World War I was the first modern global military conflict which took place in Europe between 1914 to 1918. Archaic military tactics met modern industrialised warfare for the first time, resulting casualties on a previously unimaginable scale. Men rotted in the mud, then were sent to face massed machine gun fire, modern artillary, tanks and chemical weapons. Over 40 million soldiers and civilians died and countless others were physically maimed or mentally scarred by the horrors of trench warfare.
Colour archive footage of the Italian and German airforces in action during WW2
Footage of the BLU-82B "daisy cutter" bomb in 1970. Designed to create an instant clearing in the jungles of Vietnam, it has also been used an anti-personnel weapon because of its very large lethal radius (280m). The BLU-82 uses conventional explosive incorporating both agent and oxidizer. In contrast, fuel-air explosives (FAE) consist only of an agent and a dispersing mechanism, and take their oxidizers from the oxygen in the air. The minimum altitude for release due to blast effects of the weapon is 1,800 m above ground level. The warhead contains 5,700 kg of low-cost GSX slurry (ammonium nitrate, aluminium powder and polystyrene) and is detonated just above ground level by a 965 mm fuse extender, optimized for destruction at ground level without digging a crater. The weapon produces an overpressure of 1000 psi near ground zero.
A liquid gas station in Seoul catches fire,causing a refueling tanker to explode in a massive BLEVE (boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion)
1983 in Murdock Illinois, a tanker carrying 113,000 liters of liquid propane gas explodes in an enormous BLEVE. A TV news crew record the explosion from half a mile away.
Developed for the USAF as reconnaissance aircraft more than 40 years ago, SR-71s are still the world's fastest and highest-flying production aircraft. The aircraft can fly more than 2200 mph (Mach 3+ or more than three times the speed of sound) and at altitudes of over 85,000 feet. As research platforms, the aircraft can cruise at Mach 3 for more than one hour.
The A-10 was designed for high-survivability with a titanium cover surrounding both the cockpit, ammunition and fuel tank. Placement of the engines decreases the infrared signature lowering it's vulnerablity to heatseeking missiles and ground fire.
One of the world's worst airshow disasters. Seventy-two spectators as well as three pilots were killed and 346 were seriously injured in the resulting explosion and fire. The event took place in front of an audience of 300,000 on 28/08/1988 at the Ramstein Air Base in the US.
Mexico city, a tanker carrying 3000 gallons of petrol collides with a passenger train and ignites. The ensuing fire causes a massive BLEVE.
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was a 4-engine American bomber, primarily employed in the daylight precision strategic bombing campaign of World War II against German industrial and military targets. In the Pacific, the planes earned a deadly reputation with the Japanese, who dubbed them "four-engine fighters." The Fortresses were also legendary for their ability to stay in the air after taking brutal poundings. They sometimes limped back to their bases with large chunks of the fuselage shot off.
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