Volumetric explosion is effective and spectacular. With the help of ammunition, which has a special charge of thermobaric action, it is possible to destroy targets in open areas or in shelters, causing them the most serious damage. Such warheads have long been used in various fields, from artillery to aviation. Relatively recently, a new proposal has appeared on the use of such systems in a different area. The Russian defense industry offered customers a hand grenade of a volumetric explosion. Such a product is produced under the name RG-60TB.
A hand grenade with an unusual effect appeared in the first half of the last decade. This was developed by the Federal Research and Production Center "Research Institute of Applied Chemistry" (Sergiev Posad). At that time, the company offered a whole family of special grenades with various equipment. Having a similar appearance, such products were intended to solve a wide range of problems. The presented family of grenades included several samples of non-lethal action, facilitating the neutralization of the enemy and the work of the special forces as a whole. In addition, the line also included a product designed to destroy manpower.
Grenade RG-60TB at the exhibition. Photo "Rosoboronexport" / roe.ru
To combat manpower or light unprotected enemy equipment in open areas or in shelters, a thermobaric grenade RG-60TB was proposed. This product, in its form factor, corresponds to existing hand grenades of existing types and almost does not differ from them in terms of operation. At the same time, special equipment made it possible to obtain a significant increase in power in comparison with other grenades. According to published data, the power of the warhead of the RG-60TB grenade is comparable to artillery shells.
A special grenade has an official designation that fully reflects all its features. The first two letters of the name stand for "hand grenade". The numbers indicate the diameter of the case in millimeters, and the last two letters indicate the thermobaric type of equipment. Similar designations, but with different letters at the end, were received by other grenades of the family.
Externally, the RG-60TB product looks like some domestic hand grenades for various purposes. Its main element is a metal case of a rather simple form. The outer contours of the hull are formed by a cylindrical surface smoothly conjugated with the upper hemispherical bottom. On the latter there is a small sleeve for installing the tubular body of the fuse. The functions of the second bottom are performed by a separate hemispherical cover, rigidly fixed to the body during assembly.
As follows from the available data, thermobaric equipment is placed inside such a case, including a flammable liquid and a pair of charges for various purposes. The first charge is responsible for undermining the hull and dispersing the liquid over the available volume. The second one, accordingly, should ignite the sprayed liquid at a given moment of time, which leads to a volumetric explosion. Both charges are controlled by a standard grenade fuse.
According to open data, the RG-60TB grenade contains a thermobaric charge weighing only 240 g. The correct selection of a combustible substance made it possible to obtain outstanding combat qualities.
Products of various types developed by the Research Institute of Applied Chemistry, including the RG-60TB, should be used with unified fuses for a hand grenade of the UZRG family. Similar devices are used with other domestic grenades of recent decades. The UZRG has a tube-body, inside of which there is an impact mechanism, an igniter capsule, a moderator and a detonator. In the cocked position, the fuse drummer is held by a trigger lever, fixed by a pin with a ring. The fuse is placed in the appropriate nest of the RG-60TB grenade or other similar product and is fixed on the thread.
A thermobaric grenade in the form prepared for use has a length (including the tubular body of the fuse) of no more than 180 mm. The diameter of the product along the body is 60 mm. The trigger lever, lying along the body, does not increase the diameter and does not affect the dimensions. The mass of a grenade ready for battle is less than 350 g. According to the developer, the RG-60TB grenade can be used at air temperatures from -40°C to +50°C.
Grenades of several models developed by the Research Institute of Applied Chemistry, differing in their purpose, have similar contours and dimensions. A thermobaric product can be distinguished from others by the appropriate marking, or by its black body without any additional marks. Other products of the family have a different color, or there are colored transverse rings on the black color.
The main difference between the RG-60TB product and other domestic and foreign grenades is a special equipment that works on the principle of a volumetric explosion. Due to the use of a sprayed combustible liquid, which simultaneously burns in a relatively large volume, it was possible to obtain significant advantages over other hand weapons.
RG-60TB in section. Figure Russianguns.ru
During the detonation of the first charge, which is responsible for spraying a flammable liquid, the body of the grenade is destroyed with the formation of fragments. The striking elements, flying apart, are capable of inflicting some damage to manpower and unprotected equipment at distances of up to several meters. However, in terms of the lethal force of the scattered fragments, the RG-60TB is seriously inferior to the "specialized" fragmentation ammunition. Simultaneously with the expansion of the fragments, the main charge of the liquid is sprayed, followed by its ignition.
According to the manufacturer, a volumetric explosion of a 240-gram grenade charge is equivalent to detonating 550-660 g of TNT. The combustion of a liquid is accompanied by the release of a large amount of heat, as a result of which the surrounding objects may ignite. When using RG-60TB grenades in open areas, continuous destruction of the main targets within a radius of 7 m is ensured. The grenade simultaneously performs several impacts on the target. In fact, it is fragmentation, high-explosive and incendiary.
