Russians start installing vacuum bombs on Shahed drones – media

Russia has begun to use thermobaric warheads on Shahed-136 attack drones en masse, which pose a much greater threat in attacks on buildings.

Source: Defense Express

Quote: "The existence of this [thermobaric warhead – ed.], index TB BCh-50, has been known since April 2024, but right now, drones attacking Ukrainian cities use this equipment most often."

Details: Details of this munition are known thanks to the hacking of servers in Alabuga in Tatarstan, where these drones are assembled and modernised. According to this information, the TB BCh-50 weighs 52.4 kg, which, in addition to the thermobaric effect, also has a fragmentation effect due to 2,306 ready-made striking elements in the form of 9-mm diameter balls.

This thermobaric weapon is a modern model with a single-stage effect. The previous generation of such munitions had a two-stage effect – first it filled the space with an explosive substance, and then it detonated.

However, in modern single-stage munitions, after the initiator is detonated, the shock wave causes the thermobaric mixture to move, interacting with air to form a cloud of fire with a temperature of 2400-2600°C. The blast wave spreads over the entire area and affects the lungs, ears, etc. of people nearby.

It is also noted that the thermobaric munition demonstrates maximum effectiveness in confined spaces, as the cloud can cover several rooms.

"That is why the Russian Federation is using Shaheds with TB BCh-50s for attacks on cities to kill the civilian population of Ukraine. And that is why Kyiv is primarily under attack from Russian-Iranian drones," the article says.

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