Thermobaric and enhanced blast explosives tbx and ebx. The russian rpoa bumblebee portable flamethrower system has been spotted in syria. A thermobaric weapon, aerosol bomb, or vacuum bomb is a type of explosive that uses oxygen. Thermobaric weapons killer extordinaire china defence. The employment of a thermobaric weapon against a population is about half of a war crime. Accordingly, they are also commonly known as fuelair explosives, or faes.
It can fire 24 220millimeter rockets each packing a. Russia unveils its mega bombrussias main tv channels carried reports on the testthe russian air force has tested a giant fuelair bomb which the military says is the biggest nonnuclear explosive device in the world. Pdf thermobaric and enhanced blast explosives tbx and ebx. The fuelair bomb is one of the most wellknown types of thermobaric weapons. Thermobaric and enhanced blast explosives tbx and ebx since the differences between tbx and ebx are usually small, these two terms are therefore often interchangeably used in the literature. Russian tv showed a tupolev bomber dropping the bomb over a test range, a powerful explosion. The 33inchlong weapon is designed to fire two types of rounds. A highimpulse thermobaric bomb hit, also known as fuel pump, fuel pump, fuelair explosive fae or fax, a weapon of heat and pressure or vacuum pump is a liquid container volatile or high pressure gas models an explosive mixed with finely powdered and usually two separate explosive charges. This weapon is used by specialized flamethrower squads, that support in combat advancing regular infantry. The armys ultimate goal is to put these minithermobaric bombs into the xm29. However it seems that these thermobaric weapons were not. Smaller and less powerful wpf891 and wpf892 thermobaric rocket launchers with 80 mm bore were developed in china. Upon impact and explosion of the weapons internal payload, the fuelair mixture is detonated, too.
A jet flies over the battlefield dropping a bomb before detonation the fuel is released from the bomb and the bomber prays there is enough wind to spread the fuel around above the battlefield before detonation, the bomb detonates, by chance there was enough fuel spread out to create a decent sized air. Early work by these investigators suggests that a fraction of highly energetic thermobaric fuel can be ignited by an explosive shock and release its energy in a time period consistent with conditions required for. Use and development of thermobaric weapons have increased over the last decade. Malhama tactical is a private contracting company that frequently works with jihadist groups like jabhat fateh alsham. Experts fear terrorists are seeking fuelair bombs new scientist. New thermobaric materials and weapon concepts sbir. Thermobaric explosives but in many military applications, there is plenty of oxidizer around, in the form of the oxygen in the air. The soviet union developed a wide range of thermobaric weapons, which. Thermobaric warheads put the power to demolish buildings into the hands of the average u. Aluminiumized explosives were used in wwii but getting powdered or granulated metal powders to disperse an ignite properly in. Because our investigations into thermobaric weapons is that they are cruel. The goal of a thermobaric weapon is to extend what is called the impulse pressure which is the time under pressure that the charge causes, not to reach new heights of temp and pressure.
In practice, the blast wave typically produced by such a weapon is of a significantly longer duration than that produced by a conventional condensed explosive. Readers may recall news of the tos1 multiplerocket launcher and thermobaric weapon, mounted on a t72 tank chassis, being battletested in syria. Russian online newspaper rossiyskaya gazeta specifies that in contrast to the gbu43, conventional ordnance filled with large number of explosives, the russian bomb is a thermobaric weapon with the destructive power four times that of the moab. Spoilers massive problem with that thermobaric bomb that. Thermobaric weapon demonstration hard target defeat program. But americans arent the only ones with the weapons. This design has evolved to the point that it is effectively a new weapon rather than improved version of the rpoa shmel. In the past, weve discussed some of talley defenses thermobaric work. Most damage is inflicted by a supersonic shockwave and extremely high temperatures. These are derivatives of pf89 antitank rocket launcher. Because of this, the bombs blast and pressure wave have a similar effect to a small tactical nuclear weapon. Thanks to this diligent answer from an mod official we now know they are.
The heat and pressure effects are formidable soldiers caught in the blast could have the air sucked from their bodies and even their internal organs catastrophically destroyed. Not having to carry around all of the oxygen means the weapon can be smaller, and thus easier to carry around, perhaps even manportable, or huge, consisting of a tankerload of fuel. The rockets come in two versionsone with a thermobaric charge and another that. Edited and excerpted from the article blu118b thermobaric weapon at. Thermobaric weapons are explosives optimised to produce heat and pressure effects instead of armourpenetrating or fragmentation damage effects. When a gun is more than a gun the 33inchlong weapon is designed to fire two types of rounds. Ukroboronprom state enterprise has developed a new thermobaric weapon, the infantry flamethrower rpo16, which was developed by the research institute, chemical products, as well as rgo27s and rgt27s2 grenades developed by artem state enterprise, as indicated in a statement released by the press service of ukroboronprom. The basic idea behind a thermobaric missile is that it releases a cloud of explosive compounds into the air before impact. Sciencemadness discussion board thermobaric explosives. The shmelm is a shoulderlaunched thermobaric weapon. Afghanistan resulted in the us developing a thermobaric warhead for the hellfire antiarmour weapon 3 and the blu118 b4 thermobaric bomb. A thermobaric weapon is a type of explosive that uses oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a hightemperature explosion, and in practice the blast wave typically produced by such a weapon is of a significantly longer duration than that produced by a conventional condensed explosive. Thus, such weapons are often called fuel air explosives fae.
