amount of ammunition was ordered not because of the cost of their production, but because disabilities applications. Although these bombs are indeed expensive, it is not because of their complexity, but because of their size. “The Mother of All Bombs” itself turned out to be surprisingly simple.
"The MOAB is not a very sophisticated weapon. It's really just a big canister with a lot of explosives," a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and Strategic Intelligence makes a visual comparison. international studies Mark Kansiyan.
The uniqueness of the bomb lies in the high ratio of explosive to other materials. Apart from the casing, the ammunition consists almost entirely of H6 explosive, a stable mixture that allows a huge bomb to be stored without fear of an accidental explosion that could destroy an entire military base.
The publication notes that the “Mother of All Bombs” is a non-nuclear and non-bunker munition. It is designed to create a powerful blast wave. Other bombs used by the United States in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan contain, in percentage terms, less explosive and more casing material designed to destroy the enemy with shrapnel. The GBU-43 is also not similar to the Russian even more powerful thermobaric munition, which, by analogy with the American one, received the name “Father of all bombs.”
MOAB affects the enemy solely through a destructive blast wave, destroying everything at a distance of 150 meters. That is why the “Mother of All Bombs” weighs more than 11 tons and is delivered to the bombing site by transport aircraft. The MOAB is dropped directly over the target using a parachute, and the GBU-43 explodes above the ground. By the way, a specific tail allows the bomb not only to hit the target, but also slows down its fall. This is necessary to allow the aircraft to move away from the bomb site.
“If it explodes too quickly, it will destroy the plane,” explains Mark Kansian.
"This is a specific type of bomb that is best suited for a specific type of target," says military expert Peter Singer. And according to Wired Magazine, just such a target was discovered in the mountains of Afghanistan.
The publication explains that even precision weapons cannot destroy the network of tunnels laid by terrorists and their inhabitants, because numerous twists and turns stop the barrage of fragments. For the same reason, bunker-busting munitions are capable of destroying only individual underground structures. But the blast wave of the super-powerful GBU-43 can easily penetrate into the farthest corners of winding underground passages and caves.
Wherein American experts admit that there are serious difficulties in using the Mother of All Bombs. This includes the use of special aircraft, and the unjustified use of ammunition to destroy individual targets, and most importantly, the high risk of collateral losses among the civilian population. If bombed caves and underground fortifications in Afghanistan were located far from settlements, then when using the GBU-43 there was no need to worry about the fate of civilians.
"But if you drop something like that in Mosul, you'll destroy half the city," says Mark Kansiyan.
However, as the American publication notes, the use of such ammunition has another purpose - to show that “there is a new sheriff in town.”
"The use of bombs of this size now is probably a warning to other countries to avoid conflict with the United States," said Rebecca Zimmerman, a fellow at the Rand Strategic Research Center. And Peter Singer adds that the use of MOAB attracted the attention of the press, which would have been difficult to achieve if the underground fortifications of terrorists were destroyed using other ammunition.
Help "RG"
In December 2014 Supreme Court The Russian Federation recognized as terrorist international organizations Daesh (the Arabic name for the ISIS group) and al-Nusra Front, banning their activities in the country. Thus, the claim of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office was satisfied. In this regard, any participation in the activities of Daesh and the al-Nusra Front on Russian territory is considered a criminal offense.
Good day everyone!
The creation of aviation ammunition of special power and increased power, operating on a NON-NUCLEAR principle, has always excited the minds of military-industrial complex engineers and their customers - strategists, both in uniform and without.
Disposing atomic weapons powers, or rather those who direct their policies openly or from the shadows, are well aware that nuclear weapons cannot be used in in real life, even in the so-called “limited conflict”, since the genie once released from the bottle cannot be put back under any circumstances. An exception may be random unintentional situations that arise, and even then...
So the H-Bomb, as it was the most effective weapon of deterrence, will remain so, at least in the foreseeable future.
The use of weapons of comparable power, based on other principles, although it raises a lot of problems and questions (both technical and military-political), sometimes allows us to solve problems that can be called not only OPERATIONAL, but also STRATEGIC.
There is experience in creating such systems, and it has been accumulated for a long time. It is worth mentioning at least the domestic “five-ton” or guided aerial bombs created by the “gloomy Teutonic genius” during the Second World War.
Now I would like to talk about the GBU-43/B MOAB, a controlled volumetric detonating aerial bomb, created by our “probable friends No. 1” from the “Stronghold of World Democracy” and nicknamed the “MOTHER OF ALL BOMBES”.
