The most powerful and dangerous bombs in the world
Many people in the world know about the Japanese cities that were hit by nuclear bombs in 1945, and they also know the consequences of those explosions. In August, 1945, Japan was forced to capitulate, which was preceded by two powerful nuclear explosions - in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Bombs on the Japanese dropped the American troops.
A bomb was dropped over Hiroshima, which is known as the “Kid”. The Little Boy was dropped from a B-29 Enola Gay bomber. The weight of the bomb was about 9 thousand pounds, and power - 20 CT. The nuclear charge consisted of several parts of uranium of near-critical mass, which were placed at the ends of the pipe. When detonation occurred, one part of the charge was sharply approaching the other. This made the mass of uranium supercritical, followed by a nuclear explosion.
A bomb dropped on Nagasaki, known as the Fat Man. In Fat Man, an implosive charge was used, that is, the explosion was directed inwards when the plutonium ball was compressed by a spherical blast wave, resulting in a critical mass. The weight of the explosive charge reached 2,3 tons, which was almost half the total weight of the bomb. The size of the ammunition was determined by the size of the bomb compartment and was in diameter 1520 mm and had a length 3250 mm. The total weight of the Fat Man was 4,68 t.
However, this bomb was developed in a big hurry, so later a large number of flaws were identified. So, in particular, the trajectory of "Fat Man" was almost impossible to predict, because even in the case of perfect aiming from 10 km altitude, the deviation from the target was up to 300 m. In addition, lead batteries in a charged state could serve only 9 days, with every three day required recharging. The disassembly and assembly of the projectile was a very dangerous and time-consuming process, which required up to 50 people and up to 76 hours of time to complete. In total, 120 produced such bombs, but in 1950, they were removed from service.
The consequences of those explosions were terrible: immediately after the explosions and over the next month, more than 80 thousands of people died. It was struck by a huge area, so far remaining almost empty. As a result, Hiroshima and Nagasaki became symbols of the fight against atomic danger.
The most powerful hydrogen bomb, which is also called the thermonuclear one, is a Soviet-made AN602 bomb, which received the unofficial names "Tsar-Bomb" and "Kuzkina Mother". This projectile was much more powerful than the atomic bomb. The mass of ammunition was 24 t, it had a length of 8 m and a diameter of 2 m. The development of the bomb continued throughout 1945-1961's. In TNT equivalent, its power was 59 Mt, although initially it was planned to create a projectile with a capacity of 100 Mt.
“Kuz'kinu Mother” was tested in 1961 in the air above Novaya Zemlya at an altitude of 4 km. For testing, a Tu-95-B aircraft was specially built, since none of the existing air vehicles at that time could cope with this kind of task. The explosion was felt by all the inhabitants of the planet, since the shock wave after the explosion three times rounded the Earth.
Nothing remained on the island after the explosion, and in the settlements that were located 4 hundreds of kilometers from the explosion, all wooden buildings were completely destroyed and the roofs were demolished. At the site of the explosion, a mushroom grew, whose height was 67 km, and the diameter of the cap reached 95 km. The radius of the epicenter of the bomb explosion was 4 km 600 m.
Some experts are confident that it was the Tsar Bomb tests that prompted the leaders of many countries to sign an agreement on the cessation of nuclear testing. weapons in the atmosphere, space and under water, as well as the emergence of restrictions on the power of nuclear weapons.
The most powerful non-nuclear weapon in the world is the so-called volumetric explosion ammunition, or aviation high-power vacuum bomb. The ammunition is made in Russia and has the informal name “Dad of all bombs” by analogy with the American name for GBU-43 / B “Mom of all bombs” - this is the thermobaric bomb AVBPM. In such a projectile, propylene or ethylene oxide having a boiling point of about 11 degrees is used as fuel. During detonation of the charge, an aerosol cloud forms, reacting with oxygen, resulting in an explosion. 30 vacuum bombs can destroy all life in a radius of more than two thousand meters.
The AVBPM Russian thermobaric bomb was developed in 2007, its weight is 7,1 t, and the power of the explosion reaches 44 t. By its destructive power, this ammunition is comparable to tactical nuclear weapons, but at the same time, its power is only 0,3 percent of the American “Baby” power. ". There is no specific data regarding the AVBPM, since this project is classified in Russia.