The development organization compared its hand grenade with existing ammunition of various types. Obviously, an explosion with a power of 600-650 g of TNT goes beyond the capabilities of conventional grenades. For this reason, other ammunition of more serious classes was mentioned in promotional materials. Thus, explosive charges weighing more than 600 g are usually used as part of high-explosive fragmentation projectiles for artillery systems with a caliber of 76 mm or more. However, a special grenade loses to projectiles in terms of the generated stream of fragments. However, with all objective limitations, only one fighter can carry several RG-60TB grenades, which in a sense replace a whole salvo of artillery.
Grenades of the family developed by the Research Institute of Applied Chemistry, for the most part, are intended for non-lethal neutralization of the enemy, but the RG-60TB has other tasks. It is proposed to be used to defeat and destroy manpower and unprotected or lightly armored vehicles both in open areas and indoors or other shelters. In some situations, this product can be considered a replacement or addition to existing fragmentation grenades. In some situations, special forces soldiers can use existing types of fragmentation grenades, and in other circumstances, thermobaric grenades may be more effective.
According to known data, a family of grenades from the FSPC "Research Institute of Applied Chemistry" in the middle of the last decade was able to interest a potential customer and become the subject of supply contracts. In 2006, the Russian Ministry of the Interior adopted these products and soon purchased a certain number of them. According to various sources, several types of grenades, including thermobaric RG-60TB, were first delivered to the special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
It is known that new weapons were purchased in large quantities and quickly replenished the arsenals of units from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The volume and cost of purchases, as well as the speed of execution of contracts, are perfectly illustrated by one of the latest contracts, data on which is freely available. In April 2014, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs purchased several types of special grenades, including the RG-60TB. In accordance with this order, the development organization supplied 1838 grenades of this model, worth 3307 rubles each. It is noteworthy that two more types of products were purchased as part of that order, and thermobaric grenades occupied an intermediate position between them in terms of quantity.
Grenades from the Research Institute of Applied Chemistry remain in service with the special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and are still in use. In connection with the current situation, such weapons, apparently, are now used as part of combat training activities, as well as in the course of counter-terrorism operations. However, the Ministry of the Interior is in no hurry to disclose the details of the combat use of such weapons, and if it finds a job, it does not receive the fame it deserves.
Special units of the Ministry of the Interior or the Army in certain situations may need different types of hand grenades. Among such special weapons, the most famous are smoke and light-sound grenades, which are used in various operations. In the recent past, the Russian defense industry has proposed a whole family of special grenades, which included samples of well-known types, as well as fundamentally new weapons. The appearance of the RG-60TB thermobaric grenade gave the fighters new opportunities in dealing with various threats.
Grenades from the Research Institute of Applied Chemistry (from left to right): light and sound RGK-60SZ, RGK-60RD irritant and cassette RGK-60KD. Photo by Dogswar.ru
All the advantages of the RG-60TB product are directly related to the used warhead. It is she who provides a sharp increase in the main combat characteristics while maintaining acceptable dimensions and weight. The detonation power is declared at the level of 600-660 g of TNT. This means that in terms of shock wave power, a thermobaric grenade is several times superior to serial fragmentation grenades. Such an advantage can be decisive when detonating a grenade in a confined space. In this case, the shock wave from the burning aerosol is more efficiently reflected from obstacles and enhances the impact on manpower.
Despite certain advantages over other weapons, the RG-60TB is not without flaws and is inferior to it to a certain extent. So, the lightweight body of this product cannot form sufficiently heavy and large fragments that pose a serious danger to “soft” targets. From the point of view of fragmentation impact on manpower or unprotected objects, a new type of thermobaric grenade can seriously lose to older products.
However, do not forget that the RG-60TB and other grenades of this family are special tools for solving special problems. In those situations where the use of a thermobaric grenade is justified and makes sense, it is able to show the highest performance and confirm the advantages over other weapons. The wrong choice of weapon, in turn, can drastically reduce the results and effectiveness of its use.
The domestic project RG-60TB also has a curious feature. Hand grenades with a thermobaric charge cannot yet be called a common and popular weapon. In fact, the development of the Research Institute of Applied Chemistry is currently the only representative of this class brought to real operation. Whether this direction will be further developed is unknown. At the moment, such a concept looks very interesting, and the availability of orders for serial grenades allows us to evaluate its future in an optimistic manner.
