An air burst occurs whenever an explosive device such as an anti-personnel artillery shell or a nuclear weapon is detonated in the air instead of on contact with the ground or target or a delayed armor piercing explosion. Explosive devices, as used by terrorists, guerrillas or commando forces, are formally known as Improvised Explosive Devices or IEDs. ... An anti-personnel weapon is one primarily used to injure or kill people. ... A shell is a projectile, which, as opposed to a bullet, is not solid but contains an explosive or other filling. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 kilometers (11 mi) above the hypocenter. ... AIR is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below: The Annals of Improbable Research, a monthly magazine devoted to scientific humour All India Radio - Indias Government Radio service AIR, a popular electronica band from France. ... Armor or armour (see spelling differences) is protective clothing intended to defend its wearer from intentional harm in combat and military engagements, typically associated with soldiers. ...

The principal advantage of an air burst over a ground burst is that the energy from the explosion (as well as any shrapnel) is distributed more evenly over a wider area, however the peak energy is lower. A sectioned Shrapnel shell displayed at the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa Shrapnel is the term used to describe the spherical shot or musket balls dispersed when a shrapnel shell bursts. ...

History

Air burst artillery has a long history. The "bombs bursting in air" cited in the United States national anthem were not a new concept when they were viewed by Francis Scott Key. The shrapnel shell, invented by Henry Shrapnel of the British army in about 1780, was widely used by the time of the War of 1812 and stayed in use until it was superceded during the First World War. The original shell was a hollow sphere filled with musket balls and a charge of gun powder. A burning fuse caused the charge to explode, bursting the shell and spraying the enemy with lead musket balls. The shell was subsequently improved and made in the cylindrical, pointed shape of normal artillery shells. Mechanical and chemical time fuses caused the detonation of the powder charge which launched the musket balls out the front of the cylindrical shell. Shrapnel shells have had various names including spherical case shot, the original name. The name shrapnel was a nickname given to the shell to honour the inventor. The common use of the term "shrapnel" to describe modern artillery shells is technically not correct. Modern shells produce fragments and splinters, not shrapnel. Francis Scott Key Fort McHenry looking towards the position of the British ships (with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the distance on the upper left) Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779 – January 11, 1843) was an American lawyer and amateur poet who wrote the words to the United States... A sectioned Shrapnel shell displayed at the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa Shrapnel is the term used to describe the spherical shot or musket balls dispersed when a shrapnel shell bursts. ... Henry Shrapnel (1761 - March 13, 1842) was a British Army officer and inventor Henry Shrapnel was born in Wiltshire, England. ... Combatants United States Native Americans United Kingdom Canadian colonial forces Native Americans First Nations Peoples Commanders James Madison Winfield Scott Andrew Jackson Isaac Brock† George Prevost Tecumseh† Strength •U.S. Regular Army: 35,800 •Rangers: 3,049 •Militia: 458,463* •US Navy & US Marines: (at start of war): •Frigates:3...

When infantry moved into deep trenches, shrapnel shells were rendered useless and high explosive shells were used to attack field fortifications and troops in the open. The time fuses for the shells could be set to function on contact or in the air. During the Second World War, a Variable Time Fuse was developed. This fuse could not be set by the gun detachment but was controlled by a doppler radar device which cause the shell to explode when near the target. Sixty feet above the ground was standard. Air bursts were used in the first World War to shower enemy positions and men with shrapnel to kill the largest possible number of them with a single burst, assuming that the blast was directly over the trench the men were positioned in. Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... Your Grandma. ... A sectioned Shrapnel shell displayed at the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa Shrapnel is the term used to describe the spherical shot or musket balls dispersed when a shrapnel shell bursts. ... A trench is a long narrow ditch. ...

During the Vietnam War, air bursting shells were used to great effect to defend US Army bases. This tactic was known as 'Killer Junior' when referring to 105 mm or 150 mm shells, and 'Killer Senior' when employed with larger howitzers. Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000...

Some anti-personnel land mines such as the "Bouncing Betty" fire a grenade into the air which detonates somewhere between five and half and six feet, causing the shrapnel to fly out at head or chest level, severely maiming anyone within a fifteen foot radius. Land Mine board near the end of a game This article is about the drinking game. ... The Bouncing Betty was the nickname given to a common German anti-personnel landmine used during World War 2 and towards the end of World War 1, dubbed the S mine. ... Grenade may refer to: The well-known hand grenade commonly used by soldiers. ... In classical geometry, a radius of a circle or sphere is any line segment from its center to its boundary. ...

With nuclear weapons the air burst, usually several hundred to a few thousand feet in the air, allows the shockwave of the fission or fusion driven explosion to destroy the largest possible number of buildings, military units or vehicles, etc. This also minimizes the generation of irradiated soil and other debris (fallout) by keeping the fireball from touching the ground, limiting the amount of additional debris that is vaporized and drawn up in the radioactive debris cloud. Introduction The shock wave is one of several different ways in which a gas in a supersonic flow can be compressed. ... For the generation of electrical power by fission, see Nuclear power plant An induced nuclear fission event. ... The deuterium-tritium (D-T) fusion reaction is considered the most promising for producing fusion power. ... Fallout may refer to: Nuclear fallout Half-Life Fallout a Half-Life fan site. ...

Tactics

Air bursts are used primarily against infantry in the open or unarmored targets, as the resulting shrapnel covers a large area but will not penetrate armor, entrenchments, or fortifications. U.S. Army tactics call for the use of air-bursting munitions at three levels. First by MLRS bomblets against exposed command and logistics units in the enemy's rear, second by 155 mm artillery shells against infantry positions, and third by mortars in order to provide cover for advancing units. Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other means. ... A Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) is a form of rocket artillery that can be reused. ... Honest John missile warhead cutaway, showing M139 Sarin bomblets (photo circa 1960) Cluster munitions are air-dropped or ground launched shells that eject multiple small submunitions (bomblets). ... Historically, artillery (from French artillerie) refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war. ... US soldier loading a M224 60-mm mortar. ...