At its core, the tos1 buratino is a t72 tank with its turret removed in favor of a thirtypack of 220mm rockets. Mod accidentally reveals british drones firing thermobaric. Developed during wwii, it is thickened gasoline that is scattered when its container breaks apart. The weapons are particularly effective in enclosed spaces such as tunnels, buildings and field fortifications. Terrifying russian bumblebee flamethrower shows up in syria. The russian military loves its thermobaric rocket tanks. Now all of south asia can respond to indian bullying with a swift and deadly response file photo demonstrating effects thermobaric weapon wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Jihadist blackwater company fires thermobaric weapon at. The volumetric weapons include thermobaric and fuelair explosives fae, aerosol.
According to the international comittee of the red cross, the. The thermobaric weapon reproduces this situation to order, distributing a very fine cloud of explosive material throughout the target which is then ignited. In the course of a research program to design compositions with enhanced. A working definition of the term evolved, defining the thermobaric weapon as a singlecycle, fuelrich explosive system that has a longduration thermal pulse accompanying and supporting shock output. The fuelair explosive fae is one of the bestknown types of thermobaric. In some designs, strong munitions cases allow the blast pressure to be. Thermobaric weapon technologies provide the commander a new choice in protecting the force, and a new offensive weapon that can be used in a mounted or. Fuel air weapons work by using a small charge within a bomb, rocket or grenade warhead to scatter a the contents of the warhead which are either volatile. Rpoa and mroa thermobaric weapons which were produced in russia relatively recently 2002 and 2008, respectively, have been documented in eastern ukraine. Russia tests giant thermobaric nanotechnology bomb video.
According to the international comittee of the red cross, the international criminal court icc has this. Designs for a fuelair device were also acquired by the cia from three. In fact, the russian system produces only 75% of the peak pressure of c4, but, it more than quadruples the amount of time that pressure is exerted on the target. China advertises a 250 kg thermobaric bomb dropped by jf17. The most common type of thermobaric weapon uses a primary charge to disperse its fuel into an aerosol, and a secondary charge to ignite the aerosol. The thermobaric device yields the equivalent of 44 tons of tnt using about seven tons of a new type of high explosive. Updated a woman and two children in afghanistan died on sunday, the ap reports, after their house was destroyed in a u. The bazookalike weapon, which uses overpressure and heat to kill, was spotted by a. It has a dramatically increased range and blast yield, yet it weighs less at 8. When the atbip is dropped on the target, a cloud of explosive dust is being formed, filling all the shelters. There are a lot of answers here, and apparently a lot of confusion about what constitutes a thermobaric warhead.
A thermobaric weapon is a type of explosive that utilizes oxygen from the surrounding air to generate an intense, hightemperature explosion, and in practice the blast wave such a weapon produces is typically significantly longer in duration than a conventional condensed explosive. Their aim is to develop software to predict how buildings will respond to. The thermobaric tb weapon demonstration will develop a weapon concept that is based on a new class of solid fuelair explosive thermobarics. A thermobaric munition including a composite explosive material, the composite explosive material having a highexplosive composition, and a detonable. Chinese thermobaric bomb for sale to all south asia. Thermobaric bombs and other nightmare weapons of the. The rpoa is a shoulderfired recoilless weapon in a 93 mm calibre, with an effective range of approximately 200 metres. Thermobaric definition is containing a charge of fuel designed to ignite and combine with oxygen present in the atmosphere to produce a prolonged explosion. Members of malhama tactical, a private contracting organization that works with jihadists, fire a thermobaric weapon at saa troops.
Why doesnt the us army develop thermobaric weapons. A thermobaric weapon is one that uses atmospheric oxygen, instead of carrying its own oxidizer, to achieve an explosion. A thermobaric weapon is a type of explosive that utilizes oxygen from the surrounding air to generate an intense, hightemperature explosion, and in practice the blast wave typically produced by such a weapon is of a significantly longer duration than a conventional condensed explosive. In a thermobaric weapon, the shock effect is less because the shell of the weapon is. Defsec rumsfeld cited this weapon as a case of highspeed research and development executed to meet a critical battlefield need, with the project going from development to deployment in less than one year. Media in category thermobaric weapons the following 3 files are in this category, out of 3 total. Advanced energetic materials explosive fill and propellantsare a critical technology for national security. In 2010, the mod specifically refused to answer questions in the house of commons by then oxford east mp andrew smith on whether british drones were firing the thermobaric version of the hellfire missile. The term thermobaric now appears to be synonymous with fuelrich or enhancedblast explosives. A nuclear thermobaric weapon is a type of enhanced radiation weapon that utilizes boosted plasma from the nuclear fire ball to generate an intense, hightemperature explosion, and in practice the blast wave produced is typically larger and longer in duration than in a conventional explosive weapon design. The weapon could be used against a certain type of. Thermobaric weapon synonyms, thermobaric weapon antonyms. The tos1a is a multiplerocket launcher mounted on a t72 tank chassis.
Thermobaric bombs and other nightmare weapons of the syrian civil war. Russias father of all bombs surpasses us moab in almost. Thermobaric definition of thermobaric by merriamwebster. Xm1060 40mm thermobaric grenade the xm1060 40mm thermobaric grenade, developed and fielded by picatinny within a fourmonth span, is the very first small arms thermobaric device released to a us. A thermobaric weapon may be able to break through a brick wall. Fuel air or thermobaric weapons have been around since the 1960s and have evolved from the traditional incendiary round into a much more deadly and versatile weapon now in its 3rd generation. Thermobaric weapons add high temperature to the blast waveeffect and this is done using things like magnesium and aluminium.
967 1542 269 1436 722 1342 148 1430 1317 1362 1617 992 297 1663 1585 390 1173 988 909 1144 43 821 1097 721 1525 1544 849 1370 261 289 1168 1617 662 1357 384 1142 51 76 574 399 887 292 1004 1486 348