First, the basics. They have come to be known under many names - enhanced blast weapons, vacuum bombs, or even a 'poor man's nuclear weapon', because of the dramatic impact that they can have upon combatants, especially those in confined spaces. The weapon dates back to World War 2 and were also deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq and even Vietnam. The 'father of all bombs' is Russia's answer to America's powerful MOAB The thermobaric device yields the equivalent of 44 tons of TNT using about seven tons of a new type of high explosive. The bomb called the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast can obliterate everything within a 1,000-yard radius. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. There is a point at which even if a war is deemed legitimate or just violence must not involve weapons that are excessively cruel or inhumane. Fears have risen over the use of thermobaric weapons by Russia after the Ukrainian ambassador to the US said a vacuum bomb another term for the weapon had been used during the invasion. Russian forces dropped a prohibited vacuum bomb on an - Reddit When deployed, thermobaric ordnance is a devastating weapon as it employs oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line. Vladimir Putin's Thermobaric Rockets Damage Internal Organs, What Is Those use various means to create a cloud of burning particles with a wide blast radius and intense fireball. the Father of All Bombs is technically a thermobaric aerosol bomb. Its clear that the Ukrainians are hunkering down in some of the cities as that continues the Russians are going to resort more and more to using whatever weapons they have including thermobaric weapons in built-up urban areas., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Under international humanitarian law, they should not be used. Sebastian Roblin, a military expert, writing for . [74] A total of 254 CBU-72s were dropped by the United States Marine Corps, mostly from A-6Es. With up to thirty missile tubes that can be salvo launched in around fifteen seconds, TOS-1 batteries can cause a staggering degree of destruction within a short time span. Different fuels can be used, including toxic powdered metals and organic matter containing oxidant. Given their use is pretty standard in terms of Russian tactics, Hellyer said he expected to see more thermobaric warfare in Ukraine. [77][29], The TOS-1 system was test fired in Panjshir Valley during the SovietAfghan War in the late 1980s. [63] In the report, it was stated that AGM-114N Hellfire missiles which contained a thermobaric warhead were used by RAF attack drones in Syria. An aerosol bomb. In 2007, Russia tested the FOAB which is a thermobaric bomb with a destruction radius of nearly 1,000 feet and a blast yield of nearly 44 tons of TNT. ", "Better than laser?China's thermobaric bomb reaches 2500 degrees high temperature, once exported, the United States will be miserable? The father of all bombs - will Russia use its super bomb against Russia, which has launched military action against Ukraine, has Father Of All Bombs in its weaponry. Some military observers havecast doubton the bombs capabilities and technical nature, which remain unconfirmed at this point. Thermobaric bombs or vacuum bombs are controversial because they are much more devastating than conventional explosives of similar size. 2023 BBC. Russian-made thermobaric weapons were reportedly used in the Syrian civil war by the regime of Bashar al-Assad. LinkedIn. As a non-nuclear weapon, use of the MOAB does not necessarily require approval by the US president. There are no international laws specifically banning their use, but if a country uses them to target civilian populations in built-up areas, schools or hospitals, then it could be convicted of a war crime under the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907. International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan has said his court will investigate possible war crimes in Ukraine. Thermobaric weapons spread fine carbon metal particles into the air before igniting them. In addition to being thoroughly represented throughout Russias ground forces and air-launched arsenal, many of these systems have seen markedexport successin past years. In 2004, under request of EMAER (Estado Maior da Aeronutica - Military Staff of Aeronautics) and DIRMAB (Diretoria de Material Aeronutico e Blico - Board of Aeronautical and Military Equipment) the IAE (Instituto de Aeronautica e Espao - Institute of Aeronautics and Space) started developing a Thermobaric project called Trocano . Thermobaric weapons are a type of explosive that consumes surrounding oxygen to create a high-temperature explosion within a wide blast radius. Oksana Markarova, Ukraines ambassador to the United States, said Monday that the Russian military had used a vacuum bomb, which sucks oxygen from the air to trigger a huge explosion. [72], Mexico, Switzerland and Sweden presented in 1980 a joint motion to the United Nations to prohibit the use of thermobaric weapons, to no avail. These weapons have been employed in conflicts around the world, particularly over the course of Russias military intervention into the Syrian Civil War. When such a weapon is dropped or launched, the first charge detonates to disperse a . Russia's Father