Aviation bombs: structure and main types. Aviation bomb

For the first time in 6 years, Sandia National Laboratories in the United States conducted a series of tests of a concrete-piercing nuclear bomb, designated B61-11. At the same time, a photograph was taken of the bomb's penetration into the ground (in rapid motion). In this case, the bomb, naturally, was not equipped with a nuclear part and did not explode. In the last few years, many countries around the world have become interested in the development of penetrating aerial bombs, also called concrete-piercing bombs. Using this, you can quite easily destroy underground bunkers, command posts or warehouses of a potential enemy. Washington and Tel Aviv are the most active in the development of this type of ammunition. Below is a short overview of such aerial bombs.

B61-11


Tests of the B61-11 nuclear bomb were carried out in the United States on November 20, 2013, but Sandia National Laboratories, which carried out the tests, spoke about them only in mid-January 2014. In field tests, an aerial bomb without a warhead was used. The B61-11 test itself was carried out using a special rocket cart, which was installed on rails. This cart was supposed to accelerate the bomb to its working speed(this parameter is classified). Before testing, the bomb itself and the cart were specially cooled to a temperature corresponding to the high flight altitude of this ammunition.

However, Sandia laboratories do not provide any data on the tests performed. It's worth noting that this type of testing has not been conducted in the states since October 2008. That time, the engine of a special rocket car caught fire before the launch; one of the laboratory workers received severe burns as a result of this incident. Until 2008, such tests were carried out on a regular basis. They are carried out within the framework of the current US program to maintain the nuclear arsenal in combat-ready condition, as well as to extend the service life of ammunition.

The B61 thermonuclear aerial bomb was developed back in the 1960s of the last century. Since then, 11 of its modifications have already been manufactured, and “Model 12” is currently in development. The latest version, adopted for service, B61-11, was developed in 1997. Modification 11 is an anti-bunker bomb. B61 aviation ammunition is a bomb of variable power from 10 to 340 kt. The latest modification of this bomb is, in fact, an old charger W-61-7, which was packaged in a new needle-shaped case that had been previously reinforced. There is information that the reinforcement was achieved through the use of depleted uranium in the design of the bomb body.

B61-11 is a free-falling aerial bomb (the main carrier strategic bomber B-2), it is designed to be dropped from a high altitude of 40 thousand feet (about 12,200 m). The bomb is not equipped with a braking parachute, so by the time it hits the ground it can gain a very high speed - up to 610 m/s. Tests show that this bomb is able to penetrate dry medium-density soil to a depth of 20 feet (6 m). This depth is small, but it is quite enough for the bulk of the energy released during a nuclear explosion (up to 90%) to go into a seismic wave. The power of this wave should be enough to destroy any well-protected underground target.

BLU-109/B

One of the most common ammunition in service with the US Army today is specialized bunker-busting bombs with a BLU-109/B warhead. These ammunition are in service not only with the American Air Force, but also with the Air Force of Canada, France, Great Britain, Denmark, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and 7 other countries. The mass of the warhead is 240 kg, the entire bomb is about 907 kg. The ammunition has a steel shell with a thickness of 25.4 mm. The bomb is capable of penetrating reinforced concrete structures up to 1.8 m thick. In this case, free-fall ammunition is mainly used with JDAM or Paveway III target guidance systems, which turn it into a guided aerial bomb - UAB.

The aircraft bomb with JDAM and warhead BLU-109/B received the index GBU-31. During testing of this ammunition, it was dropped from an F-16 fighter from a height of 6 thousand and 7.6 thousand meters, respectively, at a flight speed of 0.8 M. At the same time, the bombs were able to hit the aiming point, and the bombs' attitude was 43.2 and 65 m respectively. According to calculations carried out by Boeing designers, the UAB GBU-31, equipped with a wing, is able to provide a maximum distance from the release point of up to 75 km, if the release altitude is about 12,000 m, while the bomb speed is 0.9 M.

GBU-57 (MOP)

The US Air Force has been using the GBU-57 heavy bunker buster bomb since November 2011, which was the year it entered service. Moreover, from the moment the bombs were put into service, the process of their improvement immediately began. Pentagon officials say bombs are not powerful enough to kill everyone underground bunkers, primarily Iranian. The Boeing aircraft manufacturing corporation is working on the development and improvement of this bomb.

GBU-57 or MOP - Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) is a guided anti-bunker aerial bomb. The Americans specifically developed this ammunition to combat underground and above-ground fortifications located on the territory of the DPRK and Iran, which could be used to host nuclear facilities. The development of these bombs was carried out by Boeing specialists starting in 2007. It is reported that total cost MOP design work amounted to $400 million.

The length of the super-heavy aerial bomb MOR is 6 m, its weight is 13,600 kg. The weight of the GBU-57 warhead is 2.5 tons. Since this ammunition is adjustable, the bomb reaches the target using guidance using GPS coordinates. There is information that the initial version of this aerial bomb is able to pierce reinforced concrete up to 60 meters thick. At the same time, the concrete-piercing capabilities of the improved ammunition are currently kept secret.

GBU-28

Currently, the GBU-28 is considered one of the most effective penetrating bombs in service with the US Army. It is a guided aerial bomb, which was originally designed to destroy high-strength underground objects, such as command posts of a potential enemy. The bomb was created in 1991. The UAB is made according to the canard aerodynamic design and is equipped with a wing that opens in flight. Has a semi-active homing head. It is an example of a successful military conversion, as it is produced using the 203 mm barrel of the retired M110 self-propelled gun. The bomb weighs almost 2.3 tons. This ammunition is able to go deep into the ground to a depth of 30 m and pierce a reinforced concrete floor 6 m thick. During testing, it was decided not to even dig up the ammunition that went to a depth of 30 meters.

