What types of bombs exist. The most powerful bomb in the world. Which bomb is stronger: vacuum or thermonuclear? What is a bomb
atomic weapons rightly considered not only the most terrible, but also the most majestic invention of mankind. So much destructive power is hidden in it that not only all kinds of life, but also any, even the strongest structures, are swept away from the face of planet Earth by a blast wave. Only in Russian military depots nuclear weapons so much that its simultaneous undermining can lead to the destruction of our planet.
And this is not surprising because Russian reserves are in second place after the American ones. Representatives such as "Kuzkin's Mother" and "Tsar Bomba" are assigned the title of the most powerful weapon of all time. The TOP 10 lists nuclear bombs around the world that have or have had greatest potential. Some of them were used, causing irreparable harm to the ecology of the planet.
10th place. Little boy (Kid) with a capacity of 18 kilotons
This bomb was the first to be used not at the test site, but in real conditions. Its use has big influence to end the war between America and Japan. From the explosion of Little boy in the city of Hiroshima, one hundred and forty of its inhabitants were killed. This bomb was three meters long and seventy centimeters in diameter. The height of the nuclear pillar formed after the explosion was more than six kilometers. This city remains uninhabited to this day.
9th place. Fat Man (Fat Man) - 21 kilotons
This was the name of the second bomb dropped by an American plane on the city of Nagasaki. The victims of this explosion were eighty thousand citizens who died immediately, despite the fact that another thirty-five thousand people became victims of exposure. This bomb is still the most powerful weapon in the history of mankind, the use of which was carried out to achieve military goals.
8th place. Trinity (Thing) - 21 kilotons
Trinity owns the palm among the nuclear bombs exploded in order to study reactions and ongoing processes. The shock wave of the explosion lifted a cloud to a height of eleven kilometers. The impression that was received by scientists who observed the first nuclear explosion in the history of man, they called stunning. Clouds of smoke white color in the form of a pillar, whose diameter reached two kilometers, they rapidly rose up, where they formed a hat in the form of a mushroom.
7th place. Baker (Baker) - 23 kilotons
Baker - this was the name of one of the three bombs that took part in the operation under code name Crossroads ("Crossroads"), which was held in 1946. During the test, the consequences of the explosion of atomic shells were studied. Animals and ships were used as test subjects. sea class. The explosion was carried out at a depth of twenty-seven kilometers. As a result, about two million tons of water were displaced, which led to the formation of a pillar more than half a kilometer high. Baker triggered the world's first nuclear disaster. The radioactivity of the island of Bikini, which was chosen for testing, has reached such a level that it has become impossible to live on it. Until 2010, it was considered completely uninhabited.
6th place Rhea - 955 kilotons
Rhea is the most powerful atomic bomb, which was tested by France in 1971. The explosion of this projectile was carried out on the territory of the Mururoa Atoll, used as a testing ground for nuclear explosions. By 1998, over 200 nuclear projectiles had been tested there.
5th place. Castle Romeo - 11 megatons
Castle Romeo belongs to the category of one of the most powerful nuclear explosions carried out by America. The order to start the operation was signed on March 27, 1954. A barge was brought into the open ocean to carry out the explosion, as there were fears that an island located nearby could be destroyed by a bomb explosion. It was assumed that the explosion power would not exceed four megatons, but in fact it was equal to eleven megatons. During the investigation, it was revealed that the reason for this was the use of cheap material used as thermonuclear fuel.
4th place. Mike device - 12 megatons
Initially, Mike's device (Evie Mike) had no value and was used as an experimental bomb. The nuclear cloud from its explosion rose thirty-seven kilometers, and the cap of the cloud reached 161 kilometers in diameter. Strength nuclear wave estimated at twelve megatons. This power turned out to be quite enough for the complete destruction of all the islands of Elugelab, on which the tests were carried out. Where they were, a funnel formed, reaching a diameter of two kilometers. Its depth was fifty meters. The distance over which the fragments that carried the radioactive contamination scattered was fifty kilometers, if you count from the epicenter.
