Thermobaric Vacuum Bomb - BLU-118/B

US intelligence pointed to Osama bin Laden hiding in the mountains of Afghanistan within the cave complexes several hundred feet below the ground.
Then, in March of 2002, the Department of Defense and the United States Air Force unleashed their newest weapon on top of the al-Qaeda and Taliban forces.
Developed under unprecedented circumstances with scientist Nguyet Anh Duong at the helm, the BLU-118 B thermobaric bomb was built in a rush, ignoring most safety procedures and previous testing due to the urgency.
Once it was finally ready, it proved so lethal that many experts believe it should have never been created at all.
But as tensions rose in the Middle East, the US forces nervously hoped that the thermobaric weapon would penetrate deep into the ground and destroy the cave complex once and for all…

[@folfielukather8083]

the only problem with these videos is how loud the music is, i can barely hear your voice at times

[@MrMontanaNights]

You mean besides the frequent mistakes and weird stock imagery/video that isn't really related to the topic. I still enjoy them anyways. Just fact check if something seems out of wack.

[@dimwitsixtytwelve]

I sometimes miss the old videos where it’s just subtitles to groovy music

[@martinmoore5335]

Exactly it's total background bullst

[@edwardhoulton8725]

Personally, it is because these videos are full of shit that idiots believe.

[@xrk2983]

But the music in the intro was nice

[@The_Dudester]

I remember reading about that bomb. When it went off, suddenly there was a HUGE spike in cellphone use in Afghanistan, with Afghans asking "What was that?" and some speculating if it was a nuke.

[@PoeticTwist]

Thermobaric vacuum bomb, or fuel air explosive, when dropped like a nuke, looks like one, but leaves no radiation.

[@jonothandoeser]

The International Community was *OUTRAGED!!!!!!*

[@The_Dudester]

@@jonothandoeser Oh well. So sad, too bad. Poke the bear with a stick and see what happens (it won't be pleasant).

[@knot289]

@@jonothandoeser and yet every red blooded American like myself, just sat back and smiled.

[@jonothandoeser]

@@knot289 Why did you smile? The WORLD has judged your weapon to be UNACCEPTABLE!.

[@Averitt13]

Thanks for the giant red arrow and circle in the thumbnail. I almost missed it without that.

[@Scaleyback317]

Worked alongside one of the ex Royal Marines who was part of the clearance team sent into that cave complex to ferret them out. It all got very medieval inside that labyrinth. To say he was disturbed by what he had been sent to do (and very successfully completed) is an understatement. His head will never recover and in dark moments he's still underground completing that task hand to hand. Not clear how many they killed but a bit of him died in those caves. Brave lad.

[@Baba_Bushida_Bando]

Udder Bull Shite.

[@SJR_Media_Group]

Thermobaric and FAB (fuel air bomb) are similar in that they both use available atmospheric oxygen to combust fuels. FAB's traditionally uses liquid fuels, while Thermobaric uses a dry fuel mix. Both types have been around for some time. Today the most powerful Thermobarics are MOAB (USA) and FOAB (Russia). Both type of bombs have advantages over typical high explosive munitions. Since high explosives need an oxidizer, 2/3 of weight is oxidizer. However, since FAB's and Thermobaric's use available oxygen, they can have 2/3 more explosive fuels (wet or dry). Both types have a 2 stage process to disperse then ignite the fuels after they mix with air. Since they use oxygen in the atmosphere, if they are used in enclosed spaces, they will use up all the oxygen. Enemy not killed outright from explosion can suffocate and die from asphyxiation. Both types produce a very high pressure initial blast wave. This pushes air out in all directions, creating a partial vacume. Temperatures within burning fuels can reach thousands of degree. A similar high pressure concussion is produced when air rushes back towards blast vacume. All bombs kill in similar fashion. Direct damage to body, damage to internal organs, damage to lungs, damage to brain. Many times, there are no external indications of blast injuries, yet is just as fatal. Video was a little mislead. It named the right bomb, but showed MOAB in error. One weighs 1,927 lbs, the other 21,600 lbs. They have only dropped MOAB once on a target in war. It requires a cargo plane with a rear opening ramp to deliver. The other smaller bomb can be dropped by a number of different aircraft.

[@peteryoung2070]

Thank you, Steven for a very informative explanation of the ordinance.

[@mongeauxxx]

they have been using them since the mid 1960's. the daisy cutter is a liquid fuel variant they dropped in vietnam to clear landing zones for helicopters.

[@MardukTheSunGodInsideMe]

The page does rush to produce content and mistakes like this are made ALL THE TIME on here.

[@leonardmiyata482]

Dropping a large Fuel/Air explosive bomb to slide into a large cave complex before exploding would actually result in a reduced blast (less air for the fuel/air mix) but with a enhanced blast effect (as the tunnel restricts the shock wave, sort of like throwing a explosive change into a enclosed room) and a much longer burn time (more unburnt fuel left over from the initial explosion) to consume the oxygen in the cave complex. Keep in mind that no vacuum is generated during this burn because the consumed oxygen is replace by the fuel generated combustion products, so the description of a 'vacuum' bomb is false. Partial vacuum can be generated when the air from the initial explosion instantly starts to cool and contract. Blast effect is caused by the initially ignition moves through the air/fuel mix at supersonic speed (this is the difference between a explosive and a burn where the flame front does not exceed supersonic speeds with no shock wave generated from a supersonic wave front). If you are close enough to be effected by the air cooling vacuum, chances are that your internal organs have already been liquified from the initial blast. The blast effect is the same for conventional explosives. Its just that there is less fuel component since the oxidizer component must be contained in the original explosive.

[@dhirsch1975]

@@mongeauxxx BLU-82 I believe..... for the daisy cutter.

[@iambatkam]

Thermobaric weapons have existed since WW1 in some form. The US used them in Vietnam. The Soviets used them extensively in Afghanistan in the 1980's. The Chinese developed their own in the 1990's. The only thing "new" is this particular bomb, but the type of bomb it is and the mechanics behind it have been in use for over 100 years.

[@LuvBorderCollies]

Fuel-air devices were used liberally against the Communist forces that were starting to overwhelm Phnom Pehn in 1975. They took out large swaths of Khmer Rouge in open areas.