It should be noted that currently in Russia bombs of the FAB type are in high demand. So, in 1976, the high-explosive heat-resistant bomb FAB-500T was adopted, which was created specifically for the MiG-25РБ bomber. The total weight of the ammunition is 530 kg, the explosive mass in TNT is 256 kg. The length of the bomb reaches 247 cm and has a diameter 40 cm.
When falling from a height of 20 km, the projectile flies 40 km by inertia, leaving a funnel in the ground with a diameter of 4,5 m and a depth of 2,5 m. Fragments fly to 870 m in radius. In the event that the blast is slowed down, the diameter of the funnel reaches 22,5 m and the depth is 13 m. At the same time, the radius of scattering of the fragments reaches 430 m.
In addition to this bomb, more powerful and durable bombs are also being used in the Russian army, in particular, FAB-250TC / 500TC. These are high-explosive thick-walled bombs, the body of which is made of high-quality alloy steel. Bombs of this type were used in Afghanistan for the destruction of caves and rock shelters.
There is another high-explosive aerial bomb on the armament of the Russian army - FAB-9000 M-54. This is a high-explosive projectile of large caliber, which is designed for action on large land and sea targets.
In the USA, another fairly powerful ammunition has been developed - the BLU-82 free-fall bomb Daisy Cutter, better known as the Big Blue 2. This ammunition was part of the complex BLU-82 / MC-130H Commando Vault. This projectile is designed to destroy enemy personnel and create corridors in minefields. A bomb was used during the Vietnam War to clear helicopter pads in the jungle. During the years of the Afghan war, it was used in the mountainous areas to fight the Taliban.
The weight of the bomb reached 6,8 t, length - 5,73 m, diameter - 1,56 m.
The ammunition is equipped with a pin fuse M904, the length of which was 1,24 m, so that its high power did not go to the formation of a huge funnel. The projectile is filled with GSX explosive, which contains aluminum powder, ammonium nitrate DBA-22M and a polystyrene binder gel. The detonation pressure is 73 kg per cm square. The bomb was dropped from the transport plane MC-130H Combat Talon. The minimum discharge height is 1800 m.
With the advent of the new millennium, no one has produced free-falling bombs. They were replaced by guided, adjustable and planning bombs that can be aimed at a target using certain physical principles. Such ammunition is also called "smart bombs." It should be noted that the first adjustable projectiles were far from perfect. They were aimed at the target with the help of a radio signal, and soon the enemy began to fight them using radio silencers.
Currently, CABs are aimed at the target in several ways: laser, radar, infrared, radio command, television, satellite. In this case, the deviation from the target ranges from 2-3 to several tens of meters. At the same time, compared with free-fall bombs, these munitions hit the target much more accurately. In addition, they are dropped from a height of more than 60 km, so bombers do not need to enter the enemy air defense zone.
"Smart bombs" are in service with many countries of the world. The first such type of bombs were used by the Germans during the Second World War (BV.246 HAGELKORN, FX-1400 FRITZ X). Then the Americans began to use them. The armed forces of the United States are about dozens of brands of adjustable bombs. In the 2002 year, they began the development of a high explosive ordnance GBU-43 / B. Unofficially, he received the name "Mom of all bombs." The only bomb was sent to Iraq, but it was never used.
The length of the ammunition is more than 9 m, in diameter it reaches 1 m, while the total weight is equal to 9840 kg, the weight of the warhead is 8480 kg. The hit range of the GBU-43 / B reaches 65 km. Before the advent of the Russian AVBPM, it was considered the largest non-nuclear bomb in the world.
The explosion force of the MOAB is quite enough to destroy the enemy’s manpower and Tanks within a few hundred meters and demoralize the troops who survived the explosion.
In the US, armed forces are armed JDAM bombs, which, in essence, are cheap kits for upgrading BLU-111, BLU-110, BLU-117, BLU-109, BLU-116 free-fall bombs into precision-guided missiles produced using an inertial navigation system with correction from the GPS satellite navigation system. Such bombs can be used in all weather conditions.
For the first time, aerial bombs of this type were used in Yugoslavia in the year 1999 during the operation “Decisive force”. The first combat experience of use proved successful, and during the war in Iraq, 6,5 had already used thousands of such shells.
The rework system for unguided bombs is quite simple and consists in installing a universal control unit with an inertial control system and control aerodynamic surfaces.
Currently, there are several models of US UAB type GBU. So, one of the most powerful models of this type is the bomb GBU-31. The total weight of this ammunition is 893 kg, the weight of the warhead is 428 kg, the length is 4 m, and the diameter of 45 is cm.
