Bomb

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A bomb is an explosive device that generates and releases its energy very rapidly. The explosion creates a violent, destructive shock wave. Bombs cause destruction and injury to objects and living things within the blast radius by the crushing action of the shockwave (pressure) and by mechanical impact of fragments, including shards of the bomb casing (often called "shrapnel"), or objects from the surrounding area propelled by the blast. Bombs have been known to severely injure or kill humans by sound alone, via sonic over-pressure. Bombs have been used for centuries in both conventional and unconventional warfare. Most bombs do not contain more energy than ordinary fuel, except in the case of a nuclear weapon. Although the term "bomb" in civilian usage can refer to almost any type of explosive device, modern military terminology largely restricts the term bomb to unpowered, aircraft-dropped explosive ordinance.

[edit] Aircraft-Dropped Bombs

“

Bombing run initiated! - Vertigo dropping a devastating bomb

”

An aerial bomb, unlike an air-to-ground missile, is completely unpowered; only gravity and inertia propels a bomb to a target. Aerial bombing has been practiced since 1912, but its usage arose with the prevalence of combat aircraft during the Great World War II. The Soviet Union was fond of carpet bombing areas with its Tu-16 "Badger" bombers. Though inaccurate, the Badger would drop large numbers of parabombs in a single area, hitting the mark via saturation. The GDI A-10 Thunderbolt II during the First Tiberium War also dropped multiple parachute bombs, probably to cover a larger area with napalm. During the Second Tiberium War, GDI developed the Orca bomber, integrating its VTOL technology with a traditional bomber design. During the Third Tiberium War, both Nod and GDI developed new types of bombers. The GDI Firehawk was a multirole jet, capable of engaging air or ground targets depending on its weapons loadout. Nod developed the Vertigo, a flying wing stealth bomber that was specialized for use against ground targets, launching a single precision guided bomb.

[edit] Thermobaric Bombs

A subset of aircraft-delivered bombs is the Thermobaric Bomb, in which oxygen in the atmosphere reacts with a highly volatile vapor cloud to cause an immense explosion. They are more complicated, but also more powerful, than traditional bombs of similar size. The Allied Forces developed the Fuel Air Bomb, an airburst weapon deployed from a cargo plane, during the Great World War II. The deployment of this weapon was stalled until the end of the war after Soviet units destroyed the test site. Nod applied the same basic principle, but used Tiberium-based fuel instead, making a highly effective Tiberium vapor bomb, dropped from Armageddon heavy bombers.

[edit] Explosive Charges

Although not "bombs" in the air-delivered sense, infantry-scale explosive charges are often referred to as bombs. These typically are used for demolition. C-4 bombs were widely used since the Great World War II by special forces units, such as Tanya Adams or Commandos to demolish enemy structures, though they were eventually supplanted by the detpacks used by Third Tiberium War-era commandos and Shadows. Nod Saboteurs also carry explosives which they can use to create traps in civilian buildings or bridges, and Fanatics literally strap Tiberium-based bombs onto themselves before charging towards a target.