3rd place. Castle Yankee - 13.5 megatons
The second most powerful explosion carried out by American scientists was the explosion of Castle Yankee. Preliminary calculations made it possible to assume that the power of the device could not exceed ten megatons, in terms of TNT equivalent. But the actual force of the explosion was thirteen and a half megatons. The leg of the nuclear mushroom stretched for forty kilometers, and the hat for sixteen. four days the radiation cloud was enough to reach the city of Mexico City, the distance to which from the explosion site was eleven thousand kilometers.
2nd place. Castle Bravo (TX-21 Shrimp) - 15 megatons
The Americans did not test a more powerful bomb than Castle Bravo. The operation was carried out in 1954 and entailed irreversible consequences for the environment. As a result of a fifteen mega-ton explosion, a very strong radiation contamination occurred. Hundreds of people who lived in the Marshall Islands were exposed to radiation. The length of the nuclear fungus leg reached forty kilometers, and the hat stretched for a hundred kilometers. As a result of the explosion, seabed a huge funnel was formed, the diameter of which reached two kilometers. The consequences provoked by the tests forced the introduction of restrictions on operations in which nuclear projectiles were used.
1 place. Tsar bomb (AN602) - 58 megatons
There was not and is not more powerful than the Soviet Tsar Bomba in the whole world. The length of the projectile reached eight meters, and the diameter - two. In 1961, the explosion of this projectile was carried out on an archipelago called New Earth. According to the original plans, the capacity of AN602 was to be one hundred megatons. However, scientists, fearing the global destructive power of such a charge, decided to stop at fifty-eight megatons. The Tsar Bomba was activated at an altitude of four kilometers. The consequences of this shocked everyone. The fiery cloud reached ten kilometers in diameter. The length of the “leg” of the nuclear fungus was about 67 km, and the diameter of the cap covered 97 km. A very real danger threatened even the lives of people living at a distance of less than 400 kilometers. Echoes of a powerful sound wave were heard at a distance of a thousand kilometers. The surface of the island on which the tests were carried out became absolutely flat without protrusions and any buildings on it. The seismic wave managed to go around the Earth three times, allowing each of its inhabitants to feel the full power carried by nuclear weapons. The result of this test was that representatives of more than a hundred countries signed an agreement prohibiting this type of test. It does not matter what medium is chosen for this - earth, water or atmosphere.
Everyone knows about the two Japanese cities that were dropped nuclear bombs, as well as the consequences of these explosions. It is interesting to learn about the creation and testing of the most powerful hydrogen bomb.
Bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
In September 1945, Japan capitulated, the Second World War. This was preceded by two nuclear explosion- On August 6, 1945, American bombers dropped bombs first on Hiroshima, and just three days later on Nagasaki.It is known that in Hiroshima about 140 thousand people died from the explosion and the consequences of the bombing. The bomb dropped on Hiroshima was called "Baby". The Fat Man bomb fell on the city of Nagasaki, killing 80,000 people.
According to the United States, it was these explosions that led to the speedy end of the war. Since then, there have been no more cases of the use of nuclear weapons.
The size of the "Kid" bomb is seventy centimeters in diameter, its length is three meters and twenty centimeters. "Kid" weighed four tons, and its capacity reached from 13 to 18 kilotons of TNT. After the explosion, the smoke over Hiroshima rose to a height of twenty thousand feet.
The length of the Fat Man bomb is three meters twenty-five centimeters, and the diameter is one meter fifty-four centimeters. The weight of this bomb exceeded the weight of the "Kid" by six hundred kilograms. The power of the explosion in the city of Nagasaki is the same as in Hiroshima, in TNT equivalent it is 21 kilotons.
As a result of two explosions, a huge territory was struck, which remains empty to this day. The two affected cities are now symbols of the nuclear tragedy and the fight against nuclear danger.
The most powerful non-nuclear bombs
The Cold War is over, but work on new types of weapons does not stop. Now scientists are busy creating non-nuclear types of bombs. GBU-43 / B - this is the official name of the most powerful American non-nuclear bomb. She has another name - "Mom of all bombs." Its weight is 9.5 tons, length is 10 meters, and diameter is 1 meter. This bomb was first made in 2002. In TNT equivalent, explosive power is 11 tons. 
