Air blast

Firearms and missiles

The history of the creation of technology for detonation of shells in the air began in the XVIII century. Henry Shrapnel about 1780, as an officer in the British army, created a projectile that could explode in the air in order to increase the effectiveness of shells with buckshot , common at that time. These shells were widely used during the Anglo-American War of 1812 and also remained in service until the First World War . An air gap was used in shells to destroy enemy manpower. The charge detonated from above, above the infantry positions, dropping a hail of shrapnel balls on it, which contributed to the destruction of more soldiers with one shell. However, shrapnel became ineffective when the enemy used trenches to shelter, then such shells were used to defeat field fortifications and infantry in open spaces. During the First World War, shrapnel shells were replaced by more effective fragmentation grenades ^[7] .

Among modern shells, you can still find samples using shrapnel as the "filling". An example of such a projectile is the M1028 Shotgun, used in the American M1A1 and A2 Abrams tanks ^{[8] [9]} . Another example is cluster munitions , which also use the principle of shrapnel shell ^[10] .

During World War II , a radio fuse was invented, which was controlled by the Doppler radar inside the shell of the projectile and initiated detonation when the projectile was at the required distance to the target, which significantly increased the effectiveness of such shells ^[11] .

Also, some anti-personnel mines of that time were equipped with air-gap weapons, an example of such a mine is the S-mine anti-personnel mine , nicknamed by the American soldiers "Bouncing Betty". Such mines, when in contact with them, threw the main projectile up, which exploded at a level of about one meter above the ground, thereby increasing the radius of the explosion and the damage caused by detonation , shock wave and fragments ^[12] .

During the Vietnam War, the United States made extensive use of air-launched shells to defend its ground bases, using the so-called Killer Junior tactics when using shells from 105 to 155 mm and Killer Senior .. "The senior killer" ), when shells of larger caliber were used ^[13] .

More modern examples of such shells can serve as the VOG-25P “foundling”, which is a 40mm fragmentation grenade containing a secondary charge that ejects the main charge 1.5 meters above the level of the projectile’s contact point with the target before the main charge detonates, which makes it possible to more efficiently hit an enemy lying or in a trench ^[14] and its American counterpart M397A1 Airburst. Air explosion technology is also used in phosphoric ammunition ^{[15] [16]} and in volumetric explosion ammunition to increase the radius of destruction ^[17] . Air-gap shells are also used as defensive measures in anti - ballistic and air defense installations, ^[18] a also in non-lethal weapons ^[19] .

Nuclear Weapons

The term atmospheric explosion is mainly used for nuclear weapons, instead of air, since the latter is a subspecies of an atmospheric nuclear explosion . An atmospheric explosion usually occurs at a distance of 100m to 100,000m from the surface of the earth. This method of detonation is used to increase the power of damaging factors , as well as to reduce the radioactive contamination of the area . The hot core of the charge does not touch the ground during the explosion, thereby reducing the number of fragments and debris that evaporate from high temperatures and are collected in a radioactive cloud , which reduces the latter in size. The cloud rises to a great height, is carried away by the wind and disperses over a large space. As a result of this, radioactive contamination is possible only around the epicenter of the explosion ^[20] . During an air explosion, a shock spherical wave reaches the earth's surface and is reflected from it. At a certain distance from the explosion epicenter, the fronts of the reflected and incident waves merge, as a result of which a head wave with a vertical front is formed, propagating along the earth's surface, which increases the strength of the blast wave ^[21] .

In 1945, the United States dropped 2 nuclear charges on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki , which were blown up using atmospheric explosion technology, ^[22] to increase the destructive power and reduce radioactive contamination , since soon after the discharge of charges the United States planned to send troops to these cities ^{[ 23]} .

In 1961, the USSR tested the AN602 hydrogen bomb at the Novaya Zemlya training ground , which was later called the Tsar Bomb and became known as the world's most powerful thermonuclear bomb. This bomb was also detonated by atmospheric explosion technology, at a distance of 4000 m above the target ^[24] .

Depending on the types of shells and the goals set, in operations , air-gap shells are used both against infantry in open spaces or in shelters, and against enemy air and ground equipment ^{[25] [26] [27]} .

In military operations using nuclear weapons, the use of an air explosion is necessary primarily for the destruction of ground and surface targets, for the incapacitation of radio communications, radar systems, as well as to reduce radioactive contamination ^[28] .

In civilian industry, air burst technology is widely used in fireworks and various non-military pyrotechnic installations of various types ^{[29] [30] [31]} .