During testing at the Sandia National Laboratories in 1995, this UAB, after being accelerated on a special rocket cart, was able to penetrate reinforced concrete slabs with a total thickness of 6.7 m. At the same time, the bomb retained enough kinetic energy, in order to fly about 1.6 km after that. For its ability to fight even very thick floors, it received the nickname “deep throat”. In military conditions, this bomb was used only twice. Two bombs were used during Operation Desert Storm to destroy Iraqi military bunkers near Baghdad. One bomb missed its target, the second successfully hit the command bunker at Al-Taji airbase, which had previously been bombed several times, but without putting it out of action.

In February 2012, Israel presented its own concrete-piercing bomb, the bomb was designated MPR-500. This is a 500 lb (227 kg) caliber ammunition. This bomb is able to pierce concrete floors up to 1 meter thick or pierce up to 4 concrete floors, each 200 mm thick, at once. When this bomb explodes, a very large number of fragments are formed - up to a thousand, which scatter over a distance of up to 100 meters, effectively hitting enemy personnel. The choice in favor of such a relatively small caliber was made due to the fact that one aircraft can carry a large number of such bombs.

The Israeli concrete-piercing bomb is free-falling, and it can quite easily be transformed into an adjustable bomb with the help of a special kit. The Israelis developed the ammunition taking into account the information they had about the construction of underground fortifications and bunkers in Lebanon, which are sometimes located inside ordinary residential buildings or schools.

BetAB
In Russia, concrete-piercing bombs are used by the Air Force, but do not have such outstanding characteristics as American ammunition. Currently in our country such bombs are designated BetAB. These bombs are presented in three main versions: BetAB-500, BetAB-500U and BetAB-500ShP. They all differ in design, warhead weight and caliber. For example, the weight of BatAB500U is 510 kg. This bomb is used to destroy nuclear weapons, command posts, communication centers, underground ammunition depots, and reinforced concrete shelters. The bomb is able to pierce a reinforced concrete floor up to 1.2 m thick or go 3 m into the ground. The mass of the bomb warhead in TNT equivalent is 45 kg. Can be used from altitudes from 150 to 20 thousand meters. The bomb is equipped with a stabilizing parachute.

Another version of the BetAB-500ShP is equipped with a warhead weighing 77 kg. In this case, the bomb uses a jet accelerator. First of all, this aircraft munition is designed to disable enemy airfields - concrete runways and taxiways. This bomb is able to penetrate armor up to 550 mm thick, reinforced concrete floors up to 1.2 m thick. One such bomb can damage up to 50 square meters Runway. Moreover, when it explodes in medium soil, it leaves behind a crater 4.5 m in diameter. Currently, BetABs are in service with the Russian and Indian Air Forces.

Sources of information:
http://lenta.ru/articles/2014/02/26/penetrating
http://vpk-news.ru/articles/16288
http://first-americans.ru/news-usa/353-gbu-57
http://www.dogswar.ru/boepripasy/snariady-rakety/982-aviacionnaia-ypravli.html

Variety of aircraft shells and bullets

Not a single air cannon or machine gun can successfully hit an enemy aircraft if at least one single cartridge is not loaded into it. However, it is important to understand what exactly this cartridge may turn out to be and what part of the enemy aircraft it would be best to fire it at in order to be guaranteed to destroy the target.

Below are detailed descriptions all main types of aircraft ammunition used in the game:

Types of aircraft ammunition

Practical projectile

Practical equipment

Practical projectile

These are the simplest and weakest projectiles in design, made from the casings of high-explosive fragmentation projectiles (or others), without or with filler, but always without combat fillers (incendiary or explosives). An inert substance (not prone to explosion) can be used as a filler, which is designed to imitate the mass of explosives. The penetration ability of practical shells is lower than that of armor-piercing shells, although the principle of influencing the target is similar - to pierce and damage the internal module. The difference is that if the module is protected by armor, then a practical projectile can simply be flattened against it (if there is not enough penetration) without causing any harm to the protected module.
Practical projectiles are used due to their lower cost and ease of manufacture, as well as for shooting training.

In the game, such shells are the weakest component of the belt (most often “standard”), which is best replaced with something more suitable immediately after studying the corresponding modification.

General purpose bullet cartridge

• P- practical equipment

General purpose bullet

It is a regular bullet without an armor-piercing (steel, for example, or tungsten carbide) core. The bullet is usually made of lead. Accordingly, such a bullet has reduced penetration compared to armor-piercing bullets and does not have an incendiary effect.

In the game, such bullets are the weakest component of the belt (most often “standard”), which is best replaced with something more suitable immediately after studying the corresponding modification.

Game designations for this type of ammunition:

• P- General purpose bullet

Cartridge with tracer bullet

Tracers and bullets

Tracer shells (or bullets) leave a smoky or luminous trail behind them and serve to quickly adjust fire. The mark is formed due to the slow combustion of a special pyrotechnic composition pressed, as a rule, into the rear of the projectile or bullet. This composition ignites at the moment of firing, due to the heating of the powder gases in the cartridge case.
The presence of a tracer changes the ballistic properties of the bullet by reducing its mass and balancing, which change during flight, which can negatively affect shooting accuracy.
The tracer bullet must leave a clearly visible trail behind itself, while at the same time having the flight path as close as possible to the combat bullet. Because of the tracer, it is often made longer, and in order to maintain the dimensions of the cartridge, it is recessed deeper into the cartridge case, compared to a conventional bullet. In this case, the elongation affects its ballistic characteristics, and then it is necessary to change the weight and balance of the bullet. Tracer ammunition is the leader in terms of design complexity. The accuracy of shooting depends on how accurately the tracer bullet follows the flight path of an ordinary/armor-piercing/explosive bullet. The presence of a tracer in ammunition is more large caliber, from 12.7 mm and more, does not significantly affect the basic properties of the projectile.
There are special versions of tracer pyrotechnic compositions for night fighters that have a muted brightness during the combustion process. The muted glow of the night tracer makes it difficult for the enemy to detect the shooter, and also does not blind him and allows him to concentrate on firing.