According to the websites:
http://niiph.com/
http://roe.ru/
http://russianarms.ru/
http://russianguns.ru/
http://dogswar.ru/
https://zakupki.kontur.ru/
MOSCOW, September 11 - RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots. Ten years ago, on September 11, 2007, the "daddy of all bombs" was tested in Russia for the first time - this is how journalists called a new high-powered aviation vacuum munition with a light hand. This bomb remains the most formidable non-nuclear airborne weapon to date. One such ammunition is capable of destroying all life within a radius of 300 meters. In combat conditions, this weapon has not yet been used, however, volumetric detonating projectiles, operating on a similar principle, have long been successfully used by the Russian army. According to many military experts, our country remains the world leader in this area. What are the dangers of "vacuum", or thermobaric, ammunition - in the material of RIA Novosti.
forty four tons
Thermobaric munitions in terms of their destructive effect are significantly different from, say, high-explosive ones. A volumetric detonating bomb, upon contact with a target, does not just explode, but sprays an aerosol cloud of a combustible substance, which, a fraction of a second later, is set on fire by a special charge. As a result of the explosion, a fireball is formed, creating a high-pressure zone at the epicenter. Even in the absence of a supersonic shock wave, such an explosion effectively destroys the enemy's manpower, freely penetrating into areas inaccessible to fragmentation ammunition. It "flows" into any fold of the terrain, behind any obstacle. It is almost impossible to hide from the explosion of a thermobaric bomb or projectile.
Footage of the explosion of the "dad of all bombs" at one of the training grounds of the 30th Central Research Institute of the Russian Ministry of Defense went around all the world's media. A Tu-160 strategic bomber, which is by far the most "long-range" aircraft of the Aerospace Forces, dropped ammunition on a training target. Little is known about the performance characteristics of the new bomb: the explosive mass is about seven tons, and the explosion power is approximately 44 tons of TNT. The weapons were assessed immediately after the tests by the highest military leadership.
“The test results of the created aviation munition showed that it is commensurate with nuclear weapons in terms of its effectiveness and capabilities,” the acting director told reporters. Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Colonel-General Alexander Rukshin. - At the same time, I want to emphasize this, the effect of this bomb does not pollute the environment at all compared to a nuclear weapon.
Combat use
According to Russian generals, the high area of destruction allows to reduce the cost of ammunition by reducing the requirements for hit accuracy. However, as General of the Army Anatoly Kornukov stated, for the time being, only aircraft can be used from the ammunition delivery vehicles. Missiles capable of carrying a charge of comparable power do not yet exist. Nevertheless, there are other types of volumetric detonating weapons in Russia.
“In Russia, a wide range of such ammunition is in service,” Viktor Murakhovsky, editor-in-chief of Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine, told RIA Novosti. - From aerial bombs to small-sized weapons. By the latter, I mean, for example, the Bumblebee rocket-propelled infantry flamethrower or TPG-7V shots for the RPG-7 anti-tank grenade launcher. In addition, thermobaric ammunition is standard for heavy flamethrower systems TOS-1 "Pinocchio" and TOS-1A "Solntsepek". This weapon has been widely used in recent local conflicts. In particular, in Syria, TOS-1A showed high efficiency in destroying fortified positions of terrorists.
According to the expert, volumetric detonating ammunition is ideal for destroying engineering structures: dugouts, bunkers, long-term firing points. At the same time, they demonstrate high destructive power in open areas. There are drone footage on the web demonstrating the combat operation of the Solntsepekov battery in Syria. In half a minute, several installations literally sowed with explosions the gorge through which IS militants (a terrorist organization banned in Russia. - Ed.) drove caravans with weapons. However, the scope of such ammunition is quite wide and is not limited to the fight against irregular armed formations.
© Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Fire strike from the "Solntsepeka": a heavy multiple rocket launcher in action© Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
“Volume-detonating air bombs are mainly designed to strike at the targets of the enemy army in the tactical and operational-tactical depth of its battle formations,” Viktor Murakhovsky explained. - These are control points, communication centers, launching positions for ballistic missiles, and so on. Ammunition of this type works well on unarmored targets. A pair of such bombs can completely destroy a military airfield - in an open area, an explosion additionally causes a strong thermal effect. Roughly speaking, everything that can burn in the affected area burns.
Viktor Murakhovsky emphasized that volumetric detonating ammunition also has disadvantages. In particular, they include indiscriminate action and dependence on adverse weather conditions. In strong wind, rain or snowfall, the aerosol cloud is sprayed much less. Accordingly, the effect of the explosion is much weaker.
And how are they?
Thermobaric ammunition is also used in the West. The US Marine Corps, in particular, has 40-mm MGL drum grenade launchers with XM1060 thermobaric ammunition. In addition, during the Iraq War, the Marines actively used a volumetric detonating shot for the SMAW anti-tank grenade launcher. According to Western press reports, with the help of one shot from this weapon, the reconnaissance group of the American military managed to completely destroy the stone one-story building, along with enemy soldiers hiding inside.
