A furious and aggressive Vladimir Putin has threatened to use 'Father of All Bombs' against Ukraine if required. But what is this 'Father of all Bombs' that Russia boasts to be one of the most brutal weapons in its arsenal? Western officials warned on Friday that if Russia's assault on Ukraine comes to a halt, it could resort to barbaric superweapons that can vaporize corpses and crush internal organs.
To put it in simple words, it's a massive non-nuclear 44-ton TNT bomb that has the potential to cause significant devastation in a 300-kilometer radius. The threat comes as intense fighting continues in Kyiv, with Russian tanks fast taking over control of the city.
Putin's Big Threat
According to claims in the British media, Putin intends to unleash the 'Father Of All Bombs' in his battle against Ukraine. The Russian President has authorized its use as part of his "shock and awe" campaign, according to military sources. And it poses a big threat given that it comprises high-power thermobaric weapons.
In Moscow's armored vehicle formations, self-propelled multiple rocket launcher systems (MLRS) are a familiar sight. They are armed with a variety of weapons, the most common of which are enormous arrays of semi-guided rockets designed to demoralize a target with a barrage of explosions. Some, on the other hand, are far more sinister.
Here comes the thermobaric weapons, with the 'Father of all Bombs' being the most lethal.
Thermobaric weapons, often known as vacuum bombs, are high-powered explosives that incorporate the atmosphere into the explosion. According to experts, It's one of war's most brutal weapons. It pulls oxygen out of the air. Most damage is inflicted by a supersonic shockwave and extremely high temperatures.
The resulting blast is second only to a nuclear bomb. They are some of the most potent non-nuclear weapons ever devised.
The destructive weapon is dropped from a plane and detonates mid-flight, producing effects akin to a tiny tactical nuclear weapon. Russia developed FOAB in 2007. It's said to be four times more powerful than the United States' Mother Of All Bombs.
Bigger and More Powerful
In the 1960s, both the United States and the Soviet Union developed thermobaric weapons. Much like Russia, the 'Mother of All Bombs' is owned by the United States. The MOAB, which was dropped by the United States on the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2017, weighed 21,600 pounds and exploded six feet above the ground, leaving a crater more than 300 meters (1,000 feet) wide.
However, the US government refused to the number of people killed in the blast.
However, much earlier, in September 2007, Russia launched the world's largest thermobaric weapon, resulting in a 39.9-ton explosion. The U.S. version of the weapon reportedly costs over $16 million each.
The bomb generates a high-temperature explosion by consuming oxygen from the surrounding air, making it significantly more lethal than a traditional weapon.
Similarly, China has also built a bomb to counter the 'Mother of All Bombs' that the US possesses. Xian H-6K, the bomb, was tested in China in 2019. According to Chinese authorities, the Xian H-6K is capable of destroying any building or military base.
While Russian special troops have reached Kyiv's outskirts, the bulk of Russia's heavy equipment is thought to be more than 50 kilometers away. Western officials have stated that if Russia seizes Kyiv, it will assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his ministers.
