Explained: What Is Vaccum Bomb That Ukraine Claims Russia Is Using And How It Works

The Ukrainian ambassador to the US has accused Russia of using cluster bombs and vacuum bombs on Ukrainians as the war rages in and around Kyiv. Oksana Markarova said that a vacuum bomb ¨C another term for the weapon ¨C had been used during the invasion.

The weapons have been condemned by a variety of international organisations including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. The organisations said that Russian forces appeared to have used widely banned cluster munitions, with Amnesty accusing them of attacking a pre-school in northeastern Ukraine while civilians took shelter inside.

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The use of such weapons, which suck in oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion, has yet to be independently confirmed, though footage from Ukraine has shown thermobaric rocket launchers on Russia¡¯s TOS-1 vehicles. Dr Marcus Hellyer, senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said while it was not clear if they had been deployed yet by Russia in Ukraine, it was only ¡°a matter of time¡±.

What is a vaccum bomb?

With the advancement of technology and the fast-paced nature of warfare, weapons have been upgraded too. While most weapons rely on explosives to throw metal fragments to destroy targets, a new class of ammunition is focussing on blast as their primary output.

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Thermobaric weapons are one such tool that uses the effects of temperature and pressure on the target. A vacuum bomb, or thermobaric weapon, sucks in oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion, typically producing a blast wave of a significantly longer duration than that of a conventional explosive and is capable of vaporizing human bodies.

How does it work?

Also known as an aerosol bomb, it is a two-stage munition with the first charge distributing aerosols made up of very fine material from a carbon-based fuel to tiny metal particles. The second charge ignites that cloud creating a shock wave sucking up the oxygen and making a vacuum around its target. Experts have warned that the blast wave of a vacuum bomb lasts significantly longer than traditional explosives.

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Why is it banned?

The blast wave can last for significantly longer than a conventional explosive and is capable of vaporising human bodies. Such weapons are used for a variety of purposes and come in a range of sizes. Hellyer says what we may see in Ukraine is Russia using them in a ¡°bunker-buster¡± role to destroy defensive positions. Extremely large, air-launched versions are designed to destroy caves and tunnel complexes.

How dangerous are they?

Hellyer said thermobaric weapons were effective at their ¡°specific purpose¡± of ¡°primarily destroying defensive positions¡±. While they would not be used to penetrate a tank, they could be a ¡°very destructive weapon¡± against an apartment complex or other building.

¡°They are not illegal even though their effects can be pretty horrific, because of that effect of creating a vacuum and sucking the air out of the lungs of defenders,¡± he said.

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Given their use is ¡°pretty standard¡± in terms of Russian tactics, Hellyer said he expected to see more thermobaric warfare in Ukraine. ¡°One of the things we know about Russian tactics is that they are willing to destroy everything.

¡°It¡¯s clear that the Ukrainians are hunkering down in some of the cities ¡­ as that continues the Russians are going to resort more and more to using ¡­ whatever weapons they have including thermobaric weapons in built-up urban areas.¡±

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