[@IrishRebel88]

People angry that a bomb was "too lethal." Dear God, smh.

[@alphazuluz]

I know. Unreal.

[@mattg4514]

I always wondered what happened to the singer of King Missile. So appropriate that he is doing narration for video documentaries about munitions that are detached, and then exploded. By the way, I am so glad that the three doctors had an intense discussion at 6:36. They really did great work there. Saved millions, and loved good wallpaper. That made me tear up.

[@mattwoodard2535]

I am very happy you included the history of Nguyet Duong. She is a remarkable lady. sm

[@nukiolbartes6279]

She shouldve worked on Agent Orange instead

[@blech71]

That thumbnail pic is an original FAE test from way back. It’s an iconic picture. Amazing camera work back then. It was much harder than now.

[@ballbby3775]

What's an FAE?

[@scothayes9220]

Thank you for the great content. I very much enjoy your productions on so many topics.

[@relic21ja]

Your documentaries are the history we are never told I am near 50 and I never knew some of this stuff and I like that I can go investigate further this is what schools need to have in the classroom and we need more of this stuff about all parts of history amazing content it's good and factual keep up the good work

[@hans-joachimbierwirth4727]

Reason is, it is a bunch of false claims illustrated by incoherent footage that doesn't reven show what he is claiming. This channel is truly a shitshow.

[@markcaswell715]

I’m glad you put a big red circle and a big red arrow pointing at the missile I wouldn’t have seen it otherwise

[@TomGrubbe]

Haha. I know right.

[@TonyAndersonMusic]

I really love your channel, but something in this video was off. The music was way too over-the-top and loud, and I didn’t really get to see much footage of the actual bomb exploding.

[@TheMrbear186]

I also feel like they could have explained what "thermobaric" is, or how it's extraordinary among bombs given that they used the word many times.

[@flavaflav7769]

the "actual" footage is probably 100% classified,,,,,

[@will4may175]

@Dino Sauro propaganda ?? wow even bots are thick as fk

[@will4may175]

I agree about the music, towards the end it got even louder, about the bomb though Putin has one similar except his is designed to explode above ground, which ever I don't want to be in either's range.

[@Spindal45]

Yeah, I kind of felt the same way. I believe it was the music, just didn't quite fit the script and was a little loud at times But I don't know if it was the propaganda that was involved or semi propaganda, Hell who knows anymore! I mean it's all BullShit an Propaganda, especially to those out there that think's it's propaganda. You know what I mean Captain CowBoy. I mean it's hard to teach people to get out of the rain when it doesn't rain, know what I mean. Well anyhow, y'all out there have a Blessed Day an enjoy what you have an daydream for what you don't have or work harder One, Over an Out

[@simonlinser8286]

this must be the thing that a teacher i had told me about, he was a marine. he said there was a bomb that could suck all the air out of an entire city so you would just instantly suffocate or closer to the actual bomb your lungs would collapse, but basically it does the same as a nuclear bomb but it leaves all the city intact and just kills all the people.

[@peeta9836]

Wow! This is your best video ever! Thank you so much.

[@Starfishscalemodeling]

Without that huge red arrow and circle in the thumbnail, I would not have known what the video is about.

[@freindlyspicerun4424]

The red circle and arrow should be utilized by the marines, god knows some of them need it

[@Choconillaaa]

I absolutely love the content that is produced here, however I feel as though this video missed the mark of what should be considered an acceptable quality. Blasting background music, typos, abnormally incorrect background footage, and mistakes in the information provided... I watch everything y'all make and love it which is why I feel it important to make note of such things. Please keep up the work that y'all are doing!

[@unholybees]

Sounds like you're nit picking on free content...just enjoy why complain

[@feellucky271]

I definitely agree brother that if it's worth doing it's worth doing well and you're going to have people say hey it's free content why are you crying well I'm crying because if it's worth doing it's worth doing well.

[@Choconillaaa]

@@unholybees See above.

[@PlayingPCGamesnStuff]

Do it yourself then?

[@blackphoenixfamily8477]

This is a very positive critique, and I also agree with this positive criticism. Appreciate you @Choconilla ...... to the naysayers STFU and quit looking at the world through a single, narrow lens. You focus on this comment being a criticism but not the type of. Ignoring the nuance and place that what is being conveyed, comes from.

[@jeffjankiewicz5100]

Liked your video so much, I watched it twice, now and 10 months ago. Outstanding mini-documentary. Well done.

[@GDoggProductions]

Love your style of editing 💯 keep it up!!!

[@Michael._The_Storyteller]

I have been hovering around entertainment industry for years, and you have one of the best voice-over artistes I've heard, it's difficult to convey information, with urgency and he does very well, but not all the time, every time I watch one of your videos I'm impressed with the research and writing, you guys have a good team, I'm starting my own channel, commenting on other channels, not to increase subs, more like why did you shoot that, and B-Roll is your friend, oh, btw, I did subscribe.

[@holyhero259]

You might want to look into periods and how to use them. Using nothing but commas makes your comment long winded

[@JoeGator23]

@@holyhero259 You might want to look into being a nicer person, especially since the comment was a compliment for our narrator. Your words go the other direction. Did you ever consider that maybe English could be their second language? I'm sure there are plenty of other things that you can't do well... including being a tolerant and pleasant person with enough discernible intellect to read between the harmless commas.

[@gowdsake7103]

Ummm its a stuttered forced strange inflection

[@oahuhawaii2141]

The info provided is incorrect as it contained a mix of data and images of very different weapons. Basically, a hodgepodge collection of anything massive, but non-nuclear, going BOOM near, on, or under the ground.

[@joecold8200]

YOU, SHOULD, ASK, HIM, OUT, BRO

[@PoeticTwist]

Thermobaric weapons have been used for a long time. Russians used them in Afghanistan in the '80's, as both aircraft and man portable rocket launchers. The U.S. used them in Desert Storm. The difference between those weapons, and this one, is the penetration vessel. The others, with a couple exceptions, are intended for out door use. If it looks kind of like a nuke going off, but no radiation, thermobaric weapon.