In Russia, until recently, there were no analogues to American guided bombs. But not so long ago began the development of adjustable bombs KAB-500С with inertial-satellite guidance system. Its main purpose is to defeat surface and land stationary targets (bunkers, warehouses, military industrial facilities, protected command and control centers, warships). The combat part of the projectile concrete, which will give the opportunity to use it to defeat highly protected targets.
The bomb guidance system is based on the GLONASS / Navstar PSN-24, a specialized 2001-channel transceiver of satellite navigation systems. The length of the KAB-500С is 3 m, the diameter is 40 cm, the total weight is 500 kg, the weight of the warhead is 380 kg.
"Smart bombs" are in service with Israel. So, in particular, a Griffin adjustable bombshell was created in 1990. It has a laser guidance system. In fact, it is a similar American modernization kit for free-fall air bombs in controlled ones. This ammunition is designed to defeat fortifications, command posts, bridges, bunkers, ships and air defense systems. Targeting is carried out using onboard equipment, as well as using an external system. On the basis of the Griffin was created adjustable bomb Guillotine. The main purpose of its creation was to provide the Israeli army with bombs with increased accuracy and increased range. This is a modernized laser-guided kit that is designed to be installed on the Mk.82 and Mk.83 bombs, which have a large number of weapons in the Israeli army. The range of Guillotine is 30 km.
Such shells can be stored for up to 10 years with minimal maintenance.
In addition to these, there are a huge number of other bombs in the world.
It should be noted that 1945 was relatively little known about the bombs. Meanwhile, powerful bombs existed before. So, in particular, we are talking about phosphorus bombs. For the first time, phosphorus munitions began to be used at the end of the nineteenth century in Ireland. Later, phosphorus began to be used in artillery, aircraft, mines and hand grenades. In 1916, grenades with white phosphorus appeared in England.
In hostilities, the Vietnamese were the first to use phosphorus bombs, as a result of which several thousand soldiers died with painful death of their skin and lungs. White phosphorus munitions became particularly popular during World War II. The Germans were armed with the Brand C 250 A bombshell weighing 185 kg, in which the weight of white phosphorus was 65 kg.
Later such ammunition was used by Israel and America. For example, US troops used phosphorus shells in 2003 and 2004 in Iraq during the attack on Baghdad and in the battle for Fallujah. The Israelis used such ammunition during the second Lebanese war in 2006. The Israeli army then used phosphorus bombs in the Gaza Strip in 2009, during Operation Cast Lead. Then mainly shells with white phosphorus of caliber 155 mm were used.
The bombs acted very simply: reacting with oxygen, phosphorus ignites and reaches a huge combustion temperature (up to 800 degrees). The territory of defeat reached several hundred square meters. Despite the seeming non-danger of a bomb, in fact it is not. The fact is that white phosphorus is very poisonous, and the lethal dose for an adult is only 0,05 - 0,1. An explosion of a phosphorus bomb can cause painful heavy injuries and lead to painful death. Currently their use is limited.
Dangerous bombs from depleted uranium are also dangerous. Initially, depleted uranium was considered to be production waste, but later began to be used for the production of ammunition. Uranium has a very high density, due to which projectiles filled with it show a higher armor-piercing efficiency compared to conventional ones. The first such bombs were used by American troops in 1991 during the war in Iraq. A total of about 14 thousands of bombs were used. Later it turned out that those American soldiers who had at least something to do with the projectile had serious health problems, and in those territories that were bombed with uranium bombs, the number of cancer diseases sharply increased. In addition, it was found that depleted uranium can cause mental disorders, lymphoma, deformities in subsequent generations.
Depleted uranium ammunition was also used during the NATO war against Yugoslavia, which resulted in a scandal. In 2001, many soldiers from European countries who served in Yugoslavia died of cancer, and leukemia was also diagnosed. In the media, these cases became known as the “Balkan syndrome”.
Mostly depleted uranium was used in 30 mm ammunition for the GAU-8 A-10 cannon, as well as for the Mark 15 Phalanx CIWS artillery complex. Currently, such ammunition is partially prohibited.