A regular tracer bullet has a lead core and does not penetrate armor well, so there are armor-piercing and armor-piercing incendiary (with an additional incendiary composition) tracer bullets and shells with a steel core. There are incendiary tracer shells (with a strong incendiary effect). In the game, tracers are an integral part of many different types of shells and bullets. Thanks to the presence of tracers in the tape, players can successfully direct fire at the target and better recognize the ballistics of a particular weapon model. It should be noted that a tracer bullet is also an incendiary bullet in its essence; if it hits a flammable environment, it easily sets it on fire (although it does this worse than special incendiary bullets).

Game designations for this type of ammunition:

• T- tracer bullet
• PT- practical tracer projectile

Incendiary shells and bullets

Incendiary projectile

Incendiary tracer cartridges

Incendiary bullets filled with yellow phosphorus first appeared in World War I and were intended to ignite balloons and airplanes. After all, both the huge Zeppelins and nimble airplanes turned out to be very vulnerable to fire. Combat experience has shown that an ordinary tracer bullet has a great incendiary effect, and one special incendiary bullet was often enough to destroy an enemy aircraft. Therefore, incendiary bullets are most widely used in aviation. And it was the incendiary bullet that became the gravedigger of combat airships, since a tiny fighter in one burst destroyed a giant zeppelin, in which the carrier gas was flammable hydrogen. During the First World War, the following 5 types of incendiary bullets became most widespread: French Ph (Phosphore); French Parno; French caliber 11 mm; German S.Pr.; English S.A. like Bookings. The incendiary bullets of the first two samples have general outline the following device: inside the bullet there is a cylindrical channel filled with white phosphorus. Two metal discs with a spacer are inserted at the back. At the bottom of the bullet, in its side wall near the discs, there is a hole for the release of phosphorus, filled with a special low-melting compound (plug). When fired, the powder gases melt this composition and phosphorus begins to flow out of the open hole in the wall of the bullet.

The incendiary bullets of the last two samples have a slightly different design: the bullet is embedded in a copper nickel-plated shell white phosphorus, a lead plug is inserted at the back; On the inside, a free lead cylinder with longitudinal channels for the passage of phosphorus adjoins the lead plug. In the shell, as in the bullets of the design described above, at a distance of approximately 1/5 of the length of the bullet from its rear cut there is a hole for the release of phosphorus, filled with a low-melting compound. When fired, the powder gases melt this composition (open a hole), and when the bullet hits an obstacle (target), the free lead cylinder, by inertia, tends to move forward and squeezes phosphorus through its channels into the exit hole. The incendiary composition of a modern bullet consists of two components: an oxidizer (potassium perchloride or barium nitrate) and a combustible substance (magnesium and aluminum alloys).

The combustion of an incendiary composition can easily set fire to flammable materials (thatched roofs, dry grass) and liquids such as gasoline in aircraft tanks.
Due to reduced weight incendiary shells and bullets have worse ballistic and penetration characteristics than solid ammunition. Due to their low effectiveness against armored targets, incendiary bullets are rarely produced in pure form, mainly used in combination with other types of cartridges, such as armor-piercing ones.

In the game, such ammunition is best suited for setting fire to fuel tanks and other flammable components, provided that the incendiary composition has reached the flammable substance.

Game designations for this type of ammunition:

• Z- incendiary bullet
• ST- incendiary tracer projectile (or bullet)
• ST*- incendiary tracer projectile (with self-destructor) - a self-destructor is a delayed-action fuse that automatically fires some time after the shot, even if the projectile does not hit an obstacle. The meaning of such technology is that a projectile, even passing by the target, still has a chance to cause damage to it due to the force of the explosion or fragments, or to set it on fire by hitting a particle flying into different sides incendiary composition.

Combined action bullet (CA) 1 – bullet casing, 2 – armor-piercing tip, 3 – explosive charge, 4 – cup, 5 – incendiary composition, 6 – tracer composition, 7 – ignition composition.



Polish incendiary cartridges: 1 – cartridge with an incendiary (phosphorus) bullet for infantry, 2 – cartridge with an incendiary (phosphorus) bullet for aviation.



12.7 mm American cartridge with an incendiary bullet.



7.92 mm German incendiary cartridges: Cartridge with armor-piercing incendiary bullet PtK, cartridge with sighting bullet B. Patrone, cartridge with incendiary (phosphorus) bullet.



Types of incendiary bullets: A – sighting-incendiary; B – armor-piercing incendiary; B – armor-piercing-incendiary-tracer. 1 – shell – steel clad with tombac; 2 – incendiary composition; 3 – steel core; 4 – lead jacket; 5 – brass circle; 6 – brass cup; 7 – steel striker with a sting; 8 – brass fuse (split ring); 9 – capsule; 10 – iron gasket; 11 – tracer composition; 12 – ring; 13 – hole.



7.7 mm English rifle cartridges: 1 – cartridge with an incendiary (phosphorus) bullet, 2 – cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary (phosphorus) bullet.



7.7 mm Japanese rifle cartridge with an incendiary (phosphorus) bullet.



7.62 mm American rifle cartridge with an incendiary bullet.



