How do thermobaric explosions work?

A thermobaric weapon, aerosol bomb, or vacuum bomb is a type of explosive that uses oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion. 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.

What is a thermobaric bomb work?

Thermobaric munitions are those munitions that, by design, produce more heat and overpressure than conventional explosives by exploding a vapour in the blast zone. Their main use initially was in airborne fuel-air explosive bombs.

How powerful are thermobaric bombs?

The thermobaric device yields the equivalent of 44 tons of TNT using about seven tons of a new type of high explosive. Because of this, the bomb’s blast and pressure wave have a similar effect to a small tactical nuclear weapon. The bomb works by detonating in mid-air.

What is the strongest non nuclear bomb?

The GBU-43 Massive Ordnance Air Blast (also known as “the mother of all bombs) is the most powerful non-nuclear bomb in military use.

What is a thermobaric charge?

of a weapon. : containing a charge of fuel designed to ignite and combine with oxygen present in the atmosphere to produce a prolonged explosion Rather than fight their way into such caverns, U.S. forces have preferred to drop specialized …

Who invented the thermobaric bomb?

Nguyet Anh Duong
Nguyet Anh Duong (Dương Nguyệt Ánh; born 1960 in Saigon) is a Vietnamese American scientist responsible for the creation of the Thermobaric weapon. She is noted as the “Scientist who developed the bomb that ended the war with Afghanistan” by the Vietnamese American National Gala.

What plane dropped the MOAB bomb?

C-130 Hercules
The bomb is designed to be delivered by a C-130 Hercules, primarily the MC-130E Combat Talon I or MC-130H Combat Talon II variants.

Why is cluster bombs banned?

Cluster munitions are prohibited for two main reasons. First, they spread multiple bomblets or submunitions indiscriminately over a wide area, which can be devastating for civilians caught in a strike. There have been no reports or allegations of new use or production of cluster munitions by any party to the treaty.

Are cluster bombs legal?

The Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) is an international treaty that prohibits all use, transfer, production, and stockpiling of cluster bombs, a type of explosive weapon which scatters submunitions (“bomblets”) over an area.

Are there any thermobaric weapons that use blast?

Until recently, very few warheads relied on blast as their primary output. New technologies have been developed now for warheads that claim to possess enhanced blast performance. Thermobaric weapons are classified as a subcomponent of a larger family of weapon systems which are commonly known as volumetric weapons.

How does a thermobaric weapon destroy a building?

The cloud of fuel flows around objects and into structures. The second charge then detonates the cloud, creating a massive blast wave. The blast wave destroys reinforced buildings and equipment and kills and injures people.

How are thermobaric explosives different from conventional explosives?

This simple thermobaric explosive produced high devastating pressure wave through the Afghanistan caves and tunnel systems, causing huge damages in the subterranean mazes of the region [4]. The shock waves of conventional explosives are localized and substantially decrease while moving away from the explosion center.

How many people have been killed by thermobaric bombs?

Accurate casualty totals were impossible to calculate, because any living thing close to the blast area was vaporized; however, casualty estimates range from 36 to 85 killed. Russia has been modernizing thermobaric munitions over the past two decades, it now possesses a bomb four times more powerful than the one the US used in Afghanistan.