No less dangerous and cluster bombs. The Germans were the first to manufacture and use them in 1939 for the bombing of Poland. Externally, the projectile resembled an ordinary aerial bomb, but inside it was a large number of small projectiles. When a bomb is dropped, a bursting projectile is triggered, which scatters content around the vicinity. Later, Americans were actively engaged in the development of cluster bombs. As a result, CBU type cluster munitions appeared. In this series, the most powerful is the bomb CBU-97 (analogue - CBU-105). The length of such ammunition reaches 2,34 m, diameter - 41 cm, and the total weight - 420 kg. F-15, F-16, A-10, B-2, B-52 are used as carrier aircraft.
American troops used cluster munitions in almost all of their military campaigns. The results of their use were impressive, but at the same time one of their features was revealed - in addition to a very wide affected area, such bombs do not have accurate guidance and do not explode immediately, automatically turning into anti-personnel mines.
The military came to the conclusion that cluster bombs pose a great danger to civilians. In 2010, cluster weapons were banned, although neither Russia, nor America, nor China signed this document.
However, despite all the technical characteristics of the above bombs, still the most dangerous bomb in the world still exists only in theory. This is the so-called “dirty” nuclear cobalt bomb, the main purpose of which is to maximize the radioactive contamination of the surface.
A cobalt bomb is, in fact, a hypothetical modification of existing nuclear weapons, which can cause severe radioactive contamination of a terrain with relatively small explosive damage.
The principle of operation of such a bomb is to create the maximum amount of a radioactive substance and spray it on the largest possible area. From a technical point of view, a cobalt bomb is a classic nuclear weapon, which uses a cobalt instead of a uranium shell. After the explosion, cobalt is irradiated with a large dose of neutrons, and enters the state of the radioactive isotope Co-60. After the decomposition is complete, cobalt turns into radioactive nickel, which, over a long period of time, emits gamma rays that are harmful to living organisms. Thus, life in places of defeat by such a bomb becomes impossible for decades.
All bombs differ in their characteristics, have different goals and applications, but they all share one thing: they are all very dangerous, however, like any other weapon. And if one cannot do without its use, then one would like to hope that they will resort to it only in exceptional cases.
Materials used:
http://svpressa.ru/post/article/107971/?rintr=1
http://rufor.org/showthread.php?t=10261
http://www.airwar.ru/weapon/ab/blu82.html
http://nlo-mir.ru/kataclizm/24455-samye-moschnye-vzryvy-v-istorii-chelovechestva.html
http://vpk-news.ru/articles/575
http://www.uznayvse.ru/interesting-facts/samyie-moschnyie-bombyi-v-mire.html
A bomb was dropped over Hiroshima, which is known as the “Kid”. The Little Boy was dropped from a B-29 Enola Gay bomber. The weight of the bomb was about 9 thousand pounds, and power - 20 CT. The nuclear charge consisted of several parts of uranium of near-critical mass, which were placed at the ends of the pipe. When detonation occurred, one part of the charge was sharply approaching the other. This made the mass of uranium supercritical, followed by a nuclear explosion.
A bomb dropped on Nagasaki, known as the Fat Man. In Fat Man, an implosive charge was used, that is, the explosion was directed inwards when the plutonium ball was compressed by a spherical blast wave, resulting in a critical mass. The weight of the explosive charge reached 2,3 tons, which was almost half the total weight of the bomb. The size of the ammunition was determined by the size of the bomb compartment and was in diameter 1520 mm and had a length 3250 mm. The total weight of the Fat Man was 4,68 t.
However, this bomb was developed in a big hurry, so later a large number of flaws were identified. So, in particular, the trajectory of "Fat Man" was almost impossible to predict, because even in the case of perfect aiming from 10 km altitude, the deviation from the target was up to 300 m. In addition, lead batteries in a charged state could serve only 9 days, with every three day required recharging. The disassembly and assembly of the projectile was a very dangerous and time-consuming process, which required up to 50 people and up to 76 hours of time to complete. In total, 120 produced such bombs, but in 1950, they were removed from service.
The consequences of those explosions were terrible: immediately after the explosions and over the next month, more than 80 thousands of people died. It was struck by a huge area, so far remaining almost empty. As a result, Hiroshima and Nagasaki became symbols of the fight against atomic danger.
The most powerful hydrogen bomb, which is also called the thermonuclear one, is a Soviet-made AN602 bomb, which received the unofficial names "Tsar-Bomb" and "Kuzkina Mother". This projectile was much more powerful than the atomic bomb. The mass of ammunition was 24 t, it had a length of 8 m and a diameter of 2 m. The development of the bomb continued throughout 1945-1961's. In TNT equivalent, its power was 59 Mt, although initially it was planned to create a projectile with a capacity of 100 Mt.