[@crazyscott2646]

They are always trying to rewrite history to their liking! I am over 50 and I watched the supposed 911 attacks and the supposed collapse of the north and south towers! And then building 7 after 8 hours of the supposed fires in the building! They the government of the United States of America killed all those people foe the ability to implement the Patriot Act!

[@M60A3]

I always wonder if there was a alternative to nuclear that would not leave radiations

[@einball]

@Dr. Bright I consider a nuclear weapon without *any* fallout a hoax.

[@russellmiller9222]

Neutron bomb has the blast of an a bomb radiation spread like a thermonuclear bomb

[@PoeticTwist]

@Dr. Bright Neutron bomb is the closest. But there is still radiation in there area. Supposed to decay quickly, though.

[@whiskeypapa8842]

Thank you to Dr. Nguyet Anh Duong for your contribution!

[@CoopCooper.]

Amazing to see it in action. You can watch the air move. Wild stuff.

[@supremereader7614]

Another great video! I would have been interested in hearing about how it releases it's energy specifically, also things like how far it initially penetrates.

[@notsoancientpelican]

not today, ISIS...not today...

[@mikebronicki8264]

He could tell you, but then he'd have to kill you.

[@amzarnacht6710]

I remember when they were testing some absolutely insanely huge fuel/air thermobarics when I was training for Desert Storm (1989). Some of them topped out at 15000lbs and had to be dropped from cargo transports rather than bombers. When they went off they would create a mushroom cloud and a knee bending shockwave through the ground five miles away. We never directly watched them tested, they was always a mountain ridge between our position and the test range, but even with that barrier it sounded like a 250lb bomb hitting a klick away. I don't know the composition, but scuttlebutt had it as a mix of fuels in a two stage setup. The first, largest, explosion would aerosolize the fuel - up to 15000lbs of it! - and a second incendiary detonation would ignite the fuel sucking all of the breathable air from a 'subterranean shelter network' more than a kilometer deep (i.e. 1000 meters or more of direct tunnel and ancillary volume, not tunnels 1000 meters below ground).

[@SJR_Media_Group]

Thank you. That would have been awesome to watch in person. Kind of makes us humans look rather small when you feel the blast and see a mushroom cloud thousands of feet tall.

[@michaelcaffery5038]

I saw a brief clip on tv, I think it may have been a promotional film by the weapons company, of something similar to what you describe. It was a big bomb dropped from a large aircraft. It fell for a while then it exploded scattering aerosol containers fizzing out dark fuel droplets, creating an umbrella of fuel/air mixture over the target. Then there was another flash and the whole thing ignited.

[@SJR_Media_Group]

@@michaelcaffery5038 Thanks, definitely an air burst bomb type (FAE, TBX, and others) It is amazing the precision required to disperse, then ignite split second later. The munitions come in varying sizes from small, medium, large, and mutha frikin huge. Ask any woman, she will tell you size really does matter - LOL. (in bombs that is).

[@Jesusprayerwarriorbw]

Better living through chemistry

[@SJR_Media_Group]

@@Jesusprayerwarriorbw Thanks... Better Living Through Better Chemistry depends on what side of Thermobaric's you are. Guys dropping them out back of C-130's love it, terrorists getting turned into red soup not so much. If it doesn't kill you instantly, be patient. Blast lung, blast brain, blast other internals are just now kicking in. Not a single mark outside body, mush inside.

[@thethpian]

If you're going to make a documentary about a thermabaric vacuum bomb you might want to explain what that is somewhere in the video. Also the fact that it can be used as an indiscriminate antipersonnel mass destruction weapon is relevant. Exploded above ground troops it uses so much oxygen that it suffocates anyone under and around the explosion.

[@daveyjones8969]

You know there's a whole bunch of extra air on earth that fills an empty void REALLY fast...

[@thethpian]

@@daveyjones8969 Not before your lungs escape your body.

[@daveyjones8969]

@@thethpian That's not suffocation, that's having your lungs blown out...and they would EXplode, not get sucked out of you with a thermobaric bomb. They create a positive pressure wave, bursting eardrums etc. I don't know what you think a "vacuum bomb" is but that's not how explosions work. They don't violently suck air IN, it's energy blasted OUT, in all circumstances.

[@randomyoutubecommentersecu7639]

Beautiful piece of tech that can handle bunkers and tunnel complexes. Frightening how good we are at making such complex weaponry and use our knowledge of maths, physics and chemistry in so many ways. Also the one in the video you talked about was MOAB , biggest thermobaric bomb of the U.S. which was used in Afghanistan on a deep underground complex tunnel system for the ISIS cell there as the target.

[@BrendyNew]

Jesus Christ can't even hear the voice.. music is blurring

[@ruthdilbeck2035]

There's two things: One of which was you pictured a bomb dropped by a Strike Eagle, and then some picture of a bomb dropped out of a cargo plane, which was the Moab. Was the Moab supposed to be the same thing, only obviously bigger? Years ago there was a Scientific American article about an implosion bomb, but I thought it was more of a shaped charge kind of thing. I seem to recall that for nuclear weapons there is the blast pressure followed by an inward wind to fill the void caused by the explosion. Is this one two punch kind of thing what earned the vacuum name?

[@anest-uk]

Agreed. Confused reporting.

[@davidwright4869]

I believe that the mother of all bombs AKA M.O.A.B. is a fuel air bomb... So not the same. Welcome to declassified with redactions...that is the reports we get on this channel. Much info will never be declassified.

[@russellmiller9222]

I’m guessing one has more of that 135 shit

[@thokim84]

Thermobaric is literally hot air pressure. Anywhere you have an explosion that displaces the air in the environment, you will get a rebound of air back into the displaced area. This pressure differential at the mouth of a cave system will probably ring if not collapse the heads of anyone inside the cave, though delta-p in the right circumstances can vaporize its victims too.

[@texasranger24]

The moab is very big boom, as the name suggests. The blu118b is a penetrator bomb, so a smaller bomb and smaller boom, but after punching through a lot of stones or concrete.