12.7 mm Italian cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary tracer BZT bullet. 1 – outer shell of the bullet, 2 – shell of the nose, 3 – armor-piercing core, 4 – nose, 5 – tracer cup, 6 – tracer ring, 7 – shirt, 8 – incendiary composition, 9 – tracer composition, 10 – celluloid gasket (circle )

Explosive bullets

Explosive bullets, as the name suggests, explode when they hit a target due to the detonation of a small explosive charge located in the head. An explosive round is essentially a smaller version of a high-explosive round, carrying a much smaller explosive charge inside it. Quite often, in order to increase the damaging effect, the explosive in such a bullet upon detonation additionally has an incendiary effect, or consists entirely of an incendiary composition.
The main feature that distinguishes explosive bullets from simple incendiary bullets is the presence of a special detonator, which is triggered when the bullet hits an obstacle and causes forced arson or detonation of the main charge.
As a rule, an explosive bullet is completely destroyed when it hits even relatively thin obstacles such as plywood, branches, and even a simple canvas covering of an aircraft, and therefore is not capable of penetrating even the thinnest armor.

MDZ cartridge

In the game, such shells are well suited for damaging the outer skin and tail of an aircraft, damaging fuel tanks and other flammable, but not armored internal modules.

Game designations for this type of ammunition:

• PZ- sighting-incendiary bullet - an explosive bullet that allows you to adjust shooting, focusing on flashes of explosions of the incendiary composition.
• MDZ- instant-action incendiary bullet - an explosive bullet, similar in principle to sighting-incendiary cartridges, but containing much more explosive incendiary substance.

Armor-piercing shells and bullets

Armor-piercing cartridge

Armor-piercing chamber projectile

Armor-piercing shells are designed specifically to hit armored targets. Such projectiles are made of stronger or hardened steel and have special armor-piercing tips that are not destroyed when they hit the armor.
Armor-piercing bullets most often hide strong armor-piercing cores inside their soft lead shell, which pierce the armor upon contact, leaving all the lead on the surface of the armor. However, such bullets often pay for their high armor-piercing qualities with reduced mass, and therefore reduced ballistic characteristics. Also, in addition to the core, armor-piercing bullets often contain inside small quantity incendiary composition to cause fires in pierced tanks and target components.

In the game, armor-piercing shells and bullets with a high probability disable engines, hit the pilot, as well as all other internal modules of the aircraft (fuel and cooling systems, control rods, spars). However, if such ammunition hits a part of the plane or fuselage behind which there is no vital module located, the damage to the pierced skin itself will be extremely insignificant - the shells will simply pass right through, leaving only a small hole, and it will take many hits to destroy the power aircraft design.

Game designations for this type of ammunition:

• B- armor-piercing projectile (or bullet).
• B- armor-piercing chamber projectile - similar to a conventional armor-piercing projectile, but additionally has a cavity (chamber) inside with an explosive charge and a bottom fuse. After penetrating the armor, the explosive detonates, hitting the crew and internal modules of the target with fragments and explosion products. In general, this projectile is distinguished by a noticeably higher armor penetration and slightly reduced armor penetration (due to the lower mass and strength of the projectile).
• BP- armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile (abbreviated simply sub-caliber) - ammunition, the diameter of the armor-piercing part detachable (on impact, or during flight) is less than the diameter of the gun barrel. According to the principle of action, it most closely resembles armor-piercing bullets with a core. Such projectiles are used to increase initial speed and better armor penetration and are used mainly to combat well-armored targets. Another advantage is an increase in firing range due to a flatter trajectory. However, due to the lighter mass of the projectile, its armor-piercing effect decreases with distance significantly more than that of conventional caliber armor-piercing ammunition.
• BT- armor-piercing tracer projectile (or bullet).
• BZ- armor-piercing incendiary projectile (or bullet).
• BS-41- Soviet armor-piercing incendiary bullet BS-41, has increased armor penetration. The bullet consists of a lead jacket, a tungsten-based cermet core and an incendiary composition.
• BZT- armor-piercing incendiary tracer projectile (or bullet).

High explosive projectile

High explosive shells

High explosive shells cause damage upon contact with the target due to the detonation of the explosive. The most common type of projectile (along with fragmentation, high-explosive fragmentation and the like) for combating unarmored air and ground targets.
The walls of high-explosive shells, as a rule, are very thin, and the entire internal cavity is filled with an explosive substance, which is the main damaging factor such a projectile. The fuses on high-explosive projectiles are usually installed in the nose and detonate, either instantly upon contact with the target, or with a short delay during which the projectile manages to penetrate under the outer skin of the aircraft, thereby causing greater damage to the modules located behind it.

Aviation ammunition means component aircraft weapons designed to destroy or disable enemy air, ground, underground and sea targets through the destructive effects of impact and fire. There are ammunition for primary and auxiliary (special) purposes. The main ammunition includes disposable bomb clusters, bomb bundles, cartridges aviation machine guns and guns, aircraft unguided and guided missiles, mines, torpedoes, grenades, as well as aircraft bombs. Auxiliary ammunition provides the ability to solve problems related to training flight personnel (shooting, bombing, aircraft navigation), as well as a number of special tasks solved by aviation in the interests of ground forces and ships navy. They are divided into practical (training), lighting (luminous), photographic, orientation-signal, simulation, jamming (anti-radar), etc.

Disposable bomb clusters- thin-walled bombs equipped with aviation anti-tank and other mines or small fragmentation, anti-tank, incendiary and other bombs weighing from 1 to 10 kg. One cassette can contain up to 100 or more bombs (mines), which are scattered in the air.

Bomb bundles- devices in which several aerial bombs weighing 25-100 kg each are connected by special devices into one suspension. The separation of bombs occurs at the moment of being dropped from an aircraft or in the air.

