Thermobaric Vacuum Bomb - BLU-118/B

the only problem with these videos is how loud the music is, i can barely hear your voice at times

I remember reading about that bomb. When it went off, suddenly there was a HUGE spike in cellphone use in Afghanistan, with Afghans asking "What was that?" and some speculating if it was a nuke.

Please, please cut back on the "DRAMA MUSIC" that accompanies the video. Very irritating! Other than that I enjoy your work.

People angry that a bomb was "too lethal." Dear God, smh.

Thermobaric and FAB (fuel air bomb) are similar in that they both use available atmospheric oxygen to combust fuels. FAB's traditionally uses liquid fuels, while Thermobaric uses a dry fuel mix. Both types have been around for some time. Today the most powerful Thermobarics are MOAB (USA) and FOAB (Russia). Both type of bombs have advantages over typical high explosive munitions. Since high explosives need an oxidizer, 2/3 of weight is oxidizer. However, since FAB's and Thermobaric's use available oxygen, they can have 2/3 more explosive fuels (wet or dry). Both types have a 2 stage process to disperse then ignite the fuels after they mix with air. Since they use oxygen in the atmosphere, if they are used in enclosed spaces, they will use up all the oxygen. Enemy not killed outright from explosion can suffocate and die from asphyxiation. Both types produce a very high pressure initial blast wave. This pushes air out in all directions, creating a partial vacume. Temperatures within burning fuels can reach thousands of degree. A similar high pressure concussion is produced when air rushes back towards blast vacume. All bombs kill in similar fashion. Direct damage to body, damage to internal organs, damage to lungs, damage to brain. Many times, there are no external indications of blast injuries, yet is just as fatal. Video was a little mislead. It named the right bomb, but showed MOAB in error. One weighs 1,927 lbs, the other 21,600 lbs. They have only dropped MOAB once on a target in war. It requires a cargo plane with a rear opening ramp to deliver. The other smaller bomb can be dropped by a number of different aircraft.

That thumbnail pic is an original FAE test from way back. It’s an iconic picture. Amazing camera work back then. It was much harder than now.

Worked alongside one of the ex Royal Marines who was part of the clearance team sent into that cave complex to ferret them out. It all got very medieval inside that labyrinth. To say he was disturbed by what he had been sent to do (and very successfully completed) is an understatement. His head will never recover and in dark moments he's still underground completing that task hand to hand. Not clear how many they killed but a bit of him died in those caves. Brave lad.

Cutt the music down........then we can hear the commentary properly.......🙄🙄

Penetrating six feet of concrete is old hat. By the end of WW2, seventy odd years ago, there were bunker busters that would penetrate sixTEEN feet of reinforced concrete.

Thumbs up to the lady from Vietnam. We need more people like you in the wars to come.

The music is too loud. Couldn’t understand the narration

Too many ads never watching this channel ever again

And despite the brilliance and ginormity of the bawm the guys in the sandals won. Worth thinking about eh?

Dear Dark Tech, I served as an air munitions specialist (MOS/AFSC-46270) in the USAF for nearly 7 years and we NEVER referred to the BLU as "blue". We called them "Bee-El-You", just like each letter is said. I loaded hundreds of BLU-1Bs in Vietnam and elsewhere and I know no one who ever called them "blue".

Wow! This is your best video ever! Thank you so much.

Your documentaries are the history we are never told I am near 50 and I never knew some of this stuff and I like that I can go investigate further this is what schools need to have in the classroom and we need more of this stuff about all parts of history amazing content it's good and factual keep up the good work

Thermobaric weapons have been used for a long time. Russians used them in Afghanistan in the '80's, as both aircraft and man portable rocket launchers. The U.S. used them in Desert Storm. The difference between those weapons, and this one, is the penetration vessel. The others, with a couple exceptions, are intended for out door use. If it looks kind of like a nuke going off, but no radiation, thermobaric weapon.

I’m glad you put a big red circle and a big red arrow pointing at the missile I wouldn’t have seen it otherwise

Thank you for the great content. I very much enjoy your productions on so many topics.

Amazing to see it in action. You can watch the air move. Wild stuff.