Thermobaric weapon. vacuum bomb. Modern weapons of Russia

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The creation of alternative weapons, comparable in their power to nuclear bombs, is one of the most promising areas of defense departments of advanced countries. The high risks of an ecological catastrophe force us to look for other principles of defeat, which, at the same time, have a massive destructive effect. The ideas of thermobaric and vacuum weapons correspond to these parameters, since they do not involve the creation of radiation exposure. The first tests and even the use of volumetric bombs already took place in the middle of the last century, and today active work is underway to improve them. In recent years, Russian developers have made serious progress in this direction, which makes it possible to create effective thermobaric weapons that are not inferior to Western counterparts.

Volume explosion principle

To understand how a thermobaric bomb works, you can study in detail its composition and chemical reactions occurring at the time of activation. Clearly, the result of the operation of this weapon was repeatedly “demonstrated” at domestic enterprises, when factories and combines with mines for coal mining, sugar processing exploded.raw materials and even in ordinary carpentry workshops. In general, the explosion technique can be thought of as the ignition of accumulated explosive dust that fills the space. Moreover, a gas explosion in ordinary apartments can be put on a par with similar phenomena - this is how a thermobaric bomb works. A weapon of this type forms an aerosol cloud, which subsequently produces a deadly effect.

Differences from nuclear weapons

Large-caliber munitions to ensure the action of a vacuum bomb in terms of power can be compared with tactical nuclear munitions. However, thermobaric bombs do not leave behind a radiation field after being hit. In addition, the large volumes of explosive mixture used in vacuum bombs provide a high degree of negative pressure half-wave. According to this indicator, nuclear weapons, the defeat of which is also concentrated on the radiation effect, lose to their thermobaric counterparts.

In addition to the shock wave, during the explosion of volumetric bombs, a high level and burnout of oxygen is noted. Such an explosion does not form a vacuum in the zone of action - this factor determines the ambiguous attitude of specialists towards positioning volumetric explosions as vacuum ones.

Power Potential of Vacuum Bombs

In terms of their power, vacuum bombs are not inferior to advanced samples and modifications of traditional weapons of mass destruction. Warheads in such systems are capable of generating shock waves, in which the overpressure index is on the order of3000 kPa. If we talk about how the principle of a vacuum bomb differs from the action of thermobaric analogues, then it is important to note the creation of an almost airless environment after the explosion. Such a difference in pressure is capable of tearing apart everything that is at the epicenter: structures, equipment, technical means, people, etc.

Explosive stuffing

The warheads used in thermobaric bombs do not use solid components. They were replaced by gaseous substances, which provide a shock wave, which is several times greater than the explosion of a nuclear bomb equipped with ultra-small charges. The following substances are used as a combustible filling:

• varieties of combustible gases;
• hydrocarbon-based fuel evaporation products;
• other combustible substances ground to fine dust.

In some cases, atmospheric air is also required to activate the warhead. Despite a number of advantages over nuclear bombs, this powerful weapon does not require such serious investments and labor to obtain the optimal composition.

Detonation principle

An explosion is created after fire is fed into the gaseous filling. At the same time, the consumption of components is several times less than required for high-explosive bombs of similar power. When the charge reaches the desired height, the finished mixture is sprayed. When the gas cloud reaches the optimal size, the detonator is activated. Then a volumetric explosion is realized, which also entails a shock wave. It is noteworthy that the second blow from the air flow is more powerful than the first - this happens after the vacuum has been formed.

Defeat factors

The damaging effect of ammunition depends on the fireball formed during the explosion. When using a vacuum weapon, a thermal effect in an open area, as a rule, occurs directly in the attacked area with a lethal outcome (burn effect) at a distance that is determined by the parameters of the fireball. In this respect, the explosion of a nuclear bomb is not so effective, since it provides for a less intense impact after the implementation (of course, not to mention the effect of radiation). The area in which fatal injuries from a shock wave are inevitable usually exceeds the radius of thermal damage. Nevertheless, it is quite natural that the decrease in the effectiveness of the impact force is proportional to the increase in the distance from the epicenter of the explosion. Reduced pressure also reduces lethal injuries.

Use in confined spaces

The vacuum bomb demonstrates the greatest efficiency in conditions of limited space. The force of the shock wave, supplemented by the defeat of the fireball, is able to overcome corners and go where fragments cannot spread. Personal protective equipment, various barriers and barricades, not to mention walls, can act as an obstacle to traditional bombs, while thermobaric weapons bypass such barriers. Moreover, the strength of the action is enhanced when reflection occurs.waves from surfaces. Another thing is that the effect of defeat may vary depending on various factors.