Aircraft machine gun cartridges and guns are distinguished by the type of bullets and shells, which are single-action (fragmentation, high-explosive, armor-piercing, incendiary, tracer), double-action (high-explosive fragmentation) and triple action (high-explosive fragmentation-incendiary). The most common calibers of aircraft bullets are 7.62 and 12.7 mm, and shells - 20, 23, 30 and 37 mm. The weight of the shells ranges from 100 to 1000 g.

Aviation unguided missiles- projectiles consisting of a warhead (high-explosive, high-explosive fragmentation, cumulative), a jet engine (powder, liquid) and a fuse (impact or non-contact action). The mass of the rocket ranges from several kilograms to hundreds of kilograms.

Aviation guided missiles— unmanned aerial vehicles with jet engine, equipped with a warhead and a control system designed for automatic targeting or flight along a given trajectory.

Aircraft mines(anti-tank, anti-personnel, naval, etc.) - devices consisting of a warhead, a fuse and additional devices; designed for airborne deployment minefields on land and sea.

Aviation bombs, one of the types of aviation ammunition dropped from an airplane or other aircraft and separated from the holders under the influence of gravity or with a low speed of forced separation to destroy ground, sea and air targets. Specially designed aircraft bombs are used to set up smoke screens, illuminate the area and perform other auxiliary tasks.

By the beginning of the First World War, not a single country in the world had serial, more or less effective aircraft bombs. Instead, they used hand grenades and rifle (gun) grenades. Moreover, the expression “airplane bomb” originally meant, in fact, heavy hand grenade, which was dropped from airplanes by pilots. Often used as aerial bombs artillery shells caliber 75 mm and above. But by the end of the war in 1918, quite effective fragmentation, high-explosive, armor-piercing, chemical and smoke bombs had been created in England, France and Germany. These bombs were equipped with wing or ring stabilizers and had complete modern look. During the Second World War, several samples of new aircraft bombs (anti-tank, high-explosive fragmentation) were created and pre-war ones were modernized. The design was improved, the effectiveness of their destructive action in different conditions combat use, nuclear and guided (adjustable) aerial bombs were created.

A typical aerial bomb consists of a body, a fuse, equipment, suspension lugs, a stabilizer and a ballistic ring. The body, usually oval-cylindrical in shape with a conical tail, connects all the elements of the aerial bomb into a single structure and protects its equipment from destruction. In the bottom and head parts of the body (less often on the side) there are ignition cups for installing fuses. The stabilizer and ballistic ring ensure stable flight of the bomb in the air after being dropped. Aircraft bombs have feathery, feathery-cylindrical or box-shaped stabilizers. For mounting on aircraft bomb racks, lugs are welded to the body. Aviation bombs with a caliber of less than 25 kg do not have hanging ears, because These bombs are used in the form of bomb clusters, bomb bundles or from reusable containers. Explosives, pyrotechnic compounds, incendiary substances, toxic substances, etc. are used as equipment for aircraft bombs, depending on their purpose. Bombs intended for dropping from low altitudes have braking devices (parachutes), which reduce the speed of flight of bombs, thanks to which they lag behind the bomber by the distance necessary for its safety. When preparing an aerial bomb for combat use, one or more fuses (contact, remote or non-contact action) are installed in them, which activate the equipment - an explosive charge or a pyrotechnic composition (incendiary, lighting).

Impact fuses trigger the action of an aerial bomb at the moment it hits a barrier or after some time - from a fraction of a second to several hours and even days. Remote fuzes detonate bombs in the air through certain time after dropping, and non-contact ones - at a given height from the ground.

To hold aerial bombs during transportation to the target, to bring them into an active state before dropping and to carry out the dropping itself, various remote bomb suspension devices were used. When the ammunition was located inside the fuselage (internal suspension), special weapons compartments (cargo compartments) were structurally provided, closed in flight with flaps. Inside such a compartment, as a rule, there were cluster bomb holders, which were a frame with guides, electric locks, load lifting mechanisms, blocking and release chains. Each cassette can hang several aerial bombs in a row. Various containers were also widely used, which were filled with ammunition on the ground and lifted into the cargo compartment completely ready for use. The cargo compartment could also contain other types of holders and various devices for transporting and using various cargoes - beam holders, ejection devices, etc. When ammunition was located outside on the aircraft structure (external sling), universal multi-lock beam holders were often used, allowing several bombs to be suspended. Also, specialized beam holders are used for suspending missile weapons.

The main characteristics of aircraft bombs: caliber, filling factor, characteristic time (velocity), lethality effectiveness indicators and the range of conditions for combat use. The caliber of an aircraft bomb is its mass, expressed in kilograms or other units (for example, pounds). Depending on their mass, aircraft bombs are conventionally divided into small (less than 100 kg), medium (100-1000 kg) and large (more than 1000 kg) caliber bombs. The minimum caliber of an aerial bomb is less than 0.5 kg, the maximum is 20 tons. The filling coefficient (the ratio of the mass of an aerial bomb's equipment to its total mass) for an aerial bomb with a thin-walled casing (anti-submarine) is 0.6-0.7, with a thick-walled casing ( armor-piercing, fragmentation) 0.1-0.2. Characteristic time (G) is the main indicator of the ballistic properties of an aerial bomb, expressed by the time of fall of an aerial bomb dropped from an aircraft at a speed of 40 m/s in normal atmospheric conditions from a height of 2000 m. The better the aerodynamic properties of an aerial bomb, the smaller its diameter and the larger weight. The expected result of the combat use of an aircraft bomb depends on the indicators of the effectiveness of its damaging effect - specific (volume of the crater, thickness of the armor penetrated, temperature and number of fires, etc.) and generalized (average number of hits required to hit the target, and the reduced affected area ). These indicators serve to determine the amount of expected damage that can be caused to the target. The measure of damage is usually the time during which the damaged target will be unable to function as a combat unit. The range of combat use conditions includes data on the minimum and maximum heights and bombing speeds. Limitations on their maximum values ​​are determined by the conditions of stability of aircraft bombs on the trajectory and the strength of the body at the moment of meeting the target, and on the minimum - by the safety conditions of the aircraft and the characteristics of the fuses used.