“Many countries have experimented and are experimenting with thermobaric ammunition,” Viktor Murakhovsky said. “However, only our country has managed to achieve serious progress in this area. We have the widest range of thermobaric weapons. In addition, we are at the forefront in improving the mixtures of volumetric detonating action. This weapon is not absolute and universal. But a potential adversary will definitely have him in mind and consider him a serious threat to his soldiers.
The appearance 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 "wonder weapon". This is usually due to the tendency of journalists to sensationalize against the background of the scarcity of information about the product.
The same situation arose with the new volume 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 of the non-nuclear ones. The "experts" from the media have given it the mysterious name "High Yield Aircraft Vacuum Bomb".
Operating principle
The incorrect term "vacuum" arose due to the short-term (hundredths of a second) "burnout" of oxygen. In fact, the pressure drop does not exceed 0.5 atmospheres, which is safe for humans. The resulting rarefaction zone is instantly filled with combustion products. And the striking factor is not “suction by a vacuum”, but a shock wave.
The very principle of a volumetric explosion is the detonation of a combustible substance sprayed in a certain volume of air. The area of contact with air of all aerosol particles is much larger than that of a substance in its usual form. And the composition of the air includes oxygen - an oxidizing agent necessary for an explosion. Such "mixing" of a combustible substance with an oxidizing agent greatly increases the power of the explosion.
Thanks to this principle, the new weapon was named volumetric explosion ammunition (BOV).
In comparison with an explosive (XV) such as TNT, CWA has 5-8 times more power. However, due to the low density of the atomized substance, the CWA explosion rate is less. For CWA 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, a volumetric explosion occurs in the form of accidents at enterprises. A high concentration of combustible dust or vapors in the air creates the prerequisites 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 combustible (explosive) substance to the target and sprays it there. After 100–150 ms, the aerosol cloud is detonated. It is important that at this moment the explosive cloud fills the largest space, maintaining the desired concentration.
As a sprayed combustible substance, ethylene or propylene oxide, metal powders, a mixture of MAPP are used. The latter includes methylacetylene, allene (propadiene) and propane. Ethylene or propylene oxides are effective but poisonous and difficult to handle. For military purposes, it is easier to use volatile gasoline with the addition of aluminum-magnesium powder.
Benefits of BOV:
- greater than that of a blasting explosive, the power of the explosion;
- the ability of an aerosol cloud to penetrate shelters;
- with a power comparable to tactical nuclear weapons, do not lead to radioactive contamination.
The disadvantages include:
- instability of the aerosol cloud in adverse weather conditions;
- the presence of the only damaging factor - the shock wave;
- low effectiveness against fortifications;
- explosive weight limit. For the required effectiveness of the ammunition, it must be at least 20 kg.
These features will not allow BOV to replace traditional ammunition.
Its use is expedient against enemy manpower in fortifications, natural shelters or urban conditions.
Thermobaric ammunition
Along with BOV, thermobaric ammunition (TBB) is widely known. With the same effect of explosive oxidation in the air, the principle of operation of such ammunition differs from the BOV.
Due to the detonation of the central bursting charge, the thermobaric mixture is detonated. The resulting blast wave provides 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% RDX, 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 firepower for arming individual servicemen;
- insensitivity to atmospheric phenomena.
Several types of weapons have been developed under the TBB. The most common ones are:
- jet infantry flamethrower "Bumblebee";
- shots for RPG-7;
- grenades for underbarrel grenade launcher.
At the same time, work continues on the creation of high-capacity thermobaric munitions.
History of creation and application
The first attempt to use the volumetric explosion effect was the Black Fog project. In 1944, the engineers of Nazi Germany intended to create a BOV in the interests of air defense. It was planned to form an aerosol cloud on the way 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. Until the end of the war, the project could not be implemented.
The idea of a volumetric explosion was further developed in the United States. 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 BOVs were the 500lb BLU-95 and the 2000lb BLU-96.
The latter was capable of inflicting 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 the following tasks:
- clearing places for landing helicopters;
- destruction of the enemy in shelters;
- making passages in minefields.
Similar developments were carried out in the USSR. As a result, the ODAB-500P air bomb was created. In Afghanistan, this was an effective remedy against the dushmans who were hiding in the mountains. To reduce the dispersion of the aerosol cloud, they were used together with smoke bombs in a ratio of 3:1.
In 1999, an aerial bomb of a volumetric explosion was used against Chechen fighters who had taken refuge in the Dagestan village of Tando. In addition to heavy losses, the enemy received huge psychological damage.
