this post was submitted on 03 Oct 2024
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Russia deploys "largest non-nuclear bomb" in Ukraine: Reports (www.newsweek.com)
submitted 1 month ago by Linkerbaan@lemmy.world to c/worldnews@lemmy.ml
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Newly released footage shows Russian forces striking a Ukrainian town, using what pro-Kremlin sources have claimed is one of the most potent non-nuclear weapons in the world.

On Tuesday morning, videos began circulating on Russian and Ukrainian media of a "vacuum bomb" being dropped on the town of Vovchansk in the country's northeastern Kharkiv Oblast.

Ukrainian news agency InsiderUA posted the video to its Telegram channel, citing Russian military bloggers who said that the bomb was the ODAB-9000, a three-ton glide bomb sometimes referred to as "the father of all bombs."

A thermobaric or "vacuum" bomb draws in oxygen to generate intense, high-temperature combustions. According to the International Review of the Red Cross, an international law-focused academic journal produced by the humanitarian organization, the use of thermobaric weapons in built-up, civilian areas could constitute a war crime.

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[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 26 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Reminds me of the time Trump dumped a M.O.A.B. over Afghanistan shortly after taking office, because he thought it would win the war overnight.

[–] circuscritic@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

I can't speak to Trump's rationale, but know of at least one instance where a MOAB was substituted for the normal ordinance in theatre because it was approaching it service rated shelf life.

Explosive ordinance has a shelf life, and once they're expired, they either need to be taken out of supply for servicing, or dismantled and disposed of.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 16 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Obliterating a large chunk of landscape and killing countless people because its cheaper than doing hardware maintenance does sound like a US Military tier move.

[–] circuscritic@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I mean, yeah, but I think that's placing the US military on a pedestal, with the unsaid implication that they're somehow unique in that regard.

I don't imagine there's many, if any, military forces on earth, who would both be used to invade and occupy foreign lands, and not make similar decisions.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Biggest Military In The World is going to have more of this shit and be in more places where they can casually detonate an 18 kiloton bomb.

The "uniquely American" angle is more just the consequence of our size and the number of theaters of conflict we're active in. I don't imagine there's many, if any, military forces on earth that could operate at this scale for the last 80 years.

[–] TriflingToad@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

does and expired bomb make it more boomy?

[–] circuscritic@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 month ago

No... It risks either not going boom, or some other catastrophic failure like we saw in the early days of the Ukraine war with the S300 and S400 missiles that would U-turn after launch and hit their own launcher, most likely from being improperly stored, not maintained, and/or outside of their rated service life.