“Kuz'kinu Mother” was tested in 1961 in the air above Novaya Zemlya at an altitude of 4 km. For testing, a Tu-95-B aircraft was specially built, since none of the existing air vehicles at that time could cope with this kind of task. The explosion was felt by all the inhabitants of the planet, since the shock wave after the explosion three times rounded the Earth.
Nothing remained on the island after the explosion, and in the settlements that were located 4 hundreds of kilometers from the explosion, all wooden buildings were completely destroyed and the roofs were demolished. At the site of the explosion, a mushroom grew, whose height was 67 km, and the diameter of the cap reached 95 km. The radius of the epicenter of the bomb explosion was 4 km 600 m.
Some experts are confident that it was the Tsar Bomb tests that prompted the leaders of many countries to sign an agreement on the cessation of nuclear testing. weapons in the atmosphere, space and under water, as well as the emergence of restrictions on the power of nuclear weapons.
The most powerful non-nuclear weapon in the world is the so-called volumetric explosion ammunition, or aviation high-power vacuum bomb. The ammunition is made in Russia and has the informal name “Dad of all bombs” by analogy with the American name for GBU-43 / B “Mom of all bombs” - this is the thermobaric bomb AVBPM. In such a projectile, propylene or ethylene oxide having a boiling point of about 11 degrees is used as fuel. During detonation of the charge, an aerosol cloud forms, reacting with oxygen, resulting in an explosion. 30 vacuum bombs can destroy all life in a radius of more than two thousand meters.
The AVBPM Russian thermobaric bomb was developed in 2007, its weight is 7,1 t, and the power of the explosion reaches 44 t. By its destructive power, this ammunition is comparable to tactical nuclear weapons, but at the same time, its power is only 0,3 percent of the American “Baby” power. ". There is no specific data regarding the AVBPM, since this project is classified in Russia.
It should be noted that currently in Russia bombs of the FAB type are in high demand. So, in 1976, the high-explosive heat-resistant bomb FAB-500T was adopted, which was created specifically for the MiG-25РБ bomber. The total weight of the ammunition is 530 kg, the explosive mass in TNT is 256 kg. The length of the bomb reaches 247 cm and has a diameter 40 cm.
When falling from a height of 20 km, the projectile flies 40 km by inertia, leaving a funnel in the ground with a diameter of 4,5 m and a depth of 2,5 m. Fragments fly to 870 m in radius. In the event that the blast is slowed down, the diameter of the funnel reaches 22,5 m and the depth is 13 m. At the same time, the radius of scattering of the fragments reaches 430 m.
In addition to this bomb, more powerful and durable bombs are also being used in the Russian army, in particular, FAB-250TC / 500TC. These are high-explosive thick-walled bombs, the body of which is made of high-quality alloy steel. Bombs of this type were used in Afghanistan for the destruction of caves and rock shelters.
There is another high-explosive aerial bomb on the armament of the Russian army - FAB-9000 M-54. This is a high-explosive projectile of large caliber, which is designed for action on large land and sea targets.
In the USA, another fairly powerful ammunition has been developed - the BLU-82 free-fall bomb Daisy Cutter, better known as the Big Blue 2. This ammunition was part of the complex BLU-82 / MC-130H Commando Vault. This projectile is designed to destroy enemy personnel and create corridors in minefields. A bomb was used during the Vietnam War to clear helicopter pads in the jungle. During the years of the Afghan war, it was used in the mountainous areas to fight the Taliban.
The weight of the bomb reached 6,8 t, length - 5,73 m, diameter - 1,56 m.
The ammunition is equipped with a pin fuse M904, the length of which was 1,24 m, so that its high power did not go to the formation of a huge funnel. The projectile is filled with GSX explosive, which contains aluminum powder, ammonium nitrate DBA-22M and a polystyrene binder gel. The detonation pressure is 73 kg per cm square. The bomb was dropped from the transport plane MC-130H Combat Talon. The minimum discharge height is 1800 m.
With the advent of the new millennium, no one has produced free-falling bombs. They were replaced by guided, adjustable and planning bombs that can be aimed at a target using certain physical principles. Such ammunition is also called "smart bombs." It should be noted that the first adjustable projectiles were far from perfect. They were aimed at the target with the help of a radio signal, and soon the enemy began to fight them using radio silencers.