Our response to "partners"
In 2003, the GBU-43 / B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB) was tested in the USA. The power of its explosion was 11 tons of TNT. Of the non-nuclear munitions at that time, it had no equal. 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, RDX and aluminum powder. It should be noted that the “mother of all bombs” turned out to be ammunition not of a volumetric explosion, but of a high-explosive one.
An "asymmetric" 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. Precise details about the new bomb are not available.
The calculated effect is 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.
Tactical and technical data of the most powerful air bombs
| aerial bomb | GBU-43/B | (AVBPM) |
|---|---|---|
| Affiliation | USA | Russia |
| Year of testing | 2003 | 2007 |
| Length, m | 10 | n.a. |
| Diameter, m | 1 | n.a. |
| Weight, t – general - explosive | 9,5 8,4 | 7 n.a. |
| TNT equivalent, t | 11 | 44 |
| Radius of guaranteed damage, 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 a thermobaric explosive.
Conclusion
Volumetric explosion ammunition did not become a "wonder weapon". They did not provide their owners with a decisive superiority over the enemy. At the same time, their features made it possible to occupy a corresponding niche in military affairs.
BOVs are not capable of destroying the multi-meter walls of a concrete bunker or a rock. But they will hit everyone who has taken refuge there. BOVs are quite effective if necessary to make passages in minefields. Successfully used for clearing areas in a wooded area.
It is not excluded that in the future BWA will successfully replace tactical nuclear weapons.
Video
Flour mills, sugar refineries, carpentry shops, coal mines and Russia's most powerful conventional bomb - what do they have in common? Volume explosion. It is thanks to him that they can all fly into the air. However, there is no need to go so far - an explosion of household gas in an apartment is also from this row. A volumetric explosion is perhaps one of the first that mankind met, and one of the last that mankind tamed.
The principle of a volumetric explosion is not complicated at all: it is necessary to create a mixture of fuel with atmospheric air and apply a spark to this cloud. Moreover, the fuel consumption will be several times less than that of a high explosive for an explosion of the same power: a volumetric explosion “takes” oxygen from the air, and the explosive “contains” it in its molecules.
household bombs
Like many other types of weapons, volumetric detonating ammunition owes its birth to the gloomy German engineering genius. In search of the most effective ways to kill, German gunsmiths turned their attention to coal dust explosions in mines and tried to simulate the conditions of an explosion in the open air. Coal dust was sprayed with a charge of gunpowder and then undermined. But the very strong walls of the mines favored the development of detonation, and in the open air it died out.
After the war, the development went to the allies, but at first they did not arouse interest. The Americans were the first to turn to them again, having encountered in the 1960s in Vietnam with an extensive network of tunnels in which the Viet Cong were hiding. But the tunnels are almost the same mines! True, the Americans did not bother with coal dust, but began to use the most common acetylene. This gas is remarkable for the wide range of concentrations at which detonation is possible. Acetylene from ordinary industrial cylinders was pumped into the tunnels and then a grenade was thrown. The effect, they say, was amazing.
We'll go the other way
The Americans equipped volumetric bombs with ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, methane, propyl nitrate and MAPP (a mixture of methyl acetylene, propadiene and propane). Even then it was found that when a bomb containing 10 gallons (32-33 l) of ethylene oxide was triggered, a cloud of an air-fuel mixture with a radius of 7.5-8.5 m and a height of up to 3 m was formed. After 125 ms, the cloud was blown up by several detonators. The resulting shock wave had an overpressure of 2.1 MPa along the front. For comparison: to create such a pressure at a distance of 8 m from the TNT charge, it takes about 200-250 kg of TNT. At a distance of 3–4 radii (22.5–34 m), the pressure in the shock wave rapidly decreases and is already about 100 kPa. For destruction by the shock wave of an aircraft, a pressure of 70–90 kPa is required. Consequently, such a bomb during an explosion is capable of completely incapacitating an aircraft or helicopter in the parking lot within a radius of 30–40 m from the site of the explosion. This was written in special literature, which was also read in the USSR, where they also began experiments in this area.
Soviet specialists initially tried to portray the German version with coal dust, but gradually switched to metal powders: aluminum, magnesium and their alloys. In experiments with aluminum, it was found that it does not give a special high-explosive effect, but it does give a wonderful incendiary.
Various oxides (ethylene oxide and propylene oxide) were also used up, but they were toxic and quite dangerous during storage due to their volatility: a slight etching of the oxide was enough for any spark to raise the arsenal into the air. As a result, we settled on a compromise option: a mixture of different types of fuel (analogues of light gasoline) and aluminum-magnesium alloy powder in a ratio of 10:1. However, experiments have shown that with chic external effects, the damaging effect of volumetric detonating charges left much to be desired. The idea of an atmospheric explosion to destroy aircraft was the first to fail - the effect turned out to be negligible, except that the turbines “failed”, which immediately restarted again, since they did not even have time to stop. This did not work at all against armored vehicles, even the engine did not stall there. Experiments have shown that ODAB are specialized ammunition for hitting targets that are not resistant to shock waves, primarily unfortified buildings, and manpower. And that's all.