Even more powerful weapon was created in Russia - this is an aviation vacuum bomb. Her second name is "The Pope of All Bombs". In TNT equivalent, explosive power is 44 tons.
Hydrogen bombs are the most powerful weapon
Hydrogen or thermo nuclear bomb has similar damaging factors, as a nuclear bomb, but significantly exceeds its power. Work on its creation was carried out in parallel by scientists in several countries at once, including the USSR, the USA and Germany. Research began just before World War II. 
The first tests were carried out by the Americans on November 1, 1952 on the Enewetok Atoll, a year later, on August 12, 1953 in the USSR, at the test site in Semipalatinsk, it was blown up H-bomb domestic production.
The most powerful hydrogen bomb
The largest bomb today is considered to be the AN602 bomb, which was given the name "Kuzkin's mother" and "Tsar Bomba". The dimensions of the Tsar Bomba are: length - 8 meters, diameter - 2 meters, weight - 24 tons, explosive power - 58 megatons of TNT. Developments were carried out in 1945 to 1961 by a group of nuclear physicists under the leadership of Academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences I. V. Kurchatov. 
She was tested on October 30, 1961 at the test site of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. The explosion was made in the air at a distance of 4000 meters above Novaya Zemlya. None of the aircraft existing at that time could cope with this task, therefore, the Tu 95-V aircraft was built specifically for the production of the explosion. The diameter of the fireball was more than nine kilometers. The blow could be felt by all the inhabitants of the planet, since the seismic wave formed as a result of the explosion circled the Earth three times.
The consequences of this explosion were more than impressive - not a single hill remained on the surface of the island, the surface became even as a skating rink. In the village, which was located at a distance of four hundred kilometers from the epicenter, all wooden buildings and stone houses were left without roofs.
The mushroom that grew at the site of the explosion reached a height of 60-67 km, and the diameter of its cap was approximately 95 km. The impact radius of the bomb is impressive - it is 4600 m. It is scary to imagine what kind of destruction the use of this "giant" could lead to Soviet Union, if the explosion was made against one of the countries.
It is believed that the tests of this bomb prompted many countries to sign an agreement on the cessation of nuclear weapons tests under water, in space and the atmosphere, and there were also restrictions on the power of nuclear weapons being created. The treaty was signed by one hundred and ten countries.
Not only weapons can be dangerous, but nature itself. For example, there is a whole rating of the most dangerous animals..
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The arsenal in the Ichni region was blown up by saboteurs. This was announced on Wednesday, October 10, by Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak at a government meeting.
"What happened? In our opinion, the fact that the explosions took place in such a way that first there was a bang, then a glow, after that two pops and explosions of ammunition, indicates that the laying of ammunition to undermine our storage facilities is likely. Why didn't we manage to save it? Not enough there was perimeter equipment. The second position: we can securely store our stocks only when we build reliable reinforced concrete structures," he said.
Poltorak stressed that the explosions of ammunition began in different places.
"Almost all respondents personnel reported that the first explosions were at 3:20. They were simultaneous at three storages at once. After that, at 03:45 there were six more explosions at different storage facilities, and this happened around the entire perimeter - along different angles and in the center," the minister said.
The Minister of Defense stressed that the security measures at the arsenal were observed at a sufficient level.
"A full-time category battalion has been allocated at this arsenal, a company has been staffed to provide protection, a cynological service has been introduced, funds have been placed electronic warfare to suppress drones and work was carried out to equip weapons storage areas. At the time of the explosion, there were two people at each post: one serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and one representative of the paramilitary guards. In addition, there was the chief of the guard, the assistant chief and a reserve of 10 people. Along the perimeter, at a distance of up to 3 km, there were 12 people in different types clothes," he said.
Recall, Minister Poltorak also said that at the time of the emergency, although it is designed for 127 thousand tons. But for last years almost half of the reserves were relocated to other arsenals.
