Thermobaric bomb?

Huh?

Vacuum bomb?

Huh?

There are reports that Russia is deploying thermobaric bombs in the Ukraine conflict….

But just what  is a thermobaric bomb?

Thennobaric munitions are those weapons that are designed to produce enhanced temperature and pressure compared to conventional explosives and are often referred to as fuel-air explosives (FAEs). They produce a much greater incidence of primary blast injury than conventional explosives and this is their main mechanism of injury

Thennobaric munitions work by initially dispersing an aerosol cloud of gas, liquid or finely powdered explosive. Known fuels such as ethylene oxide, propylene oxide 1, ammonium nitrate2, and powdered PETN4 have been reported. This cloud flows around objects and into cavities and structures. lt may penetrate small openings, such as openings in buildings, bunkers and engine bays of armoured vehiclesI, before being ignited.

The result is a plasma cloud that reaches temperatures of between 2,500-3000′ Celsius4. The time that the cloud burns is slow compared to conventional high explosive and aluminium powder is added to some explosives to enhance this5. 1t is this longer duration or dwell time of the blast wave or overpressure, which can be up to 73 kglcm2 (1000 lb/ sq in), that is the main reason for its lethal and destructive effects4. The injuries are more severe in confined spaces as the blast wave reflects back and forth, submitting the target to multiple insults.

It all began …..The first attempts occurred during the Second World War by the German Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht, the inventor being the Austrian physicist Mario Zippermayr

It has been reported by numerous sources of the deployment of these munitions….

Thermobaric bombs have grabbed headlines lately as fears grow that Russia will intensify its assault on Ukraine’s major cities. There is no confirmed evidence that the Russians have used them yet, but a CNN crew spotted thermobaric rocket launchers crossing into Ukraine in the war’s opening days. It is “a matter of time,” say some experts, including Dr. Marcus Hellyer of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, interviewed recently by the Guardian.Unlike conventional explosives that contain a mix of fuel and an oxidizer (such as black powder), thermobaric weapons are essentially 100% fuel.

Per the BBC, “A vacuum bomb, also called an aerosol bomb or fuel air explosive, consists of a fuel container with two separate explosive charges.” When it strikes the target, the primary charge scatters the aerosolized fuel, igniting a blast that sucks up all surrounding oxygen. The blast can vaporize human bodies if they are close enough, but the typical effects involve the lungs and other internal organs. The US developed airborne thermobaric bombs in the 1960s to counter Vietcong tunnel networks, but they were only tested on a limited basis in combat.

But the US should not inject outrage on the use of these weapons because we are just as guilty…..In 2001, the US was not shy about its use of thermobaric weapons against Taliban cave complexes in Tora Bora (per this contemporaneous CNN report).

Weapons like this one and others like cluster bombs, nukes, etc should not be a part of any arsenal…they are inhumane and indiscriminate…..and any corporation that makes such ordinance should not be allowed to sell them at all…..there should be a worldwide ban on such weapons.

Just saying.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”