However, the flywheel of the miracle weapon was untwisted, and downright legendary feats were attributed to the ODABs. The case of descent of snow avalanches by such bombs in Afghanistan is especially well-known. It rained down awards, including the highest. The reports on the operation mentioned the mass of the avalanche (20,000 tons) and it was written that the explosion of a volumetric detonating charge was equivalent to a nuclear charge. Neither more nor less. Although any mine rescuer lowers exactly the same avalanches with simple TNT checkers.
Quite an exotic application of the technology was going to be found in relatively recent times, having developed, as part of conversion programs, a volumetric detonating system based on gasoline for the demolition of Khrushchev. It worked out quickly and cheaply. There was only one "but": the demolished Khrushchevs were located not in an open field, but in populated cities. And the plates during such an explosion scattered about a hundred meters.
"Vacuum" myths
The myth-making around the ODAB, thanks to some poorly educated journalists from headquarters, smoothly migrated to the pages of newspapers and magazines, and the bomb itself was called "vacuum". Say, during an explosion in a cloud, all oxygen is burned out and a deep vacuum is formed, almost like in space, and this same vacuum begins to spread outward. That is, instead of a high-pressure front, as in a conventional explosion, there is a low-pressure front. The term "reverse blast wave" was even coined. What is the press! In the early 1980s, at the military department of my physics department, almost under a non-disclosure agreement, some colonel from the General Staff spoke about new types of weapons used by the United States in Lebanon. Not without a “vacuum” bomb, which allegedly turns it into dust when it enters the building (gas penetrates into the smallest cracks), and low rarefaction neatly places this dust at the epicenter. O! Isn't this clear head going to demolish the Khrushchevs in the same way ?!
If these people had studied chemistry at least a little at school, they would have guessed that oxygen does not disappear anywhere - it simply passes during the reaction, for example, into carbon dioxide with the same volume. And if in some fantastic way it simply disappeared (and it is only about 20% in the atmosphere), then the lack of volume would be compensated by other gases that expanded when heated. And even if all the gas disappeared from the explosion zone and a vacuum formed, then a pressure drop of one atmosphere could hardly destroy even a cardboard tank - such an assumption would simply cause laughter for any military man.
And from a school physics course, one could learn that any shock wave (compression zone) is followed by a rarefaction zone without fail - according to the law of mass conservation. It's just that the explosion of a high explosive (HE) can be considered a point one, and a volumetric detonating charge, due to its large volume, forms a longer shock wave. That is why he does not dig funnels, but he brings down trees. But there is practically no blasting (crushing) action at all.
The storyboard clearly shows the firing of the primary detonator to form the cloud and the final explosion of the air-fuel mixture.
Modern volume explosion ammunition most often consists of a cylinder, the length of which is 2–3 times the diameter, filled with fuel and equipped with a conventional explosive charge. This charge, the mass of which is 1-2% of the weight of the fuel, is located on the axis of the warhead, and undermining it destroys the hull and sprays the fuel, forming an air-fuel mixture. The mixture should be ignited after reaching the size of the cloud for optimal combustion, and not immediately at the beginning of spraying, because at the beginning there is not enough oxygen in the cloud. When the cloud expands to the desired degree, it is undermined by four secondary charges ejected from the tail of the bomb. The delay of their operation is 150 ms or more. The longer the delay, the more likely the cloud will blow away; the smaller, the higher the risk of an incomplete explosion of the mixture due to a lack of oxygen. In addition to explosive, other methods of cloud initiation can be used, for example, chemical: bromine or chlorine trifluoride is sprayed into the cloud, spontaneously igniting upon contact with fuel.
It can be seen from the cinematograms that the explosion of the primary charge located on the axis forms a toroidal cloud of fuel, which means that the ODAB provides the maximum effect with a vertical fall on the target - then the shock wave “spreads” along the ground. The greater the deviation from the vertical, the greater the energy of the wave goes to the useless "shaking" of the air above the targets.
Giant photo flash
But let us return to the post-war years, to experiments with aluminum and magnesium powders. It was found that if the bursting charge is not completely drowned in the mixture, but left open at the ends, then the cloud is practically guaranteed to be ignited from the very beginning of its dispersion. From the point of view of the explosion, this is a marriage, instead of a detonation in a cloud, we get only a zilch - however, a high-temperature one. A shock wave is also formed during such explosive combustion, but much weaker than during detonation. This process is called "thermobaric".