Thus, in a confined space, the destructive effect of a bomb increases due to the growing pressure of the shock wave. Therefore, it is advisable to use such weapons when hitting bunkers, caves, fortifications and other closed objects.

Aviation vacuum bombs

The concept of vacuum warheads currently shows the highest results in the class of aerial bombs. Such devices assume the following design: the nasal region contains a high-tech sensor that serves to activate and spread the combustible mixture. The explosive cloud formation process begins immediately after the electromagnetic device is reset. The aerosol activated in this way passes into the state of a gas-air substance, which subsequently explodes after a set time.

Russian samples of thermobaric weapons

Today, the thermobaric arsenal of Russian troops (except for prototype bombs) includes the Shmel rocket flamethrower, TBG-7 grenades, the Kornet missile system, and RSHG-1 rockets.

Pinocchio heavy flamethrower system deserves special attention. This is a mixture of a tank and a multiple rocket launcher. The action is implemented according to the same principle of spraying and explosion of a combustible mixture, during which a shock wave is also formed. Although the activation of the explosive filling in this complex is incomparable withthe potential that thermobaric weapons with other combustible substances have (3000 versus 9000 m / s), its quality and the result of the defeat justify this shortcoming. Compared to analogues, the flamethrower system operates with a larger radius and decays more slowly.

Pinocchio filling includes liquid and light metal (combination of propyl nitrate and magnesium powder). During the flight of the projectile, the substances are mixed to a homogeneous state, which ultimately ensures the creation of an air-gas mixture.

Improvement of nuclear weapons

Despite the desire of the world community to take measures to control and reduce the overall nuclear potential, the significance of these weapons is still relevant.

Future directions are mainly focused on the neural impact that affects living organisms. Also, experts are exploring the possibility of using gamma radiation, which eliminates the need to ensure the processes of nuclear fission. For example, hafnium nuclei can make a powerful bomb, which at the same time will have a miniature size. Such a high power potential is achieved due to the fact that at the moment of the explosion the particles are in a high-energy state - for comparison, in terms of combat power, 1 gram of hafnium in an optimally charged state is equivalent to tens of kilograms of trinitrotoluene.

The family of modern nuclear weapons includes kinetic, X-ray and microwave laser systems. They also use nuclear pumping, expanding the ways and scope ofdefeat.

Means of protection

The development of nuclear potentials in a number of countries, coupled with the improvement of their characteristics and the increase in their damaging effect, necessitates the creation of more advanced protective systems. This part of the work takes into account the principles by which new bombs are created, as well as the effects of destruction. For example, the use of neutron fluxes, the parameters of gamma and electromagnetic radiation are taken into account. New means of detecting explosions, devices for measuring and controlling the background radiation, methods for deactivating and preventing neuronal radiation are being developed.

At the same time, work on improving the quality of collective and individual security equipment does not stop. This is especially true for protection against chemical weapons. Depending on the characteristics of poisonous substances, methods of disinfection and subsequent treatment of the area are developed in order to maintain environmental safety. High-tech lethal weapons pose more complex challenges. For example, there are problems in organizing measures to ensure the safety of industrial complexes from high-precision weapons. In this regard, the main emphasis is on masking objects and minimizing the possibility of their declassification.

Modern weapons

At the moment, there are different areas of military development to create fundamentally new approaches to combat operations. Among them are acoustic, beam, laser weapons, as well as other concepts of high-tech devices that can affect the human body, overcoming concrete and metalbarriers.

Among the promising concepts can be noted accelerating deadly weapons, which feature is the special preparation of particles by acceleration, which will expand the scope of its application. This is one of the projects designed not only for use within the atmosphere, but also in outer space. Prototypes of such devices may be tested for commissioning in the coming years.

Electromagnetic weapons should also be included in the same category with high-precision weapons. Their action is also aimed at eliminating specific objects, as a rule, the enemy's energy complex. Along with this, they can also be used as a weapon against a person, causing painful effects.

Conclusion

In recent decades, nuclear weapons have been perceived by mankind as the most terrible. This is true, and only careful control, coupled with containment measures, excludes even the theoretical possibility of a global catastrophe as a result of its application. In this regard, a thermobaric weapon, which can rightfully be considered the most powerful non-nuclear weapon of destruction, becomes a more real tool of force.

The concept of volumetric explosions is also used in small arms, and due to its effective action in confined spaces, it becomes an unsurpassed assistant in special operations, on the principles of which tactical actions are built in modern conflicts. Of course newdevelopments are not limited to this direction - neural, laser, electromagnetic and ultrasonic weapon prototypes will undoubtedly change the idea of tactical actions on the battlefield in the coming years. In terms of technological military progress, Russia is not inferior to Western competitors, covering all advanced areas and developing defense mechanisms adequate to the new time.