Thermobaric weapons - What are they and how do they work

⁣These are the kind of weapons the Russians could use to make the Ukrainians in the Mariupol steel plant surrender or kill under the ground, where they are hiding

The thermobaric weapon, also known as an aerosol bomb or fuel air explosive, is a two-stage munition
The first-stage charge distributes an aerosol made up of very fine material – from a carbon-based fuel to tiny metal particles A second charge ignites that cloud, creating a fireball, a huge shock wave, and a vacuum as it sucks up all surrounding oxygen
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 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