The military used a similar effect long before the appearance of the term itself. During World War II, air reconnaissance successfully used the so-called FOTABs - photographic air bombs stuffed with a crushed aluminum and magnesium alloy. The photo mixture is scattered by the detonator, ignites and burns using atmospheric oxygen. Yes, it doesn’t just burn out - a hundred-kilogram FOTAB-100 creates a flash with a light intensity of more than 2.2 billion candelas with a duration of about 0.15 s! The light is so bright that for a quarter of an hour it blinds not only enemy anti-aircraft gunners - our consultant on super-powerful charges looked at the triggered FOTAB during the day, after which he saw bunnies in his eyes for another three hours. By the way, the technology of photographing is also simplified - the bomb is dropped, the camera shutter is opened, and after a while the whole world is illuminated by a superflash. The quality of the pictures, they say, was no worse than in clear sunny weather.
Heavy-duty ODAB resemble huge barrels with appropriate aerodynamics. In addition, their weight and dimensions make them suitable for bombing only from military transport aircraft that do not have bomb sights. Only the GBU-43 / B, equipped with lattice rudders and a GPS-based guidance system, can hit the target more or less accurately.
But back to the almost useless thermobaric effect. He would have been considered malicious if the question of protection against saboteurs had not arisen. An idea was put forward to surround the protected objects with mines based on thermobaric mixtures, which would burn out all life, but the object would not be damaged. In the early 1980s, the entire military leadership of the country saw the action of thermobaric charges, and almost all branches of the military were eager to have such weapons. For the infantry, the development of jet flamethrowers "Bumblebee" and "Lynx" began, the Main Rocket and Artillery Directorate made an order for the design of thermobaric warheads for multiple launch rocket systems, and the troops of radiation, chemical and biological protection (RHBZ) decided to acquire their own heavy flamethrower system (TOS) Pinocchio.
The mother and father of all bombs
Until recently, the most powerful non-nuclear bomb was considered the American Massive Ordnance Air Blast, or more officially, the GBU-43 / B. But MOAB has another, unofficial, transcript - Mother Of All Bombs ("Mother of all bombs"). The bomb makes a huge impression: its length is 10 m, its diameter is 1 m. Such a bulky ammunition is even supposed to be dropped not from a bomber, but from a transport aircraft, for example, from a C-130 or C-17. Of the 9.5 tons of the mass of this bomb, 8.5 tons is a powerful Australian-made H6 explosive, which includes aluminum powder (1.3 times more powerful than TNT). The radius of guaranteed destruction is about 150 m, although partial destruction is observed at a distance of more than 1.5 km from the epicenter. The GBU-43/B cannot be called a high-precision weapon, but it is guided, as befits a modern weapon, using GPS. By the way, this is the first American bomb to use lattice rudders, widely used in Russian ammunition. MOAB was conceived as a successor to the famous BLU-82 Daisy Cutter and was first tested in March 2003 at a test site in Florida. The military use of such ammunition, according to the Americans themselves, is rather limited - they can only clear large areas of forest plantations. As an anti-personnel or anti-tank weapon, they are not very effective compared to, say, cluster bombs.
But a couple of years ago, then Defense Minister Igor Ivanov voiced our answer: a ten-ton "daddy of all bombs" created using nanotechnology. The technology itself was labeled a military secret, but the whole world was witty about this vacuum nanobomb. Like, during the explosion, thousands and thousands of nano-vacuum cleaners are sprayed, which are in the affected area and suck out all the air to a vacuum. But where is the real nanotechnology in this bomb? As we wrote above, the mixture of modern ODAB includes aluminum. And technologies for the production of aluminum powder for military applications make it possible to obtain powder with a particle size of up to 100 nm. There are nanometers, so there are nanotechnologies.
Volumetric modeling
Recently, with the massive introduction of high-precision bombs, interest in volumetric detonating charges has awakened again, but at a qualitatively new level. Modern guided and corrected air bombs are capable of reaching the target from the desired direction and along a given trajectory. And if fuel is sprayed by an intelligent system capable of changing the density and configuration of the fuel cloud in a given direction, and undermining it at certain points, then we will get a high-explosive charge of directed action of unprecedented power. Grandfather of all bombs.
Ammunition of a volumetric explosion (volume-detonating ammunition, English - fuel-air explosives) - an explosive device, the action of which is based on the detonation of a cloud of an aerosol of a combustible substance. Such a cloud can have a large volume and contain a lot of combustible matter, which provides a large explosion force for a mixture of fuel and air particles. At the same time, the ammunition itself must be compact, so its explosion is carried out in two stages. First, a small explosive charge (BB) is fired, the task of which is to evenly disperse the fuel and create an aerosol cloud. After that, with a short delay (of the order of 0.1 s), the second charge is triggered, which causes the detonation of the aerosol cloud. If the second charge fires too soon, the cloud will not have time to form (there will not be enough oxygen in the aerosol). If it is too late, the cloud may have time to dissipate (especially when the wind is blowing).