"Its area is 680 hectares. The security perimeter is 8 km 200 meters. It has 112 storage facilities, 40% of which are open areas," he said.
2. Main bomb sizes in comparison
- 1: FAB-100
- 2: FAB-250
- 3: FAB-250-M46
- 4: OFAB-250
- 5: FAB-500M54
- 6: FAB-500
- 7: FAB-500-M62
- 8: FAB-5000
Models and types of bombs
Intertype types of bombs
Intertype bomb types are types of bombs that can have traits for all types of bombs.
- Assault - bombs with a deployable braking parachute, which provides low-altitude bombing, without the risk of damaging your aircraft with shrapnel and eliminates the possibility of ricochet by slowing down) providing high precision bombing. It also provides a greater spread of fragments for FAB and OFAB, since the bomb falls with a large angle. Assault bombs can be built-in or attached.
- Heat-resistant - Bombs having a heat-shielding design or heat-shielding shell are designed for suspension on high-altitude supersonic interceptors, such as the MiG-25 and MiG-31.
high explosive
High-explosive air bombs are air bombs, the main damaging effect of which is the action of a landmine. They have the most powerful and versatile damaging effect among the main purpose air bombs. The mass of explosives in the bomb is approximately 50%, and the bomb also has a relatively strong body for penetrating into the ground or into obstacles such as interfloor ceilings of buildings and structures.
The main damaging effects
- Gaseous explosion products with a large overpressure
- Shock waves in air or ground and seismic waves
- Fragments when crushing the bomb body
Basic goals
- Objects of rear and communications
- Military-industrial and energy facilities
- Combat vehicles
- living force
Modern FAB general purpose have a mass of 250 kg or more. They can take several forms:
- Blunt - designed for the most effective placement inside the fuselage. A discharge is provided at near- and subsonic speeds and at an altitude of up to 15-16 km.
- Large elongation - I have a streamlined head part, designed mainly for aircraft with external suspension, including supersonic ones. They have less drag and are more stable.
- Thick-walled - Designed for action on especially strong targets. They are distinguished by a more massive and durable head part, a large body thickness, and the absence of a head point for a fuse and an ignition cup.
| high explosive | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbreviation | Image | Diameter | Length | bomb weight | Mass of explosives | Notes | |||||||
| FAB-50CK | 219 | 936 | 60 | 25 | Forged | ||||||||
| FAB-100 | 267 | 964 | 100 | 70 | |||||||||
| FAB-250 |  |
285 | 1589 | 250 | 99 | ||||||||
| FAB-250-M54 | 325 | 1795 | 268 | 97 | |||||||||
| FAB-250-M62 |  |
300 | 1924 | 227 | 100 | ||||||||
| FAB-250TS | 300 | 1500 | 256 | 61,4 | Thick-walled, Armor penetration 1m | ||||||||
| FAB-250SHL | 325 | 1965 | 266 | 137 | |||||||||
| FAB-500 |  |
392 | 2142 | 500 | 213 | ||||||||
| FAB-500T | 400 | 2425 | 477 | 191 | heat resistant | ||||||||
| FAB-500-M54 |  |
450 | 1790 | 528 | 201 | ||||||||
| FAB-500-M62 | 400 | 2425 | 500 | 200 | |||||||||
| FAB-500SHN | 450 | 2190 | 513 | 221 | Assault low-altitude | ||||||||
| FAB-500SHL | 450 | 2220 | 515 | 221 | Assault, surface explosion | ||||||||
| FAB-1000 | - | - | - | - | |||||||||
| FAB-1500 | 580 | 3000 | 1400 | 1200 | |||||||||
| FAB-1500T |  |
- | - | 1488 | 870 TE | heat resistant | |||||||
| FAB-1500-2500TS |  |
- | - | 2151 | 436 TE | Thick-walled, armor penetration 2500mm | |||||||
| FAB-1500-M54 |  |
- | - | 1550 | 675,6 | ||||||||
| FAB-2000 | - | - | - | - | |||||||||
| FAB-3000 | - | - | 3067 | 1387 | |||||||||
| FAB-3000-M46 | - | - | 3000 | 1400 | |||||||||
| FAB-3000-M54 |  |
- | - | 3067 | 1200 | ||||||||
| FAB-5000 |  |
642 | 3107 | 4900 | 2207 | ||||||||
| FAB-5000-M54 |  |
- | - | 5247 | 2210,6 | ||||||||
| FAB-9000-M54 |  |
- | - | 9407 | 4297 | ||||||||
Schematic diagram OFAB Detonator Explosive Frame
High-explosive fragmentation
OFAB - a high-explosive fragmentation bomb is a conventional high-explosive bomb, but with less explosive filling of about 30-35%, and by special means organized crushing of the hull as a sawtooth inner side body or a system of longitudinal and transverse grooves.