[@worldofnavy]

Love the way you present the content. ❤

[@WillCall_TRD]

My uncle was in the gulf war as a cryptologist (he’s weird smart) and would get all sorts of intel and video of things going on and when they fired these things into hillsides to “evict” al qeada from cave systems they went to check after and found many of them with their lungs sucked out through their mouths. They do not tell you the full damage capabilities of these things. My uncle has told me what some of our other missile and weapon systems can actually do and it’s horrifying😂

[@rickymeadows5176]

Nicely narrated & researched. The narrator has a voice dialog & technique that keeps it intense & not boring like many documentaries .

[@whiplash3kilo756]

Piss poor research and presentation actually. Music overpowered the oratory. The facts in this were bad data.

[@kentneumann5209]

I love brutal honesty.

[@rajatdani619]

Every time u are talking about Thermobaric Bombs U are showing Moab. Although similar role but the Moab can't be carried by F15e strike eagle. Moab was carried only by C130's.

[@UNKNOWNPERSON-kk9kd]

My idea of "urban renewal" involves heavy application of this type of bomb.

[@lesgrossman4636]

Good thing you put the massive arrow with the big red circle around that cloud in the thumbnail; I never would’ve noticed that

[@awilson2385]

It's a big Daisy Cutter with a penetrator. Daisy Cutters, aka Commando Vault, (thermobaric weapons) were first used in 1970 in Vietnam for producing helicopter landing zones in heavy jungle. The 15,000 lb. BLU-82 was dropped from a C-130, being too large for conventional bombers to carry and would clear a 260 ft diameter circle. Far from "new" tech. HMX (octogen, C4H8N8O8) is a dry explosive, in contrast to the GSX in the BLU-82, but otherwise the same principle and delivery, just bigger. The BLU-82 creates a 1000 psi overpressure at ground zero, sufficient to shear an 8 ft diameter tree at the base. Called "Daisy Cutter" because with the 38" standoff detonator it would clear the above mentioned helicopter LZ without making a crater.

[@shawnmiller9381]

Makes sense since the creator was a formerly Vietnamese.

[@Oz_Darkr1d3r]

Nguyet Anh Duong is a national hero she came to america embraced this country for what it is and fought for this country even if she didn't fight on the frontlines. She is a true american!! 🇺🇲

[@Unami0929]

Yes!

[@mmdirtyworkz]

Cute when she can ignore mass murders and war crimes committed by the US upon her own country. She is truly brainwashed to perfection!

[@christianworthinton8000]

Rubbish! She was propagandized into believing something that wasn't true!

[@Oz_Darkr1d3r]

@@christianworthinton8000 you're entitled your opinion. Im entitled to mine she stood with democracy and not communism! Don't like it comment somewhere else.

[@christianworthinton8000]

@@Oz_Darkr1d3r Yes, I can comment whatever/wherever I like. The fact you are trying to control the script shows your Communist tendencies...

Can you make a video about how the haarp weapon is found and how it works?

[@staben22]

The music in the beginning is FRIGGIN' AWESOME

[@EtherFox]

Just an opinion but since it's a newsmedia term, I think the title should put "vacuum" in quotes to emphasize that it's not an official term or part of its intended design.

[@bigiron4018]

It is definitely an accurate descriptor though, it does create a substantial low pressure area. So if you put that in quotes, you’d also have to say “vacuum” cleaner. Doesn’t matter if it’s intended or not.

[@ChrisG1392]

it really absolutely is part of the design though. it creates a vacuum before explosion

[@miamijules2149]

Lolol as they do with literally every damn thing

[@speedycpu]

@@ChrisG1392 No, it doesn't. The first charge disperses the fuel in an atomized form, the second charge ignites it. There is no way it creates any kind of low pressure area during any of those events. You can even see it in endless high speed footage of bursts. Dispersal of fuel, ignition, shockwave.

[@Horus2Osiris]

Millenials... try burning fuel in a vacuum, Duhr....

[@Boric78]

Thumbs up to the lady from Vietnam. We need more people like you in the wars to come.

[@Hydrosized]

Yes I watch every and share many of the various “Dark” series videos. The main criticism is that the music is too loud.

[@berylrosenberg704]

Sounds very similar to the formulation for the SSB's used by the Orion rocket?

[@wesleyhobbs2332]

I talked to a navy corpsman attached to a marine division during the original desert storm in the 90's. He said they used cargo planes, specifically the C-130, modified to drop what looked like a huge 55- gallon drum with fins attached at the ends, only many times bigger, that only one could be carried at a time. It would fall from the aircraft spewing fuel in a spiral type fashion in a specific pattern, then ignite the fuel. It would cause a MASSIVE rush of air creating an implosion that they felt even 10 miles away. It also created a mushroom cloud, prompting the commander to call base asking if they had missed the Jackrabbit call. Jackrabbit was the call sign to tell everyone to get the hell out, we were going nuclear. When they would arrive after to the areas the bombs were used on, he said you couldnt even tell how many it had killed as it ripped them into pieces, inside out. Arms here, lungs over there, etc. He said in all the warfare he ever saw, those scenes were the worst ever, even worse than nightmares. 20 years later, he could still see the remains when he closed his eyes and thought about it. It killed EVERYTHING, dogs, birds, bugs, plants, everything be it above ground, in an armored vehicle, or underground. 30 years later, we have them even bigger, more powerful than small hydrogen bombs. Scary sheet. But Russia supposedly has them too. I would hate to be in Ukraine right now.

[@Erin-Thor]

Truly horrific. Yet despite the negative aspects, it is effective.

[@tortor0782]

If only we could spend the same energy to fix the world instead of destroy it.

[@laumpolumpio]

Russia wouldn't use those kind of weapons against their own people, Ukranians are russians, the US on the other hand are capable of anything, I'm sure the US military won't hesistate using any kind of weapon, it was the US that used nuclear stuff in Japan after all...

[@laiimed6585]

One of the many crimes of the us

[@emillyyelen5169]

@@Erin-Thor what a pragmatic comment...

[@ke7eha]

The test video and thumbnail are not a thermobaric weapon, it is a FAE-II. A former colleague of mine worked on that program, and was at that particular test. This test was conducted at China Lake. The shock wave from that test turned the hardpan at the test site into loose powder. The shock wave also reflected off an inversion layer and broke windows out in town (specifically mentioned the old Albertson's).