By purpose air bombs are divided into main (intended directly for destroying targets) and auxiliary, creating situations that contribute to the solution of combat missions and combat training tasks for troops. The latter include smoke, lighting, photo aircraft bombs (lighting for night photography), daytime (colored smoke) and night (colored fire) orientation-signal, orientation-sea (create a colored fluorescent spot on the water and colored fire), propaganda (equipped with propaganda materials ), practical (for training bombing - do not contain an explosive or contain a very small charge; practical bombs that do not contain a charge are most often made of cement).

By type of active material Air bombs are divided into conventional, nuclear, chemical, toxin, and bacteriological.

By the nature of the damaging effect air bombs are classified into:

- fragmentation, which have a massive body for the formation large number fragments. They are used to destroy manpower, artillery, vehicles, aircraft at airfields and other targets with shrapnel. Their weight, as a rule, ranged from 1 to 100 kg;

- high-explosive fragmentation, which are used to destroy various targets with fragments and high-explosive action;

- high-explosive, which hit objects with a high-explosive explosion and are used to destroy military-industrial structures, warehouses, airfields, bridges, railway junctions and other purposes. Their mass, as a rule, ranged from 50 kg to 10 tons. A variety of high-explosive bombs is

penetrating high-explosive bombs or high-explosive thick-walled, or “seismic bombs”.

- concrete-piercing inert aerial bombs that do not contain an explosive charge, hitting the target only due to kinetic energy;

— concrete-piercing explosive bombs containing a high-explosive charge;

- armor-piercing cumulative (anti-tank) bombs that destroy armor with a cumulative jet. The explosive charge has a cumulative recess with a metal lining, from which, upon explosion, a cumulative jet is formed, piercing the armor and igniting fuel vapors. These bombs are dropped from airplanes in disposable cassettes. With a mass of 2.5-5 kg, they penetrate armor up to 100-200 mm.

— armor-piercing fragmentation/cumulative fragmentation, hitting the target with a cumulative jet and fragments;

— armor-piercing bombs based on the “shock core” principle;

- incendiary bombs that hit the target with flame and heat. They are used to create fires and destroy personnel and equipment with fire on the battlefield and in crowded places. Their weight is from 1 to 500 kg. They are equipped with solid pyrotechnic compositions and organic flammable substances (gasoline, kerosene), thickened special compounds;

- high-explosive incendiary bombs that hit the target with high-explosive and blasting action, flame and temperature. They were used to destroy industrial structures, oil storage facilities, urban buildings, etc.

— high-explosive fragmentation-incendiary bombs, damaging with fragments, high-explosive and high-explosive effects, flame and temperature;

— incendiary-smoke bombs that hit the target with flame and temperature. In addition, such a bomb produces smoke in the area;

— poisonous/chemical and toxin bombs that affect enemy personnel with a chemical warfare agent;

— poisonous smoke aerial bombs that infect manpower with toxic smoke while simultaneously fogging the area;

— fragmentation-poisonous/chemical fragmentation bombs, damaging manpower with fragments and toxic substances;

— infectious action/bacteriological bombs that infect living force with pathogenic microorganisms or their carriers from among insects and small rodents;

- nuclear (atomic) aerial bombs, damaging with high-explosive incendiary effects with additional damage from radioactive radiation.

By nature of the goal air bombs can be anti-bunker, anti-submarine, anti-tank and bridge air bombs (the latter were intended to operate on bridges and viaducts);

According to the design of the warhead air bombs were divided into monoblock, modular and cluster;

Air bombs also differed by weight, expressed in kilograms or pounds (for non-nuclear bombs). Among aircraft missiles, a distinction was made between guided missiles, unguided missiles and rockets.

Characterizing the development and production of aircraft in World War II, it should be noted that aircraft ammunition received significant, revolutionary development just during the war. Planned guided and unguided bombs, unguided and guided jet systems, bombs appeared special purpose(seismic, concrete-piercing, armor-piercing). And the crown of all scientific and technological achievements must be recognized as the emergence atomic bomb, which marked the advent of atomic weapons.

Among the warring countries, the greatest achievements in the development and production of aircraft ammunition were achieved by Germany and the United States. At the same time, if Germany carried out the development and production of the entire range of the latest aerial bombs, then the United States made a breakthrough in guided planned bombs and atomic weapons. Great Britain's achievement was the creation of a seismic concrete-piercing bomb. The achievement of the USSR - mass release conventional bombs and dominance for some time with the release of anti-tank bombs. The rest of the countries participating in the war did not differ in either new developments or the volume of production of aviation ammunition.

During the war years, the USSR produced 56.1 million aerial bombs, including: 6.3 million high-explosive, 26.2 million fragmentation, 5.9 million incendiary, 602 thousand illuminating, 17 million specialized. In mass, this amount was about 1 million tons, or a tenth of all types of ammunition fired.

Air bombs are weapons dropped from aircraft. The predecessors of bombs were metal darts, which pilots threw in batches at enemy infantry and cavalry. Such a metal object, thrown from an airplane, pierced right through the rider and horse.

Later, hand grenades and artillery shells began to be thrown from airplanes, but in 1918, high-explosive fragmentation aircraft bombs with tail fins were created in England, France and Germany, which had a completely modern appearance.
An interesting fact is that the first bomber pilots greeted each other in the air and did not at all strive to destroy the enemy, until some Frenchman opened fire with a pistol at an oncoming plane, and this began the era of air combat.