Volumetric explosion ammunition is often shaped like a cylinder, the length of which is 2-3 times the diameter. The bursting charge, which should form a cloud, has a mass of several percent of the mass of the fuel and is located along the axis of the cylinder.
The press often uses another name for this type of ammunition - "vacuum bomb", which is explained by the fact that in the area of the explosion, after a sharp increase in pressure, a rarefaction occurs due to the fact that oxygen is consumed during the combustion of fuel. The statement is incorrect, because even though the volume of gases decreases during combustion (reduced to normal conditions), this is compensated by their thermal expansion. Another thing is that during the passage of a blast wave after a sharp increase in pressure, its sharp drop occurs - after all, this is a wave: it has "crests" and "troughs". For a volume explosion bomb, this effect is more pronounced than for "ordinary" bombs filled with, for example, TNT.
Various substances can play the role of fuel: ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, butyl nitrite and propyl nitrite, MAPP (a technical mixture of methyl acetylene, allene [propadiene] and propane). Powders of magnesium and aluminum and aluminum-magnesium alloy are also used. Ethylene or propylene oxides work well, but they are poisonous and unstable - not for warriors. As a result, the military uses mixtures of different types of fuel (for example, light gasoline) and aluminum-magnesium alloy powder in a ratio of 10:1.
And it all started with coal dust ... Which caused numerous explosions in mines, explosions that took many human lives. German engineers tried to reproduce this effect outdoors. But the mixture of air and coal dust, which detonates well in mines, lost this property in open space - the detonation faded. This is not surprising, since the enclosed space and strong walls favor detonation. Studies were carried out, but over time they were abandoned.
Coal dust is far from the only cause of a volumetric explosion in peaceful conditions. Wood and sugar dust explosions can also be devastating. Great damage can also be caused by explosions of natural gas in residential and industrial premises.
However, the idea of using this effect for military purposes was forgotten for a while. Only during the Vietnam War did the Americans begin to use volumetric explosions to fight partisans who were hiding in the tunnels. Instead of coal dust, practical Americans used acetylene, which was supplied from cylinders. The effect was good, but it did not help America win the war. On the other hand, research on volume explosions for military purposes resumed and, in the end, led to the creation of modern volumetric explosion ammunition.
In practice, such ammunition is nowhere near as effective as shown in films or written in the press. A volumetric explosion is dangerous, first of all, in a closed space - in buildings, catacombs, caves, etc. In an open field, it produces more optical effect: fragmentation ammunition with "regular" explosives can be much more deadly.
Often comes across another term "thermobaric ammunition", which is often used as a synonym for the term "explosive explosive ammunition". This is not entirely true: there are differences between them.
Thermobaric charges structurally consist of a central bursting charge (CRC) made of a conventional explosive with a high detonation velocity, around which there is a thermobaric mixture, which is a condensed explosive with a high content of metallic fuel.
The explosion consists of three stages:
1. Undermining the CRH, giving the initial detonation wave. (Duration - microseconds).
2. The detonation wave from the CRH initiates the detonation of the thermobaric mixture, which detonates at a lower rate (anaerobic stage, duration - hundreds of microseconds).
3. Expansion and combustion of the products of the explosion due to the oxygen in the air behind the front of the shock wave. In this case, the shock wave contributes to the mixing and combustion of detonation products due to the surrounding air (aerobic stage, duration - milliseconds or more).
Unlike volumetric detonating charges, thermobaric ones are not limited by an effective mass equal to 20-30 kg, below which the volumetric detonating ammunition ceases to work effectively. This allows you to equip small units up to individual soldiers with thermobaric weapons. Thermobaric munitions are not subject to atmospheric phenomena (for example, the action of wind), in comparison with volumetric detonating ones, because. for the implementation of the explosion does not require time for the formation of a cloud. In addition, the shock wave from the explosion of a thermobaric charge is also capable of flowing into shelters, causing defeat. However, the effectiveness of thermobaric munitions in open areas is relatively low, only in closed and semi-open spaces they show high efficiency due to the intense afterburning of metal particles on reflected shock waves.
In particular, a reactive infantry flamethrower (RPO) "Bumblebee" and a heavy flamethrower system (TOS) "Pinocchio" were developed.
RPO-A Shmel uses the same principle - CRH and a liquid thermobaric mixture based on volatile nitroesters with 40-50% aluminum powder. The mass of CRZ (TG 40/60) is only 10% relative to the mixture.