[@bobsue3639]

I confirm

[@flightographist]

an FAE is by definition a thermobaric device: fuel rich with oxidizer still qualifies. versus, moab, foab, etc. which are advanced blast explosives with less to no oxidizer; each type is designed to create a high temperature over pressure shock wave.

[@ke7eha]

@@flightographist Thermobarics and FAE are two different classes of warheads with similar effects. My former colleague described thermobaric warheads as the poor man's FAE. The difference is that thermobaric fills contain some oxidizer (if only in the primary HE compound) and a metallic fuel. FAE carry no oxidizer, and must have a period of time to slow the fuel to mix with air before the cloud dets fire. From a technical and design perspective, it is a significant difference

[@triroo107]

Yep ….. bad boy weapon… NWC was the place to in the 80’s

[@ke7eha]

@@triroo107 it was still pretty interesting when I was there in the 2010's

[@jvond8921]

The first F-15A flight was made in July 1972, and the first flight of the two-seat F-15B (formerly TF-15A) trainer was made in July 1973. The first Eagle (F-15B) was delivered in November 1974. In January 1976, the first Eagle destined for a combat squadron was delivered. The single-seat F-15C and two-seat F-15D models entered the Air Force inventory beginning in 1979. Get your facts straight I worked on these.

[@RedHeadKevin]

LOL at the Air Force boss wagging his finger at the pilot

[@robertcanup4473]

Fuel air, or themobaric weapons have a characteristic two stage explosive output, first dispersion of the fuel in the air, then after mixing with the oxygen in the air, detonation. You can see this characteristic pattern in explosions in films from the Vietnam war where fuel air bombs were first used.

[@mikecrews2713]

Like napalm right?

[@Mark_Bickerton]

I'm confused, was it the MOAB or some other weapon designed to penetrate deep into the earth? I thought it was some other weapon, but we keep seeing images of the MOAB. Was that filled with the same stuff, but for detonation above ground? anyone clear this up? Edit, ha, I should have read the comments first, seems many other have the same issue!

[@gideonevans9717]

The MOAB is the same kind of weapon but on a larger scale

[@Dirtyharry70585]

MOAB used in the killing of terrorist, was in a harden case to aggressively penetrate the cave openings before detonation. As stated in one of the other comments the massive explosion sucks air out and then sucks air back in, for true affectively killing most humans in the process. If I remember there were earthquakes caused by the amount of tonnage dropped in this massive cave complex but of course we know somehow bin Laden left the area before it all took place probably leaked information but in the end he got his due hell

[@reynauldc984]

My understanding is MOAB = "Massive Ordinance, Air Blast", so it is designed to explode above the ground. The video footage is indeed confusing. They designed a ground and concrete penetrating bomb, using old 155mm artillery barrels as the casing, which was very effective, but I don't remember the designation or the particulars. Pretty sure it's not what this video was discussing though.

[@404-UsernameNotFound]

Plus, they say this was in 2002. The MOAB was dropped in 2017.

[@willo1345]

@@reynauldc984 Damn, I thought it stood for Mother Of All Bombs.

[@scottolnhausen4824]

I liked it but now I'm going to have to dig my bomb shelter way deeper. Lol

[@marineforces3214]

I would have liked to hear more about how the bomb works ❤️👀

[@lyfandeth]

Penetrating six feet of concrete is old hat. By the end of WW2, seventy odd years ago, there were bunker busters that would penetrate sixTEEN feet of reinforced concrete.

[@gibbsm]

I looked it up on a military site and it says "more than 6m (20ft.)".

[@cosmiccolonel]

The tall boy could go through over 4 meters, (if dropped from optimal height it would hit the ground at 750mph) while the grand slam could penetrate 6 meters……

[@elultimo102]

If we're bringing WW2 into it, a 16" navy battleship round could reportedly penetrate 37' of reinforced concrete.

[@lyfandeth]

@@elultimo102 News to me. Can you cite any source for that? It would be quite contradictory for the Brits to be working on bunker busters, if all they needed to do was drop a 16" warhead from the US inventory.

[@elultimo102]

@@lyfandeth I heard that 37' figure in my youth. I'm not sure if it was a war picture or a documentary, but I kind of have a B&W image associated with it. But that was for H.E. penetration, rather than thermobaric.

[@winstongludovatz111]

Thermobaric weapons were already developed by an Austrian scientist in WWII, of course not in the perfection of present day, but the principle was recognized and applied.

[@JosefSniper]

6:52 "Safe enough to make a real bomb" This made me laugh so hard.

[@46ice]

Careful with the video content ! Love the channel

[@mattstyles2498]

A weapons job is to be lethal. As long as its controlled so it avoids unnecessary civilian causalities and doesnt cause unnecessary and prolonged suffering. It's fine.

[@awwtergirl7040]

I think trouble starts when they eventually (and inevitably) do become used on civilians. In any war civilians become legitimate targets once it reaches a certain point of totality.

[@PlasticMacele]

@@awwtergirl7040 That is a salient point. That is why it is important to avoid war if at all possible, and the only way we as a species have figured out how to do that is to make the prospect of war so horrifying that nobody undertakes it e.g. MAD. As a second point, war doesn't have rules for the losing side. The Taliban have been using white phosphorus from the start, and that is against many international conventions.

[@mattstyles2498]

@@awwtergirl7040 then every weapon would be illegal in war

[@jambohoofgood3417]

Exactly, I've tried researching the media hype and terror about fuel air bombs, but the talking point is that ~'the splody is so strong that it's not safe to be hit by one', and I'm like, uhh, you know how bombs work, right?

[@WhatHappenedIn-vt3vq]

@@mattstyles2498 I get the point, but WMDs go both ways. Some people can be trusted with them more then others, but there's always a question if it will stay that way decades or centuries ahead and a even bigger question if the weapons might become standard use as more people hear about them

[@Totas-ej7pu]

Just to show the history of the vacuum bomb correctly: The first attempts occurred during the First World War when incendiary shells (in German 'Brand Granate') used a slow but intense burning material, such as tar impregnated tissue and gunpowder dust. These shells burned for approximately 2 minutes after the shell exploded and spread the burning elements in every direction.[22] In the Second World War the German Wehrmacht attempted to develop a vacuum bomb, using the Austrian physicist Mario Zippermayr. The Idea was not new and again the Germans was the first who had it.