of All Bombs Is No Metaphor - The National Interest The vacuum bomb, which Ukraine says the Russians have used in the invasion, ignites a fireball that sucks in all surrounding oxygen. Cluster munitions were banned under an international convention in 2008. This article is being reprinted due to reader interest. [11] The typical blast wave of a thermobaric weapon lasts significantly longer than that of a conventional explosive. Sebastian Roblin, a military expert, writing for 19fortyfive.com, said: "A TOS-1 rocket barrage will wipe out everything within the 200-by-300m blast zone.". It was first tested in 2003. Mother of all bombs: How powerful is US mega-weapon? - BBC This rarefaction effect has given rise to the misnomer "vacuum bomb". [79], Unconfirmed reports suggest that Russian military forces used ground-delivered thermobaric weapons in the storming of the Russian parliament during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis and during the Battle for Grozny (first and second Chechen Wars) to attack dug-in Chechen fighters. The bombs have been used by Russian and western forces since the 1960s. The BLU-82B/C-130 weapon system, known under program " Commando Vault " and nicknamed "Daisy Cutter" in Vietnam for its ability to flatten a section of forest into a helicopter landing zone, is an American 15,000-pound (6,800 kg) conventional bomb, delivered from either a C-130 or MC-130 transport aircraft or a CH . [23] Further damage can result as the gases cool and pressure drops sharply, leading to a partial vacuum. [54], Iraq was alleged to possess the technology as early as 1990. Ukraine's ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, has also accused Russia of using them in its invasion. Russia's 'Most Terrifying' Weapon Seized By Ukraine; Turns The TOS-1A [67][68], The company BALKAN NOVOTEH Ltd, formed in 2011, provides the Thermobaric hand grenade TG-1 to the market. Thermobaric weapons are a type of explosive that consumes surrounding oxygen to create a high-temperature explosion within a wide blast radius. The Mother of All Bombs- Massive Ordinance Air Blast (MOAB) is different.It's a thermobaric . The British defense ministry said in March 2022 that the weapon system causes "incendiary and blast effects" due to the oxygen required to create the explosion. FOAB's blast radius is said to be 300 metres, twice that of the BLU-82. Another Defense Intelligence Agency document speculates that, because the "shock and pressure waves cause minimal damage to brain tissue it is possible that victims of FAEs are not rendered unconscious by the blast, but instead suffer for several seconds or minutes while they suffocate". Russian forces in Ukraine may have used thermobaric weapons and cluster bombs, according to reports from the Ukraine government and human rights groups. [38][39] The Russian armed forces have developed thermobaric ammunition variants for several of their weapons, such as the TBG-7V thermobaric grenade with a lethality radius of 10m (33ft), which can be launched from a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) RPG-7. Rescue workers with excavation machines search for bodies under the rubble after an airstrike in Idlib, Syria, in 2017. And why should they be banned? Father Of All Bombs can cause damage in a radius of 300 meters. The AGM-114N Hellfire II was first used by US forces in 2003 in Iraq. It is a huge weapon - a 30ft (9m), 21,600lb (9,800kg), GPS-guided munition that is dropped from the cargo doors of an MC-130 transport plane and detonates shortly before it hits the ground. [56] The Spanish Air and Space Force has an undetermined number of BEACs in its inventory. - Most bombs are a mix of "fuel" - to drive the explosion - and an oxidizer that the fuel can burn with. What are thermobaric bombs? And why should they be banned? The result is a sustained high pressure that is extremely effective against people and structures. The RPO-A and either the TGB-7V thermobaric rocket from the RPG-7 or rockets from either the RShG-1 or the RShG-2 is claimed to have been used by the Spetsnaz during the initial storming of the school. A second charge ignites that cloud, creating a fireball, a huge shock wave, and a vacuum as it sucks up all surrounding oxygen. How Does A Daisy Cutter Bomb Work? - On Secret Hunt Has Russia used thermobaric weapons in Ukraine? . The RShG-1 is the more powerful variant, with its warhead having a 10-metre (33ft) lethality radius and producing about the same effect as 6kg (13lb) of TNT. The blast wave generated by these explosives is longer and more intense than traditional bombs. [33] Since the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, the US Marine Corps has introduced a thermobaric "Novel Explosive" (SMAW-NE) round for the Mk 153 SMAW rocket launcher. [36], FAEs were reportedly used against China in the 1969 Sino-Soviet border conflict. The S-13DF's warhead weighs only 32kg (71lb), but its power is equivalent to 40kg (88lb) of TNT. Its kind of like the neutron bomb: There was no prohibition against it, but everybody just realized how horrible it was and they didnt want that, Johnson said. The grenade weighed 250g (8.8oz) and contained 160g (5.6oz) of explosive, its lethality radius is 3m (9.8ft), but due to the deliberate "fragmentation-free" design of the grenade, a distance of 4m (13ft) is