fuel-air explosive

Warhead containing a highly flammable petroleum and oxygen mixture; when released over a target, this mixes with the oxygen in the atmosphere and produces a vapour which, when ignited, causes a blast approximately five times more powerful than conventional high explosives.

Fuel-air explosives are also referred to as high-impulse thermobaric weapons. The secondary effect of this weapon involves an overpressure wave that flattens objects within its radius.

Fuel-air explosives were used by the US Air Force (USAF) in Afghanistan, particularly during the fighting in the Tora Bora mountain range.

In March 2003, the USAF tested a massive new fuel-air explosive bomb. The Massive Ordinance Air Blast (MOAB) contained just over 18,000 lbs of explosive material and has a primary blast radius of 450 ft. The mantle of having the largest non-nuclear bomb has recently changed hands and now the Russian military hold it with their device nicknamed the ‘Father of All Bombs’.