1 FAB-5000 4900 kg

The most powerful high-explosive aerial bomb of the Great Patriotic War.

2 HB-2000 2000 kg
The heaviest chemical bomb in the world. Nothing is known about the toxic substance, its marking is P-35.

3 KAB-1500L-F 1560 kg

Guided or adjustable aerial bombs are the latest round of development of aerial bombs, allowing you to “cut out” the enemy by sending a small bomb directly into the window of a car in the city center.
This one and a half ton “baby” is the largest high-explosive guided bomb in the Russian Federation.

4 KAB-1500L -PR 1500 kg
Such bombs are called “smart bombs” in foreign literature.

5 ODAB-1000 1000 kg

Volumetric detonating aerial bombs have a large damage radius. The aerosol cloud “flows” into trenches and shelters, enhancing the destructive effect of the ODAB.

6 KAB-500kr 560 kg
Guided bombs have a higher fill rate than rockets due to the lack of an engine and fuel tanks.

7 KAB-500L 534 kg

8 ZAB-500 500 kg

A huge incendiary bomb. Due to high temperature spilling guts, setting everything around on fire. The “Americans” especially distinguished themselves by firebombing Vietnam, burning buildings and people with napalm.

9 BETAB-500 430 kg

The largest concrete-piercing aerial bomb in the Russian Federation, it is intended to “cut out” enemies sneakily hiding in bunkers, ZKP, and other structures.

10 RBK-500AO 380 kg

Disposable cluster bomb. Equipped with 15 self-aiming anti-tank combat elements equipped with dual-mode infrared target coordinators. Designed for "sawing" modern tanks and other armored vehicles in any conditions. It can “erase” six tanks at the same time.

In addition, one cannot fail to mention the AN602 “Tsar Bomba” or “Kuzka’s Mother”, which Nikita Sergeevich promised to show to the “Americans” - weight 26.5 tons with parachute system, the heaviest bomb in human history.

The smallest aerial bomb, the Mouse Bomb (incendiary), weighs 17 grams, was produced in an experimental series, but did not enter service. It was assumed that the carriers of these bombs would be bats dropped from aircraft in special self-unpacking containers.

Aviation bomb or simply an aerial bomb - one of the types of aviation ammunition dropped from an airplane or other aircraft and separated from the holders under the influence of gravity or with a low speed of forced separation.

By the beginning of the First World War, not a single country in the world had serial, more or less effective aircraft bombs. At that time, hand grenades and rifle (gun) grenades were also commonly called bombs or bombs. Moreover, the expression “airplane bomb” originally meant, in fact, a heavy hand grenade, which was dropped from airplanes by pilots.

Artillery shells of 75 mm caliber and higher were often used as aerial bombs. But by the end of the war in 1918, quite effective fragmentation, high-explosive, armor-piercing, chemical and smoke bombs had been created in England, France and Germany. These bombs were equipped with wing or ring stabilizers and had a completely modern appearance.

...September 9, 1943. Mussolini is arrested, the Italian government is eager for a truce, and the Italian fleet is heading to Malta to surrender. At 15:41, the battleship Roma (46,000 tons, nine 381 mm guns) was hit by a German bomb called Fritz-X (aka SD-1400). Having pierced the hull, it exploded under the boiler compartments. Second hit
the ammunition magazines were blown up...

The most powerful air bombs of World War II: Tallboy and Grand Slam

Country: UK
Developed: 1942
Weight: 5.4 t
Explosive mass: 2.4 t
Length: 6.35 m
Diameter: 0.95 m

Barney Wallis did not become a famous aircraft designer: his design for the Victory bomber was rejected by the British military. But he became famous as the creator of the most powerful ammunition of World War II. Knowledge of the laws of aerodynamics allowed him to design the Tallboy aerial bomb in 1942. Thanks to its perfect aerodynamic shape, the bomb quickly picked up speed and even broke the sound barrier in its fall if it was dropped from a height of more than 4 km.

It could penetrate 3 m of reinforced concrete, penetrate 35 m into the ground, and after its explosion a crater with a diameter of 40 m remained. Equipped with torpex - a powerful explosive based on hexogen - Wallis' brainchild demonstrated effectiveness when used against highly protected targets (bunkers, tunnels), as well as by large ships.

Thus, two hits first damaged the German battleship Tirpitz, which was defending itself in a Norwegian fjord and posed a huge danger to convoys heading to the USSR. On November 12, 1944, having received two more Tallboys, the ship capsized. In a word, these bombs were real military weapons, and not a useless race for records, and during the war years they were used not so few - 854 of them.

This success guaranteed Barney Wallis a place in history (he later received a knighthood) and inspired him to create the most powerful aerial bomb of World War II in 1943, the design of which was borrowed heavily from the Tallboy. The Grand Slam was also successful, demonstrating stable (thanks to the rotation imparted by the stabilizers) flight and high penetrating power: it could penetrate up to 7 m of reinforced concrete before exploding.

True, for the Grand Slam there was no such target as the world-famous battleship, but its hits in the shelters protected by a five-meter layer of concrete for the German submarines made the right impression. She destroyed those who did not give in less powerful bombs aqueducts and dams. The Grand Slam fuse could be set to instantaneous (to hit targets with a shock wave) or delayed (to destroy shelters), but even in the latter case, buildings “folded” hundreds of meters from the explosion: although the shock wave from the buried detonation was relatively weak, the vibrations the soil shifted the foundations.

