DefenceTalkThe US military on Thursday dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb ever deployed in combat, targeting an Islamic State complex in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said. The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb — better known by its nickname, the “Mother Of All Bombs” — hit a tunnel complex at 7:32 pm (1502 GMT) in Achin district […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-drops-mother-of-all-bombs-in-afghanistan-69728/

DefenceTalkThe first explosives were crude clay containers containing black powder, with some form of rudimentary ignition mechanism, like that of a burning match. Black powder is a chemical mixture made up of potassium nitrate a.k.a saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal. Potassium nitrate is the main component of the powder and can take up as much as […]https://www.defencetalk.com/boom-the-evolution-of-explosives-63754/

DefenceTalkUniversity of Utah engineers have developed a new type of carbon nanotube material for handheld sensors that will be quicker and better at sniffing out explosives, deadly gases and illegal drugs. A carbon nanotube is a cylindrical material that is a hexagonal or six-sided array of carbon atoms rolled up into a tube. Carbon nanotubes […]https://www.defencetalk.com/better-bomb-sniffing-technology-60966/

DefenceTalkA Sandia engineer who trained U.S. soldiers to avoid improvised explosive devices (IEDs) has developed a fertilizer that helps plants grow but can’t detonate a bomb. It’s an alternative to ammonium nitrate, an agricultural staple that is also the raw ingredient in most of the IEDs in Afghanistan. Sandia has decided not to patent or […]https://www.defencetalk.com/sandia-offers-non-explosive-fertilizer-formula-47581/

DefenceTalkNorth Korea staged an apparent nuclear test Tuesday in a striking act of defiance that, now confirmed, is sure to trigger global condemnation from enemies and allies alike. Regional seismic monitoring agencies detected a seismic event, of a magnitude between 4.9 and 5.1, at 11:57 am (0257 GMT) with the epicentre in the same location […]https://www.defencetalk.com/artificial-quake-detected-in-north-korea-46741/