considered safe. This lethal non-nuclear bomb explodes mid-air . What is a vacuum bomb? The new weapon Russia has admitted unleashing on . Thermobaric weapons are generally deployed as rockets or bombs, and they work by releasing fuel and explosive charges. Current American FAE munitions include the following: The XM1060 40-mm grenade is a small-arms thermobaric device, which was delivered to US forces in April 2003. Since Afghanistan, research and development has continued, and Russian forces now field a wide array of third-generation FAE warheads,[37] such as the RPO-A. The FOAB was tested in Syria for the time in 2017. Russia has developed its own massive conventional bomb, nicknamed the Father Of All Bombs. The stakes are simply too high to allow these dangers to remain. Those at the fringe are likely to suffer many internal, invisible injuries, including burst eardrums and crushed inner ear organs, severe concussions, ruptured lungs and internal organs, and possibly blindness." The target was said to be a network of tunnels operated by the so-called Islamic State in Achin district. 'A horrible, devastating weapon': Concerns grow over Russia's 'vacuum [44] The RMG's precursor HEAT warhead can penetrate 300mm of reinforced concrete or over 100mm of rolled homogeneous armour, thus allowing the 105mm (4.1in)-diameter thermobaric warhead to detonate inside. The missiles are filled with a highly explosive fuel and chemical mix, which, on exploding can cause supersonic blast waves . What kills is the pressure wave, and more importantly, the subsequent rarefaction [vacuum], which ruptures the lungs. [55], United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research categorizes these weapons as "enhanced blast weapons" and there was pressure to regulate these around 2010, again to no avail.[73]. [64][65], Based on the high-explosive squash head (HESH) round, a 120 mm thermobaric round was developed in the 2010s by the Indian Ministry of Defence. The S-8's 122mm (4.8in) brother, the S-13, has the S-13D and S-13DF thermobaric variants. NUKEMAP by Alex Wellerstein - Restricted Data: The Nuclear Secrecy Blog Most conventional explosives consist . International law says Putin's war against Ukraine is illegal. ", http://www.iae.cta.br/Arquivos/Relatorio_de_atividades_2011.pdf%7Ctitle=Relatorio, "MoD admits use of controversial 'enhanced blast' weapons in Afghanistan", "UK Troops Using Deadly 'Thermobaric' Weapons In Syrian Civil War: Report", "MoD accidentally reveals British drones firing thermobaric missiles in Syria", "120 mm Thermobaric (TB) Ammunition For MBT Arjun | Defence Research and Development Organisation DRDO, Ministry of Defence, Government of India", "120 mm Penetration Cum Blast (PCB) and Thermobaric (TB) Ammunition For MBT Arjun | Defence Research and Development Organisation - DRDO, Ministry of Defence, Government of India", "Fire-power of DRDO's Arjun Tank takes quantum jump with new ammunition: MoD", "Ukraine developed a new thermobaric weapon", "Protecting Civilians from the Effects of Explosive Weapons An Analysis of International Legal and Policy Standards", CBU-72 / BLU-73/B Fuel/Air Explosive (FAE) - Dumb Bombs, "US Uses Bunker-Busting 'Thermobaric' Bomb for First Time", "BLU-118/B Thermobaric Weapon Demonstration / Hard Target Defeat Program", "Fact Sheet: Russia's Use of Thermobaric Weapons in Ukraine", "This Russian Tank-Mounted Rocket Launcher Can Incinerate 8 City Blocks", "Foreign Military Studies Office Publications A 'Crushing' Victory: Fuel-Air Explosives and Grozny 2000", "Russian forces faulted in Beslan school tragedy", Russia: Independent Beslan Investigation Sparks Controversy, Searching for Traces of "Shmel" in Beslan School, A Reversal Over Beslan Only Fuels Speculation, "Russian army deploys its TOS-1 heavy flamethrower capable of vaporizing human bodies near Ukrainian border, footage shows", "Oil depot burns after artillery shelling in Okhtyrka, Sumy Oblast", "Ukraine envoy to U.S. says Russia used a vacuum bomb in its invasion", "Syria rebels say Assad using 'mass-killing weapons' in Aleppo", "Dropping Thermobaric Bombs on Residential Areas in Syria_ Nov. 5. [16][17], A thermobaric bomb's effective yield depends on a combination of a number of factors such as how well the fuel is dispersed, how rapidly it mixes with the surrounding atmosphere and the initiation of the igniter and its position relative to the container of fuel. International humanitarian law stipulates what is and is not permissible during warfare. . This can be launched as a rocket or dropped as a bomb from aircraft. Thermobaric weapons are a type of explosive that consumes surrounding oxygen to create a high-temperature explosion within a wide blast radius. Russia-Ukraine War: Can Putin Use Thermobaric Bomb aka Father Of All Read more: Firas Faham / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images, have been photographed entering the country, voiced by several human rights organizations, used by Russian troops in Chechnya in the 1990s, deployed in 2016 by Syrian government forces and their Russian allies in Aleppo, used thermobaric weapons in Afghanistan in 2017, Russia intensifies attacks in Ukraine as invasion enters seventh day. . . [57], In 1996, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) began development of the PF-97, a portable