[@mattiasheron]

albeeit they were the nazis.

[@waynebrown616]

@@mattiasheron facts are unemotional

[@rudedude1686]

The fact is that the Wehrmacht used thermobaric grenades or rockets in their Nebelwerfers and other platforms against Russian forces back in WW2. The story is (read it in several different books) they were trying these out and it had such devastating effects on human bodies an therefore the troops, Russians sent a message to the Germans that if they won't stop using these, they will retaliate with chemical weapons...

[@rudedude1686]

@@mattiasheron So? The whole West/NATO is supporting such groups with exactly the same ideology only in a different country this very moment, sending them money and weapons, giving their leader all kind of medals and stuff...but you felt obliged to mention something that happened more than 70 years ago?

[@billbob4243]

When great minds create, it's a game changer.

[@sandikennelly1357]

Imagine the space exploration possible if we could all just get along on earth.

[@charlesnelson5187]

And despite the brilliance and ginormity of the bawm the guys in the sandals won. Worth thinking about eh?

[@UpwindNova]

Please lower your music volume. It's hard to hear some of your words.

[@calvinnewborn8452]

So, someone hesitated.

[@KleptomaniacJames]

2:31 the most impressive thing in the video- a valid use of a goto statement. Bravo.

[@John_Redcorn_]

The big red bomb is a MOAB bomb. Its a traditional explosive, albeit very huge. And it sure as hell aint gonna be dropped by an F-15. Its dropped out the back of a cargo plane like the clip depicted. The thermobaric bomb mentioned here is smaller in size, but has “bunker busting” capability before it detonates. It then atomizes the air with an explosive mixture and when that mixture ignites it does two things: 1) it creates a huge blast wave and 2) it super heats the air, vaporizing everything in its path (well, everything that can be burned obviously).

[@saulgoodman7858]

Also, the part where oxygen gets sucked out of their lungs.

[@John_Redcorn_]

@@saulgoodman7858 not really. You’d be dead from the initial blast wave or the intense heat that followed. Whatever happens after that is moot: the damage has been done.

[@hughgrection3052]

I'd be curious to see how they actually work. I don't see it "sucking air" out of your lungs or oxygen. That would be like a nearby fire taking oxygen out of your lungs from across a room. I'm no expert, nor do I pretend to be one. But I have a guess as to how they work. I suspect they have two explosions. One just before impact. And it spreads the currently non flammable mix into the air above the ground so it can spread out and mix with the air. Then I'm guessing once the "stoichiometry" (the minimal mix of air/oxygen and fuel).. has mixed it then explodes and creates the larger blast. But I'm also guessing it consumes just the oxygen in the radius of where it mixed tho. So when I hear about it sucking oxygen out of tunnels I have a hard time wrapping my head around that. Many tunnels don't have a whole lot of oxygen there to begin with. Back in Vietnam days they invented some of the first air fuel bombs to destroy deeply tunneled enemies. They had to basically mix gas and oxygen and pump the tunnels full of it and blow them that way by pumping the explosive gas in and pushing regular air out. Anyways I'd like to see it explained some day

[@hughgrection3052]

@NaN that's what I said isn't it. I clearly said it can't "suck" anything. My theory is that the initial bomb goes off. It has just enough oxidizer in it to scatter the thermobaric mix. And as it expands it mixes with air, and then yes it too goes off. And as it does it spreads the rest even further and as it mixes with air it too goes off. So it makes for a long pressure wave bomb that don't need to carry it own oxidizer. And yes aluminum is used in flash powder, all sorts of things. Aluminum is just one of many termite metals than can be added to fuel them. Actually powder aluminum and fertilizer is basically what tannerite is. I was asking tho how it's said they can drain the oxygen out of a cave. Maybe the blast forces the mix down into them? I just don't see how it drains the oxygen from them without the mix ever getting down into them

[@hughgrection3052]

@NaN and my word stoichiometry is the exact name for the science of fuel air mix btw. It won't burn until the amount of anything is mixed. Like even flour can combust like a bomb. But you have to light it while it's hanging in the air just right. Anything that has carbohydrates can be made into a bomb of sorts this way thru stoichiometry

[@jmk1727]

Like others I too am a bit confused on the whole "thermobaric" bomb discussed vs. the footage of "MOAB" used in the video. Was that just for the B-roll to fill the screen or are you saying they are one in the same weapon? I tried looking at other comments to see if this was already answered but I didn't seem to find a good explanation at the time of me writing this. Love these 'Mini-Doc" you do and your other channel, thanks!

[@mechtheist]

Wow, I've perused wiki and it's strange it almost seems like it's trying to confuse this issue. It talks about MOAB in the thermobaric bomb entry but clearly does NOT say it is one. The MOAB entry never says it's a thermobaric bomb but mentions Russia's answer to MOAB, the mother of all bombs, was the 'father of all bombs', but that one IS thermobaric. MOAB uses 'composition H6' as its explosive, which if you look up says it's 44% RDX, 29.5% TNT, and 21% powdered aluminum. I think the aluminum is what makes it thermobaric-like even if not technically thermobaric. I'm just guessing, maybe a thermobaric bomb implies it's primarily the non-explosive bits that make the majority of the blast whereas MOAB the aluminum only enhances the size of the explosion.

[@fonzarelly8011]

@@mechtheist I just typed that 😂 the moab so old it was in a museum and mattes wanted it just 4 the name to be dropped on terrorists

[@jmk1727]

@@mechtheist yeah looking for "facts" "accuracy" "the truth" on wiki... 😳 I think I spotted your problem 🐃💩 😉

[@mechtheist]

@@jmk1727 Do you think what I said is way off? MOAB is a specific ordnance whereas 'thermobaric bomb' is a type, the MOAB may or may not be one. I was just curious and got more so after reading wiki. Wiki is pretty good in general, stuff like that isn't the kind that gets screwed up all that often.