Currently, CABs are aimed at the target in several ways: laser, radar, infrared, radio command, television, satellite. In this case, the deviation from the target ranges from 2-3 to several tens of meters. At the same time, compared with free-fall bombs, these munitions hit the target much more accurately. In addition, they are dropped from a height of more than 60 km, so bombers do not need to enter the enemy air defense zone.
"Smart bombs" are in service with many countries of the world. The first such type of bombs were used by the Germans during the Second World War (BV.246 HAGELKORN, FX-1400 FRITZ X). Then the Americans began to use them. The armed forces of the United States are about dozens of brands of adjustable bombs. In the 2002 year, they began the development of a high explosive ordnance GBU-43 / B. Unofficially, he received the name "Mom of all bombs." The only bomb was sent to Iraq, but it was never used.
The length of the ammunition is more than 9 m, in diameter it reaches 1 m, while the total weight is equal to 9840 kg, the weight of the warhead is 8480 kg. The hit range of the GBU-43 / B reaches 65 km. Before the advent of the Russian AVBPM, it was considered the largest non-nuclear bomb in the world.
The explosion force of the MOAB is quite enough to destroy the enemy’s manpower and Tanks within a few hundred meters and demoralize the troops who survived the explosion.
In the US, armed forces are armed JDAM bombs, which, in essence, are cheap kits for upgrading BLU-111, BLU-110, BLU-117, BLU-109, BLU-116 free-fall bombs into precision-guided missiles produced using an inertial navigation system with correction from the GPS satellite navigation system. Such bombs can be used in all weather conditions.
For the first time, aerial bombs of this type were used in Yugoslavia in the year 1999 during the operation “Decisive force”. The first combat experience of use proved successful, and during the war in Iraq, 6,5 had already used thousands of such shells.
The rework system for unguided bombs is quite simple and consists in installing a universal control unit with an inertial control system and control aerodynamic surfaces.
Currently, there are several models of US UAB type GBU. So, one of the most powerful models of this type is the bomb GBU-31. The total weight of this ammunition is 893 kg, the weight of the warhead is 428 kg, the length is 4 m, and the diameter of 45 is cm.
In Russia, until recently, there were no analogues to American guided bombs. But not so long ago began the development of adjustable bombs KAB-500С with inertial-satellite guidance system. Its main purpose is to defeat surface and land stationary targets (bunkers, warehouses, military industrial facilities, protected command and control centers, warships). The combat part of the projectile concrete, which will give the opportunity to use it to defeat highly protected targets.
The bomb guidance system is based on the GLONASS / Navstar PSN-24, a specialized 2001-channel transceiver of satellite navigation systems. The length of the KAB-500С is 3 m, the diameter is 40 cm, the total weight is 500 kg, the weight of the warhead is 380 kg.
"Smart bombs" are in service with Israel. So, in particular, a Griffin adjustable bombshell was created in 1990. It has a laser guidance system. In fact, it is a similar American modernization kit for free-fall air bombs in controlled ones. This ammunition is designed to defeat fortifications, command posts, bridges, bunkers, ships and air defense systems. Targeting is carried out using onboard equipment, as well as using an external system. On the basis of the Griffin was created adjustable bomb Guillotine. The main purpose of its creation was to provide the Israeli army with bombs with increased accuracy and increased range. This is a modernized laser-guided kit that is designed to be installed on the Mk.82 and Mk.83 bombs, which have a large number of weapons in the Israeli army. The range of Guillotine is 30 km.
Such shells can be stored for up to 10 years with minimal maintenance.
In addition to these, there are a huge number of other bombs in the world.
It should be noted that 1945 was relatively little known about the bombs. Meanwhile, powerful bombs existed before. So, in particular, we are talking about phosphorus bombs. For the first time, phosphorus munitions began to be used at the end of the nineteenth century in Ireland. Later, phosphorus began to be used in artillery, aircraft, mines and hand grenades. In 1916, grenades with white phosphorus appeared in England.
In hostilities, the Vietnamese were the first to use phosphorus bombs, as a result of which several thousand soldiers died with painful death of their skin and lungs. White phosphorus munitions became particularly popular during World War II. The Germans were armed with the Brand C 250 A bombshell weighing 185 kg, in which the weight of white phosphorus was 65 kg.
