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 peircing 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 km (11 mi) above the hypocenter. ... Air is a name for the mixture of gases present in the Earths atmosphere. ... Alternative meanings: vehicle armour, Armor (novel) A hoplite wearing a helmet, a breastplate and greaves (and nothing else). ...

The principle 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. Shrapnel is the collective term for fragments and debris thrown out by an exploding shell or landmine. ...

History

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. This was accomplished by means of a variable-time fuse set according to the range of the target, which is why ammunition intended for air bursts is often called VT. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... An enemy or foe is a relativist term for an entity that is seen as forcefully adverse or threatening. ... Shrapnel is the collective term for fragments and debris thrown out by an exploding shell or landmine. ... A ditch with water can be used for drainage and irrigation. ... The VT fuse (short for variable-time) is a proximity fuse developed during World War II as a means to improve anti-aircraft gun accuracy. ...

With nuclear weapons the air burst, usually several hundred 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. For the vector animation platform, see Macromedia Shockwave. ... In general fission is a splitting or breaking up into parts. ...

Newer 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, decimating any military personel within a fifteen foot radius. A landmine is a type of mine which is placed onto or into the ground and explodes when triggered by a vehicle or person. ... 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. ... The word grenade can mean:- The well-known hand grenade commonly used by soldiers. ... In classical geometry, a radius of a circle or sphere is any line segment with one endpoint on the circle (i. ...

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-burting munitions at three levels. First by MLRS bomblets against exposed command and logistics units in the enemy's rear, second by 155mm artillery shells against infantry positions, and third by mortars in order to provide cover for advancing units. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... A Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) is a form of rocket artillery that can be reused. ... Historically, artillery refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war. ... Mortar has several meanings: A mortar is a vessel used to contain a substance which is then ground into a powder and/or mixed with a pestle. ...