[@mechtheist]

@@fonzarelly8011 It's not old, first tested 2003, not sure what you're talking about. That said, a bomb is a bomb, if it works, it'll be in inventory for a long time, hell, look at the B-52s that drop a lot of them.

[@Misthema]

I love it how "mass murder" is now called "anti-terrorism".

[@linkernick5379]

Marriage ceremonies is the deadliest threat to the American Democracy

[@jpgcne]

Dark Seas is still my favorite of your videos

[@BanditSix]

While your production value is as great as always, I felt like the background music was a bit loud and overwhelmed your voice a couple of times.

[@noahway13]

Wahhhh....

[@scottf6604]

thank you much. Distraction to say the least. Great channel, sometimes less is more.

[@daveripper]

Music way to loud, Awesome channel(s) tho 👍🏻

[@gibbsm]

agreed, I thought I had another tab playing music.

[@j24130]

Music was just fine for me

[@hughgrection3052]

I was working near Eglin AFB ages ago when they tested the MOAB there. And it shook everything. I was miles away and it still was awesome

[@russellking9762]

is that the ‘Daisy Cutter’…Coz i think thats what Zelensky needs right now

[@hughgrection3052]

@@russellking9762 I think the Daisy Cutters was slang for cluster bombs. But the MOAB is the mother of all bombs. At the time and possibly still is the largest thermobaric bomb. It has to be deployed with a AC130 cargo plane I think. They roll it out the back. They're huge

[@russellking9762]

@@hughgrection3052 Thanks for the clarification…Ukraine could use around a dozen right now…to slow up all this forward momentum from Russia

[@hughgrection3052]

@@russellking9762 I'm afraid even if they win, it's a temporary fix. That place is doomed to fight forever until they all wise up and unite. I wish USA didn't help provoke it all also. Alot of innocent people are suffering on both sides because of it. At this point all we can do is pray it's over asap. They need to quit allowing foreign influence and build a proper army of their own and get rid of all the corruption. I hate to see anyone oppressed like that

[@zunezvenzon1748]

Why do you have a picture of MOAB at 7.20?

[@aRomanSoldier]

So after the first bomb missed, did they try again? Or did they just give up and never try again?

[@vibs1614]

I have to admit this video is a little confusing. The MOAB is an enhanced tnt explosive. 18000 pounds of tnt with aluminum powder accelerant. It is not thermobaric. Thermobaric is an air fuel explosive. The MOAB was an updated daisy cutter and detonates above ground in a similar fashion.

[@allthatjazz641]

correct this kid is full of sht, none of his graphics match the discourse, infact its so crapy, I suspect this is a C_A missinfo channel ?

[@swaghauler8334]

The MOAB is technically a Hyperbaric weapon. The Aluminum and Magnesium dust act as blast multipliers that do consume all the O2, BUT do not have a sustained incendiary effect like the Thermobaric bomb has.

[@dennismccormick9204]

Why show images of the large MOAB when discussing the thermobaric munitions. The are plenty of BLU-118 images

[@MrMontanaNights]

Heck the fourth image in google search is of an F-15 dropping BLU-118s in Afghanistan. I don't know why he is constantly using incorrect imagery/videos. It'd only take a few extra minutes to make sure it's correct. It's just poor production values.

[@josiahvonb3426]

So, how does a thermobaric vaccum bomb work and what is supposed to do?

[@DOL3rd]

That beat is savage

[@TriNguyen-ug1qv]

Duong Nguyet Anh ,a Vietnamese-American-, was a team leader of scientists created that bomb. We all are proud of her service.

Yeah she looks extremely Vietnamese to me but the narrator completely butchered her name, giving the idea that she wasn’t. Although, as a Vietnamese whose grandfather was almost blown to smithereen back in the Vietnam War. I can’t say that I’m all that proud for her archievement. It’s quite hard to gobble that up tho, it was just 40-50 years or so ago, the scars are still there.

[@mmdirtyworkz]

@ It's like she has Stockholm syndrome, coming to serve ones who destroyed her country and who committed many war crimes. A true traitor.

[@pucky8231]

building instruments of death for the united states isn't something to be proud of.

[@pieterveenders9793]

@ Exactly. The atrocities the US committed in Vietnam are still noticeable to this very day; high rates of birth defects and cancers as a result of their chemical warfare with things like agent orange for example. Let alone how fresh those wounds were a few decades ago. She could have tried to do something in return for her new country without actually helping to exterminate people, which would have actually been honourable.

[@lucthien601]

@@pieterveenders9793 kaas kop

[@Ender7j]

Just a side note: at 00:52 an E-model shows up. I recognize the tail flash. I worked on the specific aircraft as a crew chief :). It belonged to A-Flight in the 391st Bold Tigers.

[@bryand.wilson9069]

Better mixing on the audio and music...I truly find these vids eye opening great facts

[@gmkbass]

Hey Dark, I thoroughly enjoy all of your contents, and I just want to say, I think this one is especially outstandingly done. This deserves more than 7 million views.

[@tjohnson3558]

If you are referencing the bomb called MOAB “mother of all bombs” it was tested at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida not in Arizona I remember the day well it rattled The walls of the machine shop where I worked in Fort Walton. It was written up in the local newspaper. They even have a display of the bomb at the at Eglin Air Force Base museum.

[@tjohnson3558]

MOAB

[@heathwasson7811]

The GBU-43B MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Blast) is just a specific model of thermobaric bomb in the US arsenal. It's first test was in 2003, a year after the BLU-118 B (the subject of this video) was already used in the field. 2 different weapons, same basic technology.

[@JohnDoe-tx8lq]

All the design, calculations, planning and money to get a precise release for a specific target... and the pilots just delay at the last second so they can get a better view, because as they alway do. 🤔 wow, brilliant.

[@liberalsaredegeneratebetasoyl]

lol general libtard

[@christopherwedemeyer2993]

Stay on target.... Stay on target.... Stay on target!

[@Zombeegun]

had to get that selfie!!

[@JohnDoe-tx8lq]

@@Zombeegun 😄👍

[@graham2631]

Yup probably been going on for years wonder how long it'll take for the engineers to figure it out.

