For the accumulation of manpower of nationalists: volumetric detonating bomb ODAB-500
ODAB-500PM Russian army
infernal machines
Volumetric detonating ammunition (ODB) is quite rightly attributed to the last step of the conventional weapons - only tactical nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles are higher in lethal power. It is no coincidence that in 1976 the UN declared such weapons "an inhumane means of warfare, causing undue suffering to people." This does not prevent the leading world powers from thoroughly arming themselves with such cunning combat systems. A little about the specifics of the action of volumetric detonating weapons, which some amateurs also call vacuum ammunition.
The main lethal arguments are the blast wave and thermal radiation. The fragmentation field is formed insignificant and mainly consists of secondary fragments that come across in the path of the blast wave. Despite the fact that some call ODB an inhumane weapon, a small amount of fragments during the explosion allows you to work on targets located near settlements.
To call bombs and rockets of a volumetric explosion a high-precision weapon does not turn the tongue, but the area of destruction is really limited to several tens of meters. There are no fragments of ammunition flying hundreds of meters, which means that non-combatants who accidentally find themselves near the explosion will only be shocked.
For reference, standard high-explosive fragmentation ammunition throws fragments of the projectile body at a speed of up to 1 m / s at a distance of 500 km or more. And this is a completely indiscriminate weapon - a person can stay alive, being 1-10 meters from the explosion, or he can die from a random fragment at a distance of 20-500 meters. In general, the question of the humanity of the ODB is not yet closed.
ODB is convenient to work on the enemy, located in the immediate vicinity of the trenches of their own forces. By the way, trenches and dugouts do not protect against volumetric detonation at all, unlike high-explosive fragmentation ammunition. In addition, the fragmentation field of the projectile is formed extremely unevenly - for the greatest efficiency, the ammunition must enter the ground vertically down, and this is very difficult.
The most powerful shock wave from the OBD explosion flows into trenches, crevices of dugouts and other fortifications. And if an aerosol cloud managed to slip into the room or shelter before the explosion, then the ammunition will arrange a real hell there. As mentioned above, first of all, the human body suffers from a shock wave and thermal effects. Particularly susceptible are air-saturated organs - the intestines, lungs, respiratory and auditory canals, which are simply torn from the shock wave.
This is the so-called pressure explosion effect. A powerful shock wave is generally an extremely fatal substance. Tissues, due to their different density, elasticity and strength, react differently to pressure, which causes displacement of organs and rupture of the integument. It is also important to remember the inevitable combustion of oxygen at the epicenter of the ODB explosion. This is especially dangerous in a confined space - survivors of the detonation will inevitably suffer from asphyxia (suffocation).
To date, there is no accurate data on all the consequences of the impact of the ODB explosion. There was simply no suitable testing ground for this. It is only known that barotrauma causes pathologies at the neurological and biochemical levels. There is no doubt about the nature of the thermal effect, suffice it to say that in the affected area the temperature can vary from 1 to 200 degrees. They do not save, or rather, they even harm, when meeting with the ODB, bulletproof vests. Heavy plates, which should protect against fragments, increase the effect of the blast wave, and also additionally injure a person thrown by the explosion.
Experience of application
Initially, ODB was planned to be used as a demining tool. The first in this case in 1969 were the Americans with the CBU-55 / B cluster bomb, which made passages in minefields and cleared thickets for a helicopter landing. Each cassette consisted of three BLU-73 ammunition filled with 32,6 kg of liquid ethylene oxide. The bomb created an aerosol cloud on the surface with a diameter of up to 17 meters and a height of up to 3 meters. Each ammunition was equipped with a parachute - a helicopter or carrier aircraft had to leave a sufficient distance from the infernal machine.
In addition, parachutes reduced the speed of barrels with liquid explosives to the required 33 m / s. After the explosion, a platform with a diameter of 30 meters was cleared, which was later used either for the passage of infantry or for landing a helicopter. There were no survivors in the affected area, and those who were lucky enough to observe the explosion at a safe distance were in a state of deep psychological shock.
Often, powerful ODBs are confused with tactical nuclear weapons. This happened during Desert Storm, when, in front of the eyes of British special forces, the Americans fired a volumetric detonating bomb at the location of Iraqi troops. The fighters broke radio silence and started talking live about a nuclear attack by the allied forces. Russia also has spectacular cases of using ODB.