Officially, the Grand Slam was called more than modestly - “Medium Capacity, 22000 lbs” - “average power, 22000 pounds” (meaning the average value of the ratio of the weight of the bomb and its equipment), although in the press it received the nickname “Earthquake Bomb” (“bomb”) -earthquake"). The Grand Slam entered service with the Royal Air Force at the end of the war, and in the months remaining before victory, British pilots dropped 42 of these bombs. It was quite expensive, so if the target could not be detected, the command strongly recommended that the crews not drop the Grand Slam over the sea, but land with it, although this was risky. In the Royal Air Force, four-engine Halifaxes and Lancasters carried huge bombs. Copies of the Grand Slam were also made in the USA.

The very first guided bomb: Fritz-X

Country: Germany
Developed: 1943
Weight: 1,362 t
Explosive weight: 320 kg, ammatol
Length: 3.32 m
Tail span: 0.84 m

Fritz-X became the first combat model of a guided weapon. Its FuG 203/230 guidance system operated at around 49 MHz and, once released, the aircraft had to maintain course to allow the operator to keep track of the target and the bomb. With a deviation of up to 350 m in course and 500 m in range, the flight of the bomb could be adjusted.

A non-maneuvering carrier was vulnerable to fighters and anti-aircraft fire, but distance served as protection: the recommended drop distance, as well as altitude, was 5 km. The Allies hastily developed jamming equipment, the Germans increased their production of bombs, and who knows how this race would have ended if not for the end of the war...

The very first serial nuclear weapon: Mk-17/24

Country: USA
Start of production: 1954
Weight: 10.1 t
Energy release: 10–15 Mt
Length: 7.52 m
Diameter: 1.56 m

These thermonuclear bombs(Mk-17 and Mk-24 differed only in the types of plutonium “fuses”) - the first ones that can be classified as real weapons: with them, US Air Force B-36 bombers flew on patrol. The design was not very reliable (part of the “fuse” was kept by the crew, who installed it in the bomb before dropping), but everything was subordinated to one goal: to “squeeze” the maximum energy release (there were no units regulating the power of the explosion).

Despite slowing the fall of the bomb with a 20-meter parachute, the not very fast B-36 barely had time to escape from the affected area. Production (Mk-17 - 200 pcs., Mk-24 - 105 pcs.) lasted from July 1954 to November 1955. Their “simplified” copies were also tested to find out whether it was possible under conditions nuclear war use lithium hydrides that have not undergone isotopic enrichment as a surrogate for thermonuclear fuel. Since October 1956, Mk-17/24 bombs began to be transferred to reserve, and were replaced by more advanced Mk-36s.

Country: USSR
Tested: 1961
Weight: 26.5 t
Energy release: 58 Mt
Length: 8.0 m
Diameter: 2.1 m

After the explosion of this "" on Novaya Zemlya on October 30, 1961, the shock wave circled three times globe, a lot of glass was broken in Norway. The bomb was not suitable for combat use and did not represent a serious scientific achievement, but probably helped the superpowers sense the deadlock in the nuclear race.

Most versatile bomb: JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition)

Country: USA
Start of production: 1997
Application range: 28 km
Circular probable deviation: 11 m
Cost of the set: 30–70 thousand dollars

JDAM is not exactly a bomb, but a set of navigation equipment and controllable fins that allows you to turn almost any conventional bomb into a controllable one. Such a bomb is guided by GPS signals, which makes the targeting independent of weather conditions. JDAMs were first used during the bombing of Yugoslavia. Boeing has produced more than 2,000 JDAM kits since 1997.

The very first volumetric explosion bombs: BLU-72B/76B

Country: USA
Start of production: 1967
Weight: 1.18 t
Fuel weight: 0.48 t
Energy shock wave: equivalent to 9 t TNT

The first volumetric detonating bombs used in battle (in Vietnam). The fuel in the BLU 72B is liquefied propane, in the BLU 76B, which was used from high-speed carriers, it is ethylene oxide. Volumetric detonation did not provide a blasting effect, but was effective in destroying manpower.

The most widespread nuclear bomb: B-61

Country: USA
Start of production: 1962
Weight: 300–340 kg
Energy release: tactical – 0.3–170 kt; strategic – 10–340 kt
Length: 3.58 m
Diameter: 0.33 m

In 11 modifications of this most massive bomb there are charges of switchable power: pure fission and thermonuclear. “Penetrating” products are weighted with “waste” uranium, powerful ones are equipped with parachutes and are triggered even after hitting the corner of a building at transonic speed. Since 1962, 3,155 of them have been produced.

The most powerful serial non-nuclear bomb: GBU-43 MOAB

Country: USA
Developed: 2002
Weight: 9.5 t
Explosive mass: 8.4 t
Length: 9.17 m
Diameter: 1.02 m

It took the crown of “the greatest bomb” from BLU-82, but, unlike the ex-queen, which was actively used in clearing landing sites, it has not yet found use. More powerful equipment (RDX, TNT, aluminum) and guidance system would seem to increase combat capabilities, however, finding a suitable purpose for a product of this cost poses serious difficulties. Official name MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Blast - heavy high-explosive bomb) is often unofficially deciphered as Mother Of All Bombs, “mother of all bombs”. The US arsenal has 15 MOAB bombs.

The very first cluster munition: SD2 Schmetterling

Country: Germany
Start of production: 1939
Weight: 2 kg
Explosive weight: 225 g
Dimensions: 8 x 6 x 4 cm
Radius of destruction of manpower: 25 m

Ancestors cluster munitions, proven by battles in Europe and North Africa. The Luftwaffe used cassettes containing from 6 to 108 SD2 bombs (Sprengbombe Dickwandig 2 kg), which were equipped with various types of fuses: instant and delayed action, as well as “surprises” for sappers. Due to the method of dispersing submunitions, reminiscent of the fluttering of a butterfly, the bomb was called Schmetterling (“butterfly”).

/Based on materials popmech.ru, en.wikipedia.org And topwar.ru /