Later such ammunition was used by Israel and America. For example, US troops used phosphorus shells in 2003 and 2004 in Iraq during the attack on Baghdad and in the battle for Fallujah. The Israelis used such ammunition during the second Lebanese war in 2006. The Israeli army then used phosphorus bombs in the Gaza Strip in 2009, during Operation Cast Lead. Then mainly shells with white phosphorus of caliber 155 mm were used.
The bombs acted very simply: reacting with oxygen, phosphorus ignites and reaches a huge combustion temperature (up to 800 degrees). The territory of defeat reached several hundred square meters. Despite the seeming non-danger of a bomb, in fact it is not. The fact is that white phosphorus is very poisonous, and the lethal dose for an adult is only 0,05 - 0,1. An explosion of a phosphorus bomb can cause painful heavy injuries and lead to painful death. Currently their use is limited.
Dangerous bombs from depleted uranium are also dangerous. Initially, depleted uranium was considered to be production waste, but later began to be used for the production of ammunition. Uranium has a very high density, due to which projectiles filled with it show a higher armor-piercing efficiency compared to conventional ones. The first such bombs were used by American troops in 1991 during the war in Iraq. A total of about 14 thousands of bombs were used. Later it turned out that those American soldiers who had at least something to do with the projectile had serious health problems, and in those territories that were bombed with uranium bombs, the number of cancer diseases sharply increased. In addition, it was found that depleted uranium can cause mental disorders, lymphoma, deformities in subsequent generations.
Depleted uranium ammunition was also used during the NATO war against Yugoslavia, which resulted in a scandal. In 2001, many soldiers from European countries who served in Yugoslavia died of cancer, and leukemia was also diagnosed. In the media, these cases became known as the “Balkan syndrome”.
Mostly depleted uranium was used in 30 mm ammunition for the GAU-8 A-10 cannon, as well as for the Mark 15 Phalanx CIWS artillery complex. Currently, such ammunition is partially prohibited.
No less dangerous and cluster bombs. The Germans were the first to manufacture and use them in 1939 for the bombing of Poland. Externally, the projectile resembled an ordinary aerial bomb, but inside it was a large number of small projectiles. When a bomb is dropped, a bursting projectile is triggered, which scatters content around the vicinity. Later, Americans were actively engaged in the development of cluster bombs. As a result, CBU type cluster munitions appeared. In this series, the most powerful is the bomb CBU-97 (analogue - CBU-105). The length of such ammunition reaches 2,34 m, diameter - 41 cm, and the total weight - 420 kg. F-15, F-16, A-10, B-2, B-52 are used as carrier aircraft.
American troops used cluster munitions in almost all of their military campaigns. The results of their use were impressive, but at the same time one of their features was revealed - in addition to a very wide affected area, such bombs do not have accurate guidance and do not explode immediately, automatically turning into anti-personnel mines.
The military came to the conclusion that cluster bombs pose a great danger to civilians. In 2010, cluster weapons were banned, although neither Russia, nor America, nor China signed this document.
However, despite all the technical characteristics of the above bombs, still the most dangerous bomb in the world still exists only in theory. This is the so-called “dirty” nuclear cobalt bomb, the main purpose of which is to maximize the radioactive contamination of the surface.
A cobalt bomb is, in fact, a hypothetical modification of existing nuclear weapons, which can cause severe radioactive contamination of a terrain with relatively small explosive damage.
The principle of operation of such a bomb is to create the maximum amount of a radioactive substance and spray it on the largest possible area. From a technical point of view, a cobalt bomb is a classic nuclear weapon, which uses a cobalt instead of a uranium shell. After the explosion, cobalt is irradiated with a large dose of neutrons, and enters the state of the radioactive isotope Co-60. After the decomposition is complete, cobalt turns into radioactive nickel, which, over a long period of time, emits gamma rays that are harmful to living organisms. Thus, life in places of defeat by such a bomb becomes impossible for decades.
All bombs differ in their characteristics, have different goals and applications, but they all share one thing: they are all very dangerous, however, like any other weapon. And if one cannot do without its use, then one would like to hope that they will resort to it only in exceptional cases.
Materials used:
http://svpressa.ru/post/article/107971/?rintr=1
http://rufor.org/showthread.php?t=10261
http://www.airwar.ru/weapon/ab/blu82.html
http://nlo-mir.ru/kataclizm/24455-samye-moschnye-vzryvy-v-istorii-chelovechestva.html
http://vpk-news.ru/articles/575
http://www.uznayvse.ru/interesting-facts/samyie-moschnyie-bombyi-v-mire.html
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