[@calvinnewborn8452]

She wasn't just an average citizen.

[@TheeSlickShady]

Incredible video 🏆

[@speedycpu]

100% not a vacuum bomb. Nothing about it creates less than atmospheric pressure. All it does is disperse a fuel over an area, then ignites it, creating a shock wave. A positive pressure wave, because that's how bombs work. There is no sucking of air or reduction in pressure. It does use the surrounding oxygen to burn the dispersed fuel, but if you are close enough to be in the dispersion area, oxygen is the last of your concerns. The fireball and shockwave ripping you to pieces is a bit more of an issue.

[@rogerwilco5918]

It sucks up all the air during combustion.

[@royscott9162]

It’s like……what happens after two sacks of White Castle onion petals.

[@speedycpu]

@@rogerwilco5918 Nothing is being sucked up. Fuel is dispersed in a near stoichiometric ratio and ignited. The fuel uses the oxygen it is touching, it can't magically pull it from somewhere. There is no mechanism to create a vacuum. It using oxygen instead of the bomb bringing its own oxidizer doesn't make a vacuum, either. Please ask a physics teacher for clarification if you still don't understand. I wish the media would.

[@bl8danjil]

Leave to the news to call it something it isn't so they can make it sound scarier for clicks and views.

[@shize9ine]

^this. Dark channel has been pushing too much content lately and the quality seems to be suffering IMO. “Supercharged AH1Z” literally a turbine engine, no supercharger and then saying the Gatling gun is fixed. Now this one seems rushed on the b-roll more than others and the writing is trying to hit all those keywords to make the algorithm like it like vacuum bomb..

[@ThatsMrPencilneck2U]

I recently heard the term "Vaccum Bomb" in a video describing this term as a misnomer. I the "slang" term I heard, many years ago was "Fuel/Air" explosive. If you're close enough to ground zero to worry about the vacuum in the aftermath, the overpressure from the initial blast wave would have already smashed you.

[@DUKE_of_RAMBLE]

It's plausible the person was using vacuum, in the home appliance sense, not the "absence of". Which then IS a correct use of it, since the bomb "vacuums" (sucks up/in) all the O2 in the vicinity. Just my 2¢ 🙃

[@Chevsilverado]

I did the math on how air it would suck up and the answer is that if you’re close enough to “have the air sucked from your lungs” you’re close enough to be instantly vaporized by the explosion. Really the radius of “vacuum” caused by the thermobaric bomb is only like a few meters, and if you’re a few meters away from the explosion you’re instantly dead. So it definitely does NOT suck the air from a city block.

[@NoirOctobre711]

Sooo what was the damage? What were the casualties?

[@jasyamaha]

Excellent production.

[@tokoloshe4216]

Thermobaric weapons are so interesting

[@mrvn000]

So brutal!!

[@johnnywindsor183]

They are useless ! Afghanistan today is same as it was before these weapons were used

[@terminallyballisticM855A1]

The sustained overpressure compared to a straight high explosive payload does such a crazy amount of damage to soft targets which we all know, but I wonder how said sustained Shockwave would be to say crew members inside a hard target for example a near-by tank. Would the Shockwave kill the crew without actually having physically perforated the armor?

[@volodymyrkonik2662]

если люки танка закрыты то нет не убьет

[@volodymyrkonik2662]

if the hatches of the tank are closed, then no, it won’t kill

[@narmale]

music mix was way to loud at the end, fyi

[@PeterStaniforth]

Is that what they called the Daisy cutter?

[@pops91710]

Dear Dark Tech, I served as an air munitions specialist (MOS/AFSC-46270) in the USAF for nearly 7 years and we NEVER referred to the BLU as "blue". We called them "Bee-El-You", just like each letter is said. I loaded hundreds of BLU-1Bs in Vietnam and elsewhere and I know no one who ever called them "blue".

[@SleightOfTrigger]

Interesting to see your comment. As a current Weapons troop (2W1) of 17 years, I have only ever heard and referred to them as "blue". I'll have to ask my old 462 pals if they saw a move from one to the other over the years.

[@oriangalore]

That’s only relevant to you guys not to us civvies

[@davidabarak]

The guys that put together these "documentaries" using nothing but stock footage aren't the smartest "bee-you-el-bees" in the box. They probably steal text from a articles to use as their scripts.

[@psps6623]

Well, why didn't you call them "Blue"?! Lol. Seems like a missed opportunity. Was "Blue" already the term for something else? Cuz that's the only excuse I could see for not calling a BLU a "Blue".

[@pops91710]

@@oriangalore I disagree. You wouldn't call an F-111 an F-one-one-one. Correct nomenclature is relevant to everyone.

[@johngardner58]

Moab was not a thermobaric bomb it was an enhanced blast bomb. It just exploded slower to keep the pressure higher longer (similar to daisy cutter). But the main thing was it's sheer size. It didn't use air as the oxidizer so it didn't consume it. It was all blast. Thermobaric have more fuel than oxidizer therefore consuming air. MOAB used H6 (no HMX).

[@Tyler_18_]

Yeah, the video said that it penetrated deep into the cave but if it’s thermobaric, doesn’t it need a wide spaces?

[@roberthartzell7104]

The video and information provided are by far the best I’ve seen! I do find it interesting that the United States government was involved with the construction of the tunnel system in defending against the Soviet-Afghan

[@martinmdl6879]

Tell us all about Tower #7.

[@johnmarino2112]

I was deployed to Kuwait (then Afghanistan) starting in Feb 2002. I assisted with the first two GBU-15 Thermobaric Builds. To my knowledge, we never delivered them to the Aircraft, but it was cool to be apart of a historic moment. I am now retired from the USAF. AMMO! IYAAYAS!

[@HeliRy]

Has it ever been used since? Seem to recall the “Daisy Cutter” being used against mountain complexes too.

[@mattsantana5429]

Trump dropped one on the Taliban

[@anthrazite]

@@mattsantana5429 Trump didn't drop anything

[@mingming9604]

I am a vn and quite proud of the contribution by another vn scientist!

[@ianhollands1641]

Why the deafening background noise (music?)