Footage of the alleged use of ODAB-500 in Syria. Source: youtube.com
As far as we know, this technique is not yet used in Ukraine. For reference, TOS "Solntsepyok" and "Pinocchio" work on targets not with ODB, but with thermobaric ammunition, and this is a slightly different weapon. But more about that another time.
Let's get back to the experience of using domestic explosive munitions. The most famous was the main character of the story - the ODAB-500PM bomb, dropped on a cluster of Chechen fighters in the Dagestan village of Tando in 1999.
In mountainous conditions, the ODB manifests itself in all its glory - the shock wave is amplified by multiple reflections from rocks, focuses in gorges and flows into all shelters. After the strike, little was left of the terrorists, and the survivors for a long time passed from mouth to mouth stories about the terrible power of the ODAB-500. This is how the term "Tando effect" was born - panic when a single Su-25 appeared over terrorist nests in villages.
Series ODAB-500
Now about the main character of today's story - volume-detonating aviation bomb ODAB-500, which is known in four modifications: the classic ODAB-500 and improved ODAB-500P, ODAB-500PM and ODAB-500PMV. The bomb was developed at the Bazalt National Research and Production Enterprise and was put into service in the late 80s. Purpose of ammunition according to the instructions:
As with any ODB, the Russian bomb has its limitations. For example, a bomb cannot work normally in water and underground, as well as in hurricane winds and heavy rain. However, the last restrictions are rather theoretical - aviation is not used in such weather conditions.
Series ODAB-500 in various versions. Author - Vitaly Kuzmin
ODAB-500 is a thin-walled bomb filled with ethylene oxide - this is the main fuel of the ammunition. Ammunition diameter - 450 mm, length - 2 mm, stabilizer span - 385 mm, weight - 685 kg. In this case, the TNT equivalent reaches one ton. The bomb can be dropped by both attack aircraft and helicopters. Application heights - from 500 to 200 meters. From maximum heights, only the most modern FDA modification, which is somewhat longer than the earlier versions, can be used.
The bomb consists of a container for filling with fuel (ODAB-500P is filled with piperylene), a parachute in the tail and a radio altimeter, or a leader on a leash, in the head. Ammunition with two explosive charges. The first is necessary for spraying liquid fuel, and the second for undermining the resulting aerosol.
The scenario for using the ODAB-500 series is quite simple. After being ejected from the carrier, the bomb flies in free flight for some time, and a parachute opens at an altitude of 30–50 meters. Then a radio altimeter (on the latest modifications) or a leader thrown forward comes into play. At a height of 7–9 meters, this entire system touches the surface and gives an impulse to detonate a charge that sprays an energy carrier or bomb fuel. So far, only spraying, no detonation. In 100–140 ms, the contents of the ODAB are mixed with an oxidizing agent, that is, atmospheric oxygen, and are undermined by an initiating secondary charge located in the tail of the bomb, next to the parachute.
This is the so-called two-stroke principle of operation of volumetric detonating ammunition. The first step is fuel atomization, the second is the explosion of the resulting mixture with air. The cloud of the air-fuel mixture has a disk-like shape, therefore, after detonation, the shock wave diverges from the center of the explosion mainly to the sides, increasing the effectiveness of the bomb.
At the moment, the ODAB-500 series is the only domestic two-stroke volume explosion ammunition. With the exception of the yet unnamed heavy-duty bomb, which received the unofficial name ODAB-9000. This "father of all bombs" was shown in action for the first time on September 11, 2007 on the central Russian television.
The bomb itself, which looked more like a barrel or a gas cylinder, was shown briefly, but they demonstrated an impressive explosion at the training ground. The carrier of the ammunition was the T-160. Only a specialist can distinguish between a superbomb explosion and a nuclear strike. According to estimates from open sources, the TNT equivalent of the ammunition is at least 44 tons of TNT. Since then, nothing has been known about the bomb.
Russia, as you know, has not yet started “nothing seriously” in Ukraine - it is quite likely that volumetric detonating bombs will be included in the pool of serious arguments of the allied forces.
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