Russian thermobaric "vacuum bombs" launcher seen by CNN team in Ukraine

[Uncle Joe]

A Russian thermobaric multiple rockets launcher has been spotted by CNN team south of Belgorod, Russia, near the Ukrainian border early Saturday afternoon.

The TOS-1 or TOS-1A Multiple Rocket Launcher seen by CNN is capable of launching rockets with thermobaric warheads.

There is no evidence that thermobaric weapons have been used in the conflict in Ukraine.

These types of weapons do not use conventional ammunition. Instead, they are filled with high-temperature, high-pressure explosive. They are sometimes called “vacuum bombs” because they suck in the oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a powerful explosion and a large pressure wave that can have enormous destructive effects.

(snip)

https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-news-02-26-22/h_0050ad4a0b55a2fdd9753d00b44efc40

[Pachamama]

1. War Crimes

May Putin burn

[marie999]

6. Is using a thermobaric weapon a war crime?

The UK has used them in Syria.

[JanMichael]

9. Like Napalm probably only a war crime if intentionally used on civilians.

[lapucelle]

11. It was Assad who used Russian-supplied thermobaric weapons in Syria.

[marie999]

21. The UK admitted that they did, after a report was leaked.

[lapucelle]

23. Why insert what the UK did years ago into a discussion of what Putin may be planning for Ukraine?

Isn't that what people call "whataboutism"?

For someone doesn't "know anything about geopolitics", you seem well-informed.



https://www.democraticunderground.com/117814759#post13

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The "answer" you propose is ... interesting.

[marie999]

24. I was only answering the question about is it a war crime. Other countries use them too.

Not well informed enough to know that Putin would do something really stupid. That is not the Putin that took power in 1999.

[lapucelle]

25. How could you be answering the question when you were the poster who asked the question?

Up thread #6.

[marie999]

27. I didn't answer my question, I just said the UK had used them.

As far as I know, it would depend on how they were used to determine if it is a war crime.

[lapucelle]

28. You asked if using these weapons was a war crime. Then you said you posted about the UK to answer

the war crime question you, in fact, had asked.

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Russia has a decades-long history of deploying thermobaric bombs in Afghanistan, Syria, and in Russia itself. Why not ask if those instances were war crimes?

Why mention the UK at all? It rather muddies the waters, given that the present discussion involves what Putin might be planning right now rather than what might have happened years ago in another part of the world.

And why would one even ask the question if one already knew that the answer would depend on "how they were used"?

[Pachamama]

19. Yes I Do

[Maraya1969]

2. Can they be destroyed if someone drops a bomb on them?

[Uncle Joe]

3. Yes

[uponit7771]

4. Putler is planning on doing a Fallujah, he doesn't care ... he's a nut case

[femmedem]

5. Oh no.

CNN knows right where it is. If that isn't worth sending in manpower to destroy it, I don't know what is.

[ProfessorGAC]

7. CNN Needs To Cancel The Contracts...

...of any military or weapons consultants.
Because they're not "vacuum" bombs and the don't work by "sucking air" in from the outside.
The use a venturi to help get a fuel/air mixture of about 10% as they descend slowly to create a flammable cloud. Creates what fire safety experts call a BLEVE. (Boiling Liquid/Evaporating Liquid Explosion)
A charge less than a hand grenade triggers the blast.
There's no "vacuum" sucking in surrounding air.
If the advisors are telling the reporters that, they need to have their contract terminated.

[Uncle Joe]

8. I hear you Professor,

nonetheless they would be some exceptionally brutal weapons against masses of people whether civilian or military.

[ProfessorGAC]

13. It's A Terrible Weapon, Indeed

For any given size device, only nukes do more destruction.
I was at a BLEVE demonstration in the New Mexico desert about 15 years ago.
One of the tests was ethylene oxide. 50kg of ethylene oxide dispersed using a pump through an aspirator was set off with 6" of primacord. (About enough to pop the windows out of car.)
The fireball was 400-450' in diameter. We felt the concussion & the radiant heat from around 500 yards away.
Nasty weapon.

[gldstwmn]

12. That's kind of what this looks like:

Link to tweet

?t=PL5reEQZH0VwaYKENU9j3A&s=19

[ProfessorGAC]

14. Yes! I've Seen Them

With my own eyes. I did a fair amount of work in the chemistry of detonation & the manufacture of detonatable organics.
My involvement in the latter was in reaction rate control to make the synthesis safer.
But, in that area, one gets to know a lot of people who actually use these compounds, both civilian & military.
The stockpile I saw were big ones. Around 1,500kg of EO in each device. That would make one heck of a bang!
As I said above, I saw an intentionally detonated BLEVE of about 110# of EO.
Quite the blast.

[PCIntern]

20. Your competence and experience is a blessed relief to read...

Thank you. I’m tired of know-nothing amateurs who pontificate upon subjects of which they have no working knowledge.

I deal with them everyday in my job. Frustrating….

[WarGamer]

10. For those who are curious:

[BGBD]

15. It's a great target

Spend a day with everyone talking about these terrible weapons coming in and the next day have video of it smoldering, overturned in the street would be pretty great propoganda. It would be one of my top targets if I were in the Ukrainian military.

[Uncle Joe]

16. I agree BGBD

but you have to be careful/shrewd about it because they're heavily guarded.

[BGBD]

17. Good thing Ukrainians

and Russians look exactly alike. Sure would be a shame if th Ukrainians managed to get their hands on some Russian uniforms....

[Uncle Joe]

18. Yep,

that could get confusing...

[marie999]

22. Anyone from either side caught in the others uniform can be shot as a spy.

[Uncle Joe]

26. That's true