High-explosive bombs are a universal type of bomb widely used in aviation. They are used to destroy various objects: from equipment and manpower, to structures, transport hubs, fortifications. The most widely used are 250-kg bombs of medium caliber FAB-250 of various modifications.
Development
With the development of aviation, its importance on the battlefield has increased significantly. The increase in the speed and carrying capacity of airplanes allowed the use of bombs of much greater power (compared with gliders of the First World War) and in sufficient quantities. Aircraft have become a significant force to be reckoned with.
In 1930, NIO-67 carried out serious work to unify domestic aerial bombs. Based on new standards, in the next two years, high-performance ammunition of small (FAB-100, 50), medium (FAB-250) and large-caliber (FAB-1000, 500) were developed. In 1934, the superheavy FAB-2000 was adopted. The numbers in the title indicate the weight of the ammunition (or warhead).
Modifications
From the mid-30s, mass production of high-explosive bombs began. However, soon the factories faced an acute shortage of metal. The metallurgical industry was not sufficiently developed and could not cover the shortage of steel and cast iron. In order to save money, design bureau No. 35 proposed to make buildings from the so-called thin-walled reinforced concrete. Thus, modifications of the FAB-1000 NG, FAB-500 NG, FAB-250 NG and FAB-100 NG appeared. Tests have shown their sufficient effectiveness, and in 1941 they were adopted.
In 1942-1943, in order to increase production volumes, they began to produce simplified-design air bombs, designated FAB-250 M43. The body was cast from cheap steel cast iron, and machining was reduced to a minimum. Due to the lack of machine tools and qualified personnel, threaded connections were cut only for fuses, and at less critical positions, coarse threads were formed by casting.
Shortly before the end of the war with Germany, the development of more powerful and efficient high-explosive high-explosive fragmentation bombs was completed. They were assigned the OFAB index. When falling from 2 km, OFAB-100 formed a funnel 4.3–4.8 m wide, and flying fragments hit people within a radius of 50 m, while they even stitched 30–40 mm armor with nearby equipment.
These types of bombs are still widespread today. Various types of fab caliber from 100 to 9000 kg are used.
Operating principle
High-explosive bombs trigger fuses of contact instant or delayed action. FAB-250 contact bombs are used to damage objects located on the surface of the earth. The slow-motion system is used if you want to hit a certain target from the inside (for example, inside buildings) or an object buried in the soil (bunker, dugout, ammunition depot, etc.). If the warhead explodes underground, a seismic shock is added to the damaging factors, enhancing the energy of the explosion.
By the way, the FAB can be slowed down not only by minutes, but even by hours and days. In this case, they play the role of delayed mines. If you install special sensors, then the bombs will detonate only after certain events. For example, vibration sensors monitor the strength of vibration. If it reaches a threshold value when approaching a train or armored vehicles, detonation will occur, and the ammunition will explode. To make the FAB harder to neutralize, they are equipped with anti-seizing devices.
Efficiency
High-explosive bombs are not in vain considered universal. They have several factors of defeat:
- The effect of explosion products (explosives).
- Defeat by fragments of the body.
- Shock wave (air, tectonic, water).
These factors are enough to damage and destroy equipment, buildings and structures, bridges, railways, manpower, bunkers, fortifications, dugouts, etc.
As a rule, conventional aerial bombs are not equipped with a control part. They move according to the principle of free fall, gradually gaining speed. Therefore, the accuracy of the FAB-250 and other types is determined by the experience of the flight crew, weather factors and the effectiveness of the aiming system. Modern Russian new generation sighting systems provide very high accuracy, sometimes comparable to guided bombs.
Technical characteristics FAB-250
This type of bomb has the following characteristics:
- Total weight - 250 kg.
- Explosive weight - 99 kg.
- Length - 1589 mm.
- Diameter - 285 mm.
- The damage zone is 28 m (strong), 56 m (weak) and 112 m (light).
Prospects
The latest modification of the FAB was introduced in 1962. Since then, much more efficient types of bombs have been developed. Modern armored vehicles withstand the hit of light and medium high-explosive ammunition. However, in warehouses there are a large number of them.
Large-caliber fabs are actively used in local conflicts. For example, the USSR widely used the FAB-9000 modification in Afghanistan, which was dropped from Tu-16 bombers. However, as analysis of the application showed, their effectiveness was not very high. Despite a spectacular explosion, the guaranteed zone of defeat of the enemy did not exceed 60 m, shell-wounds received live force in a radius of up to 225 m. The thick-walled ammunition FAB-1500TS and FAB-2600TS caused much more damage.
Today, thick-walled FAB-250TS remain relevant. Their solid body is made of high density alloy steels. They have a massive warhead, and there is no socket for a fuse, which makes them incredibly durable. Due to these characteristics, they are used to undermine fortified defensive structures, concrete objects (for example, runways), reinforced concrete shelters, etc. They easily penetrate meter-long concrete floors.