Basic goals
- Objects of military equipment and weapons
- Military industrial facilities
- living force
| High-explosive fragmentation | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbreviation | Image | Diameter | Length | bomb weight | Mass of explosives | Notes | |||||||
| OFAB-100-120 | 273 | 1300 | 133 | 42 | |||||||||
| OFAB-250T | 300 | 2050 | 239 | 92 | heat resistant | ||||||||
| OFAB-250SHL | 325 | 1991 | 266 | 92 | Assault, surface explosion | ||||||||
| OFAB-250-270 | 325 | 1456 | 266 | 97 | |||||||||
| OFAB-250SHN | 325 | 1966 | 268 | 93 | Assault low-altitude | ||||||||
| OFAB-500U | 400 | 2300 | 515 | 159 | Universal | ||||||||
| OFAB-500SHR | 450 | 2500 | 509 | 125 | Assault, with multiple warheads | ||||||||
Concrete-piercing and anti-submarine
BetAB - concrete-piercing aerial bomb. Designed for effective destruction of reinforced concrete shelters and runways. Structurally divided into 2 types:
- Free fall - designed for bombing with high altitudes. Structurally close to thick-walled high-explosive bombs.
- With a parachute and a jet booster - designed for bombing from any heights. The bomb tilts up to 60 ° due to the parachute, the parachute comes unfastened and the rocket booster is turned on.
PLAB - anti-submarine bomb. Designed to Defeat submarines. They may have different designs. Large caliber bombs usually have a proximity fuse and hit the target with a high-explosive action at a distance. Small caliber bombs are usually used as part of cartridges and have a contact fuse and a cumulative bomb design.
| Concrete-piercing and anti-submarine | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbreviation | Image | Diameter | Length | bomb weight | Mass of explosives | Notes | |||||||
| BetAB-500 | 350 | 2200 | 477 | 76 | |||||||||
| BetAB-500SHP | 325 | 2500 | 380 | 77 | Assault, with a jet booster | ||||||||
| BetAB-500U | 450 | 2480 | 510 | 45 TE | |||||||||
| PLAB-250-120 | 240 | 1500 | 123 | 61 | |||||||||
Incendiary and Volumetric Detonating
ZAB - Incendiary aerial bomb. Designed to destroy manpower and military equipment with fire. The caliber of incendiary bombs does not exceed 500 kg. Structurally, incendiary bombs are divided into 2 types:
- with pyrotechnic incendiary composition- used in all bombs less than 100 kg, and some with a caliber of more than 100. The pyrotechnic composition is usually thermite with a binder. The housing usually consists of a combustible metal electron.
- With a viscous fire mixture - used for bombs with a caliber from 100 to 500 kg. A fire mixture is organic combustible substances thickened to a viscous state with special substances. The fire mixture in a thickened state is crushed during the explosion into large pieces, which burn for several minutes at a temperature of about 1000 ° C. The design of the bomb also includes a cartridge with phosphorus and a small explosive charge, after detonation, phosphorus spontaneously ignites in air and ignites the fire mixture.
- FZAB - high-explosive incendiary aerial bomb. They are a combination of FAB and ZAB in one case. When the bomb is triggered, the incendiary part detonates first, and then the high-explosive part.
