5. Father of All Bombs (FOAB)
The development of this bomb stated: If United States can do it, Russia can do better. Inspired by United States’s MOAB (Mother of All Bombs) we have seen earlier, Russian military designed and produced its counter in 2007. And it is called the Father of All Bombs (FOAB).
That is its cool nickname. As for its technical name is Aviation Thermobaric Bomb of Increased Power (ATBIP). A little science stuff: thermobaric bomb contains 100% fuel which utilizes surrounding oxygen to create high-temperature explosion. In other words, it produces heat and blast.
To create such effective blast, FOAB is fueled with mixture of high explosive aluminum powder and ethylene oxide. And weighing only at 7,100 kilograms (which is lighter than MOAB), it has 44 tons TNT of blast yield. That is four times the MOAB’s blast yield. So, we gotta give it to the Russian this time.
With such power of destruction, FOAB is pretty popular. Plus, it is a non-nuclear weapon so it does not damage or pollute the environment beyond the blast radius.
The real picture of FOAB has never been officially released. I guess the Russians don’t want United States to copy their work.
