# What's this bomb? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 10, 2007, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-bomb/422179 "2007-10-10T04:59:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-bomb/422179/1 "2007-10-10T04:59:27Z")
IIRC the US Military has a kind of air burst bomb that is actually kind of simple: Rupture a canister of compressed propane in the air, let the gas mix with atmospheric oxygen for a few seconds, ignite. This clip of HULK has an example; the time index for the explosion I’m talking about is 00:45 seconds into the flash video. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S25FPS3L_UQ) ---
**Author:** ![Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Throatwarbler_Mangrove)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-bomb/422179/2 "2007-10-10T05:06:24Z")
[Thermobaric warhead](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_air_explosive) ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-bomb/422179/3 "2007-10-10T05:06:41Z")
A little hard to tell what you’re looking for in the OP, but if its the word for that type of bomb, I believe it’s “thermobaric” ETA: doh!! ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-bomb/422179/4 "2007-10-10T05:07:55Z")
That kind of bomb is called a “fuel-air explosive.” I don’t know if ours use propane; they can also be made with powdered solid fuels. There’s a lot of talk these days about a new kind of bomb called a thermobaric bomb, which may be a kind of fuel-air explosive. The explanations in the press calling them “vacuum bombs” and such don’t make sense. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-bomb/422179/5 "2007-10-10T05:11:47Z")
I am pretty sure that is a fuel air bomb. The Russians recently tested a huge bomb of this nature that was widely reported as the “most powerful bomb”. > **[BBC NEWS | Europe | Russia tests giant fuel-air bomb](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6990815.stm)** > > The Russian military tests a giant fuel-air bomb which it says is the biggest non-nuclear device in the world. Too late should not have looked for topical link. ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-bomb/422179/6 "2007-10-10T05:29:16Z")
More about the US version: [Massive Ordnance Air Burst bomb](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOAB). There’s some mention and a linky or two about the Russian version, too. You need a fast connection to download the video, but here’s one about the MOAB: [Mother of All Bombs](http://www.metacafe.com/watch/306608/the_mother_of_all_bombs/) ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-bomb/422179/7 "2007-10-10T06:47:02Z")
[QUOTE=LiveOnAPlane] More about the US version: [Massive Ordnance Air Burst bomb](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOAB). There’s some mention and a linky or two about the Russian version, too. [/QUOTE] This is not the same thing as a Fuel-Air explosive. Both make big booms though. ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-bomb/422179/8 "2007-10-10T15:30:45Z")
Thermobaric and fuel-air explosives are two different things. Thermobaric explosives are fuel-rich, which results in combustion with atmospheric oxygen after the initial detonation. [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/thermobaric.htm](http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/thermobaric.htm) ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2007, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-bomb/422179/9 "2007-10-11T05:10:05Z")
Ah, well… Apologies all around, please go back to what you were doing… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-bomb/422179/10 "2007-10-14T11:41:12Z")
I believe that FAE weapons have been banned because the enemy may inhale some of the explosive gas before detonation.(its ok to blow them to bits but gassing is a no no) A pity really because its well useful in cave/tunnel complexes because the explosive reaches round corners and in to nooks and crannies that other bombs dont reach. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-bomb/422179/11 "2007-10-14T12:08:48Z")
News to me, an I would assume I would know. FAEs are legal AFAIK ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-bomb/422179/12 "2007-10-14T12:25:42Z")
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi] News to me, an I would assume I would know. FAEs are legal AFAIK [/QUOTE] Yes I wasn’t totally sure but a few years ago there were those who were trying to get it banned . I’m glad that they didn’t succeed.