Development of the GBU-43/B bomb began in mid-2002 when the Air Force Research Laboratory's Munitions Division needed to outfit the 6,800 kg BLU-82/B bomb with a control system. At that time, BLU-82/B was the most big bomb in the USAF arsenal, it was first used in Vietnam to clear areas for helicopter landings. In Afghanistan in 2001, bombs of this type were used to attack caves and gorges, where the enormous force of the volumetric explosion was especially effective. But the lack of any control system meant that the MC-130 carrier must release at a relatively low altitude and directly above the target to achieve the required accuracy, but there is a danger of being damaged by the shock wave.
In 2002, Northrop-Grumman and Lockheed Martin proposed a project that was better than the BLU-82/B. The new UAB had a good aerodynamic shape and used GPS control on the flight path. The new ammunition was subsequently named GBU-43/B MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Burst). It is equipped with a volumetric detonating warhead. The B-2 was considered as a carrier; it could carry 1 such big bomb. In March 2003, the Air Force urgently ordered three such ammunition.
In 2003, the US Air Force conducted two tests of the GBU-43/B MOAB equipped guided aerial bomb at a test site in Florida. The first controlled flight of an inert MOAB was carried out on March 7, 2003, and four days later (March 11), the first drop of an equipped UAB from an MS-130 aircraft was carried out, the second drop was on November 22, 2003.
In April 2003, a single GBU-43/B bomb was sent to Iraq, but was never used. 
The mass of ammunition with the BLU-120/B warhead is 9840 kg - which is 40% greater than the mass of the BLU-82 aerial bomb; the BLU-120/B ammunition is the largest non-nuclear weapon in existence. The warhead uses a liquid mixture of ammonium nitrate and powdered aluminum (explosive weight 8480 kg) as equipment.
The GBU-43 does not have a parachute, using a KMU-593/B control package (GPS/INS similar to JDAM), lattice rudders and aerodynamic lifting surfaces it glides and engages targets with high accuracy. This way the bomb can be dropped from a higher altitude (out of range anti-aircraft artillery). Like the BLU-82, the MOAB is ejected from the cargo compartment of a transport aircraft (typically an MC-130, but with GPS and higher drop altitudes, could probably be used with a C-17).
MOAB is a very powerful weapon (its unofficial name is "Mother of All Bombs"). The force of the MOAB's explosion is sufficient to destroy surface armored vehicles and people within a few hundred meters and demoralize troops in the surrounding area who survived the explosion.
A penetrating warhead MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetration) is being developed and is being tested.
The weight of the ammunition is 13600 kg, the penetrating ability, when equipped with a warhead with a programmable HTSF fuse, will be more than 30 m.
In the 2nd quarter of 2004, two tests were carried out in order to realistically assess the damage caused to deep-lying objects: one was static (explosion on the ground), the other was a drop from the MS-130 (in December 2004). Both explosions were carried out at special training ground(Nevada), which has facilities with corresponding infrastructure elements located at great depths. 
Length, m - 9.1
Diameter, m - 1.03
Bomb mass, kg - 9840
Warhead mass, kg - 8480
Guidance system - ISN
Range, km - 65
KVO, m -
Carrier aircraft - MS-130
The leadership of the US Air Force is interested in new projects to create weapons designed to destroy underground objects. According to American representatives, technologies for the production of heavy penetrating bombs are already available. However, it will take time to select a carrier and determine the number of such weapons required for the US Air Force. Dynetik, Textron, ASEI, and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory's Munitions Division are participating in the R&D for this project.
Well. Democracy must be defended. It’s just a pity that the brave American SPECIAL FORCES recently killed Osama Bin Laden, who died of natural causes about five years ago. Otherwise, the “Mother of All Bombs” would definitely come in handy! How they would have shied away from international terrorism, so much so that their eyes popped out of their heads during a massive explosion!
In Iraq it wasn’t necessary, they were a little overcautious. So, maybe this will come in handy now?
But seriously, the development of new types and means of weapons and weapons, including offensive non-nuclear strategic ones, is a common thing. FOR ALL.
And lying on different planes with morality and other “veal tendernesses”. But at the same time it is necessary to talk about peacefulness and so on and so forth QUIETLY. We won’t understand, sir!
(Sources used: Federation of American Scientists. Conventional Weapons; Alex Popov. GBU-43/B MOAB)
Sincerely, E. Mitkov
*IS is a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation
Loading...
