That Russian forces dropped a thermobaric bomb was stated earlier today by the mayor of Otrinka in Ukraine
As reported by the Kiev Independent, Pavlo Kuzmenko said that "Russian occupiers dropped a thermobaric bomb.
This type of weapon is known as the deadliest non-nuclear bomb, which causes explosions that produce enormous temperatures."
Western warnings about Putin's thermobaric missiles
Dramatic warnings were issued in recent days by Western officials referring to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They said that if the Russian army's operation fails then Moscow could even use superweapons that disintegrate human bodies.
As the Daily Mail reports, the officials fear that the Russian president will resort to using thermobaric missiles. Incendiary and thermobaric missiles are widely used by many militaries around the world. The Russian TOS-1 Buratino and TOS-1A Solntsepyok heavy flame-throwers are some of the most fearsome weapons on the modern battlefield.
Their main advantages are high temperature and high pressure drop. In fact, in this case the shockwave takes a back seat. This is because on reaching the target the projectile explodes from a small charge and sprays combustible material over an area of a few thousand square metres. Later, after a few seconds, this cloud will be ignited using a second detonator.
The pressure in the explosion area first rises sharply and then drops. The flammable mixture penetrates more easily into areas not accessible to general-purpose missiles.
Incendiary and thermobaric missiles have been used repeatedly in local conflicts in recent years, including in Syria. They were also used by the Americans in Afghanistan in 2017.
However, there are some limitations. The effectiveness of incendiary and thermobaric missiles is quite dependent on weather conditions i.e. when it rains, blows or snows heavily, an aerosol cloud is more difficult to disperse and, consequently, the range of the affected area is reduced. It is noted that thermobaric missiles are among the most powerful non-nuclear weapons ever developed.
Thermobaric weapons were developed by both the US and the Soviet Union in the 1960s. In September 2007, Russia detonated the largest thermobaric weapon ever built, which produced an explosion equivalent to 39.9 tons. Notably, the American version of the weapon reportedly cost over $16 million each.
Source.gr
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