thermobaric rocket launcher, based on the Soviet RPO-A Shmel. Is climate change killing Australian wine? Thermobaric weapons are generally deployed as rockets or bombs, and they work by releasing fuel and explosive charges. University of Queensland provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU. The use of weapons in indiscriminate attacks those that cannot distinguish between combatants and civilians - is forbidden by the Geneva Conventions. Trocano (toknu) is a thermobaric weapon similar in design to the United States' MOAB weapon or Russia's FOAB. . U.S. Drops 'Mother of All Bombs' on ISIS Caves in Afghanistan The bomb that Russia has is a thermobaric bomb. No. Write an article and join a growing community of more than 163,400 academics and researchers from 4,609 institutions. and Tech. Read more: Sci. . The upper limit has been demonstrated to influence the ignition of fogs above pools of oil strongly. Those at the fringe are likely to suffer many internal, thus invisible injuries, including burst eardrums and crushed inner ear organs, severe concussions, ruptured lungs and internal organs, and possibly blindness. used thermobaric weapons and cluster bombs. Thermobaric weapons are widely considered to be among the most destructive non-nuclear explosives, and for good reason. The United States has used these weapons in Vietnam and in the mountains of Afghanistan. In the 1980s, the Soviet Union developed TOS-1A MLRS capable of firing thermobaric warheads to attack fortified positions and destroy armored vehicles. The potential use of vacuum bombs is of particular concern because these thermobaric munitions are designed to cause immense destruction. Meanwhile, the USSR and its Russian successor found a wide range of uses of thermobaric systems. Russia's TOS-1 Heavy Flamethrower Lobs Brutal Thermobaric - Forbes A second charge then ignites the aerosol fog, creating a huge blast, flames, a large pressure wave and a vacuum as oxygen from the surrounding air is sucked up. When deployed, thermobaric ordnance is a devastating weapon as it employs oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion. Symp. Leonid Faerberg / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images. Capable of firing a barrage of thermobaric 'flamethrower' rockets, the weapon can wipe out everything within a 300-yard radius. They are not illegal even though their effects can be pretty horrific, because of that effect of creating a vacuum and sucking the air out of the lungs of defenders, he said. A thermobaric weapon might be targeted specifically at military installations and personnel, but its effects cannot be contained to one area. If true, this represents an escalation in brutality that should alarm us all. Russia used them in its war in Chechnya in 1999 and was condemned by Human Rights Watch for doing so. [94] Others contend that in 2012 the Syrian government used an ODAB-500 PM bomb in Azaz. Thermobaric bombs are devastating and effective in urban areas or open conditions, and can penetrate bunkers and other underground locations, starving the occupants of oxygen. The accusation adds to mounting concerns voiced by several human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, that Russia is conducting indiscriminate attacks in densely populated civilian areas that could constitute war crimes. You can imagine if this is contained inside an enclosed space nothing would survive inside that space, Johnson said. 19,4 (1976). Thermobaric weapons are generally deployed as rockets or bombs, and they work by releasing fuel and explosive charges. "[62], In 2018, the MoD accidentally divulged the details of General Atomics MQ-9 Reapers utilised by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Syrian civil war, which revealed that the drones were equipped with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. #StandWithUkraine . VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line, Why an Indian comedian is challenging fake news rules. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Watch 2003 footage of the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB) being tested. [19] That weakness may be eliminated by designs in which the fuel is preheated well above its ignition temperature so that its cooling during its dispersion still results in a minimal ignition delay on mixing. [2][3], Thermobaric weapons are almost 100% fuel and as a result are significantly more energetic than conventional explosives of equal weight. Its development followed the use of similar weapons including the BLU-82 Daisy Cutter, a 15,000lb bomb designed in part to flatten a section of forest to carve out a helicopter landing pad. Conventional upper and lower limits of flammability apply to such weapons. Western states, as well as the Soviet Union and latterly Russia, have used them since the 1960s. The use of such weapons, which suck in oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion, has yet to be independently confirmed, though footage from Ukraine has shown thermobaric rocket launchers on Russias TOS-1 vehicles. BLU-82 - Wikipedia Thermobaric munitions can be traced back to World War Two, when they were initially used by the German army. Detonation of the last BLU-82. Hellyer says what we may see in Ukraine is Russia using them in a bunker-buster role to destroy defensive positions. Hellyer said thermobaric weapons were effective at their specific purpose of primarily destroying defensive positions. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, tweeted Saturday that Russia had deployed vehicles with thermobaric weapons. These weapons were first used in the latter years of the Soviet-Aghan War, though the full extent of their destructive potential was revealed during the Second Chechen War. [75][76] The SMAW-NE was used by the US Marines during the First Battle of Fallujah and the Second Battle of Fallujah. The bomb's thin aluminium casing was designed specifically to maximise the blast radius. The TOS-1A uses thermobaric rockets, creating incendiary and blast effects. A thermobaric weapon, also called an aerosol bomb, . (modern), Ukraine's ambassador to US accuses Russia of using a vacuum bomb video. Description. A senior defense official who spoke on the condition of anonymity confirmed that the U.S. assessed that Russia had deployed launcher systems that could be used for thermobaric weapons, but could not confirm whether the warheads were present. The FOAB is a kind of fuel-air bomb, technically known as a thermobaric weapon. What are thermobaric weapons? And why should they be banned? Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, Banana artwork in Seoul museum eaten by visitor, Explosion derails train in Russian border region, NFL player's daughter, aged two, drowns in pool, Indian 'killer' elephant relocated to tiger reserve, Ding becomes China's first male world chess champion. In 2000, Human Rights Watch condemned Russias reported used of the weapons a year earlier in Chechnya as a dangerous escalation with important humanitarian implications. North Korea 'must be well aware' of what else is in the US armoury. The weapons are sometimes nicknamed bunker busters because they can effectively demolish defensive barriers. Victims can be killed by the blast or the accompanying shock wave, and the subsequent vacuum can rupture peoples lungs. Its fireball will cover a 150m (490ft) radius and its lethal zone is a 500m (1,600ft) radius. A TOS-1 blast is twice as powerful as most conventional bomb blasts, and victims close to the blast radius are instantly crushed to death. Such weapons are used for a variety of purposes and come in a range of sizes. The US relied on them in its attempts to eliminate al-Qaida in the mountains in Afghanistan. In 2003, the US tested a 9,800kg bomb, nicknamed the "Mother of all bombs". Father of All Bombs - Wikipedia [55] A prototype was tested successfully in a foreign location out of safety and confidentiality concerns. Russia launches pre-dawn missile attack on Ukraine, Air strikes pound Sudan capital as truce extended, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo dies. The area has been under fire for weeks and dozens of civilian deaths have been confirmed. [59] Research continues on thermobaric weapons capable of reaching 2,500 degrees. [58], China is reported to have other thermobaric weapons, including bombs, grenades and rockets. [45], Other examples include the semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) or millimeter-wave active radar homing guided thermobaric variants of the 9M123 Khrizantema, the 9M133F-1 thermobaric warhead variant of the 9M133 Kornet, and the 9M131F thermobaric warhead variant of the 9K115-2 Metis-M, all of which are anti-tank missiles. Its just a horrible, devastating weapon, said David Johnson, a retired U.S. Army colonel and a principal researcher at the Rand Corporation, a nonprofit policy research organization headquartered in California. In a voluntary capacity, she is currently Co-Chair of ICAN Australia (the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons). [55], Israel was alleged to possess the technology as early as 1990. Johnson said thermobaric munitions are sometimes known as a poor mans nuclear weapon, because they can obliterate any humans in the vicinity. Older thermobaric munitions employ a solid or liquid explosive container and two separate explosive charges. Putin is not the only one to have made threats like this. The FOAB explodes mid-air, combining with atmospheric oxygen to extend the blast radius as it vaporizes targets and collapses structures. But Putins statement goes beyond even these threats. Gases are burnt . (1973). The war in Ukraine is the latest reminder that we must act to eliminate thermobaric, cluster, and nuclear weapons, under strict international control. The blast wave generated by these explosives is . Accusations that Russia may be using thermobaric weapons in Ukraine have raised fears about the potential devastation that could result from attacks with the so-called vacuum bombs. At the time of development, it was said to be the most powerful non-nuclear weapon in the American arsenal. U.S. Marines Test Ultra-Destructive New Artillery Round - Forbes GBU-43/B / "Mother Of All Bombs" / Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb Associate Professor of International Relations, The University of Queensland. What is a thermobaric weapon? - YouTube Russia admits using brutal thermobaric weapons in Ukraine, says UK Thermobaric weapons, or vacuum bombs, are a type of two-stage munition that create enormous explosions.

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