- ZB - incendiary tank. They are ZAB in a thin-walled case without a stabilizer and without a bursting explosive charge. Scattering and crushing is carried out by means of a water hammer that occurs when it hits an obstacle. They can only be used effectively from low altitudes.
ODAB - volumetric detonating bomb. Provides greater efficiency in terms of manpower and vulnerable equipment than FAB. When it encounters an obstacle, a dispersing charge is triggered, the hull is destroyed, fuel is crushed and scattered. The fuel evaporates and mixes with air to form a cloud of air-fuel mixture. After the time necessary for the formation of a cloud of sufficient size, the secondary detonating explosive charge undermines the air-fuel mixture.
| Incendiary and Volumetric Detonating | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbreviation | Image | Diameter | Length | bomb weight | Mass of explosives | Notes | |||||||
| ZAB-100-105 | 273 | 1065 | 106,9 | 28,5 | |||||||||
| ZAB-250-200 | 325 | 1500 | 202 | 60 | |||||||||
| ZB-500SHM | 500 | 2500 | 317 | 260 | |||||||||
| ZB-500GD | 500 | 2500 | 270-340 | 218-290 | |||||||||
| FZAB-500M | 400 | 2500 | 500 | 86+49 | |||||||||
| OFZAB-500 | 450 | 2500 | 500 | 250 | |||||||||
| ODAB-500PM |  |
500 | 2280 | 520 | 193 | ||||||||
| AVBPM |  |
- | - | 7100 | |||||||||
Cassette
RBC - one-time bomb cassettes. It is a thin-walled aerial bombs designed for the use of small-caliber aerial bombs. The name consists of the abbreviated name and type of equipment. Some RBCs come with a removable fairing that allows you to effectively install the RBC on aircraft with both external suspension and internal weapons bay. RBCs are divided into two types according to the method of dispersing combat elements:
- Obturator type - they have in their design a rigidly fixed obturator disk, which, after actuation remote fuse and ignition of the expelling charge under the action of powder gases, it is separated from the glass and moves inside the bomb body together with the central tube around which small bombs are placed. The tail cone is separated, and the combat elements go beyond the cassette.
- With a central igniter-explosive charge - the design of the bomb has a central perforated pipe with an VRZ and a weakened side section closed by a bar. When the fuse is triggered, the VRZ is initiated. The resulting gases destroy the bomb body along the cross section and scatter the bombs, while achieving a large area of dispersion of the bombs.
KMGU is a small cargo container. Designed for transportation and release of BKF with submunitions. Himself KMSU during combat use is located on the pylon of the aircraft and is not dropped. Structurally, KMGU is a streamlined hull with controlled doors, compartments for BKF suspension and automation that allows you to adjust the interval for dropping blocks.
Submunitions bomb clusters
The submunitions used for cluster bombs are relatively small caliber bombs. Due to the specifics of their use, in addition to the types of bombs described above, there are also specialized bombs currently used mainly only in bomb cassettes and KMGU.
AO, OAB - fragmentation aerial bomb. Air bombs whose main action is fragments of the hull. Bomb caliber ranges from 0.5 to 50 kg. They are designed to defeat manpower, non- and lightly armored vehicles. Old bombs have a cylindrical body with a rigid stabilizer to provide irregular crushing, modern bombs have a spherical or hemispherical design, a folding stabilizer, aerodynamic devices, notches for organized crushing of the body or ready-made submunitions.
Bombs with ready fragments are made from two hemispheres reinforced with steel balls. Inside the case there is a bursting charge and a contact fuse.
Notched bombs also have a slow fuse. When meeting with an obstacle, such a bomb is divided into two parts and after the time required to rise a few meters is undermined.
PTAB - anti-tank aerial bomb. Designed to destroy armored targets. Lethal action is a cumulative jet formed using a cumulative recess inside the bomb body. Also, when detonated, the body of the bomb forms fragments that can hit manpower and unarmored vehicles. For the effective impact of the cumulative jet, the explosion must occur at a distance called the focal length. Old bombs have a contact head or bottom fuse. Modern bombs have a headless fuse with a target sensor.
