3 of Russia’s most fearsome weapons of destruction that have never been in war

1. “Father of Bombs”

In April 2017, the US Air Force dropped a GBU-43 bomb, dubbed the “Mother of All Bombs” (MOAB), to destroy Islamic State (IS) militants hiding in caves. in the mountains of Nangahar, eastern Afghanistan. This is the most powerful conventional bomb in the US arsenal.

Russia also has a similar bomb, but 4 times more powerful than the US MOAB super bomb, with a destructive power equivalent to about 40 tons of TNT. This so-called “Father of All Bombs” (FOAB) has twice the damage range of the MOAB.

The FOAB bomb has great destructive power thanks to the use of thermobaric technology. This technology uses the air around the center of the explosion to trigger a reaction that ignites the fuel, instead of injecting an oxidizing agent into the bomb. Not having to stuff more oxidants gives the bomb more space to store more explosives, creating a super-strong, super-heated shock wave that can vaporize everything around the center of the explosion.

The FAOB bomb has a two-stage detonation mechanism. A special smaller detonator will be activated first, spreading the flammable fuel around in a cloud shape to mix with the air. Then a special explosive block weighing more than 7 tons is activated, igniting almost all the surrounding air, creating a large fireball and a powerful shock wave that destroys the target.

Unlike MOAB bombs, FOAB bombs have only been tested by Russia but have not been put into combat on the battlefield, so its actual destructive power is still a controversial topic.

2. Sarmat . Intercontinental Ballistic Missile

The RS-20V Voevoda intercontinental ballistic missile (NATO designation SS-18 Satan) was once considered the largest and most feared strategic missile in the world. With a weight of nearly 210 tons, Satan can carry 10 nuclear warheads with a yield of 750 kilotons.

However, Russia has planned to replace Satan with the Sarmat strategic intercontinental ballistic missile and enter full service at the end of the START III Treaty in 2021.

Sarmat is twice lighter than Satan but is capable of carrying up to 17 independent nuclear warheads with a yield of 300 kilotons each. Moreover, these warheads do not use the usual parabolic trajectory, but use an independent guidance system to attack many different targets. They can redirect themselves during reentry to avoid being intercepted by enemy missiles.

3. Armor “Terminator”

Armored BMPT Terminator (Terminator) began to be researched and developed by Russia after the first Chechen war, when the Russian army suffered heavy losses in both people and vehicles from the decisive resistance. of the separatist rebels. The cause of these losses is considered to be the lack of an effective means of combat against infantry by the Russian army.

Built with the purpose of “sweeping” the fortified bases of enemy infantry in all combat environments, the BMPT is equipped with a powerful and diverse weapon system.

The BMPT turret is equipped with 2 dual-barreled automatic cannons 2A42 30 mm (850 rounds) with a rate of fire of up to 200 rounds per minute, which can fire many different types of ammunition.

Next to the two main cannons are 4 Ataka-T remote-controlled anti-tank missile launchers, which can fire a variety of warheads, including HEAT shells to destroy targets with explosive reactive armor. Thanks to the use of a variety of warheads, the BMPT is said to be capable of destroying all types of tanks, fortified positions, as well as low-flying enemy helicopters.

In addition, BMPT also owns 2 AG-17D grenade launchers (600 rounds) and a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun capable of extremely powerful sweeping to destroy infantry sheltering in fortified fortifications.