Was reading Russia has stepped up the caliber of bombs to the highest damaging bomb just before you get into nuclear size. Several websites, and some videos debating the ethical use of Thermobaric bombs. They were extremely controversial when U.S. used them in Iraq primarily, media would only call them "bunker busters" which makes ignorant populace think "oh it's for busting holes and reaching bunkers underground". But while a shape charged thermobaric could do that, they create such intense heat, and the largest shockwave (excluding nuclear of course), and a hell of a vacuum when after the shockwave expands, it returns inward so you get the explosion then the implosion. They also create mushroom clouds so from distance it's a "psychological" effect as well.
Russia is also using white phosphorous, it works exactly like napalm. Although napalm itself was never banned against military targets it was for civilian areas. But using white phosphorous which you can't put out with water, it's gonna burn and adding water makes it burn even hotter. But you can say "it's not napalm"
International law does not specifically prohibit the use of napalm or other incendiaries against military targets, but use against civilian populations was banned by the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) in 1980. Protocol III of the CCW restricts the use of all incendiary weapons, but a number of countries have not acceded to all of the protocols of the CCW. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), countries are considered a party to the convention, which entered into force as international law in December 1983, as long as they ratify at least two of the five protocols.
The United States signed it approximately 25 years after the General Assembly adopted it, on January 21, 2009, President Barack Obama's first full day in office. The United States ratification, however, added a caveat to the treaty, Obama only signed the treaty of 1980 after adding the reservation that says it can disregard the treaty at its discretion
Here's a video showing what they both look like. From December 4.
At the beginning what looks like "fireworks" is white phosphorous dropped being used like "napalm" to burn a village. From start to 35 seconds in you see the huge fires as it touches down. Remember water only makes it worse and burn hotter.
The middle of vid shows them scrambling, and picking folks up and surveying the burning up close.
Then go to 1 minute 30 seconds. If starting at 1:30 roughly 10 seconds later a huge ball of red light, the camera points and you see the thermobaric bomb in distance and the fiery mushroom.
Thermobaric weapons have the longest sustained blast wave and most destructive force of any known explosive, excluding nuclear weapons.
They aren't "new" technologies, but just refined versions of older thermobaric devices.
Russia, US, and Spain are the 3 countries with nice collection of thermobaric bombs, and the 3 countries that have successfully tested them.
Here's Russia's "Father of all bombs" produced in 2007:
"all that is alive merely evaporates."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_of_All_Bombs
Then there's the United States' Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb (MOAB) aka "Mother Of All Bombs" made in 2003 and why Russia "one upped" with the (FOAB) which is a higher yield. Of course there's constant "upgrades".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GBU-43/B_Massive_Ordnance_Air_Blast_bomb
